A Minnesota State detective tries to capture a serial killer after nearly 20 bodies are found buried in a well. Lucas Davenport works for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is that state's equivalent to the FBI. Most of the cases are what you would expect, but when an abandoned cistern is discovered with at least 20 bodies dumped in it, the case becomes a national sensation. The cable news networks are everywhere and since the murders seem to have taken place somewhere in an area filled with small Minnesota towns, it doesn't take long for the rumors to spin out of control.
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Davenport isn't involved with the initial investigation and from the outside there doesn't seem to be much progress. But when the lead investigator is shot and killed, it becomes clear that he must have stumbled across the killer and that cpst him his life. Davenport and local police officer Catrin Mattsson track down lead after lead, seeming to get no closer to the killer. A young teen claims to have seen the killer and identifies a local post office worker who is then harrassed by local residents. He's just one of the leads that turn out not to be real or helpful to solving the case.
What the police don't realize is that Catrin Mattsson fits the killer's obsession with strong blondes and he kidnaps and imprisons her. Frantic to solve the case, Davenport drives around the town where he suspects the killer might be living. Parked in the parking lot of a grocery store, he looks up and sees a hardware store and a lot of facts rolling around in his mind suddenly come together. He realizes the killer might be the hardware store owner and he tracks down the man's home. He finds Mattsson and during the rescue the killer dies under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Mattsson will survive and is offered a job with the BCA. But it's going to take a lot of therapy to get past the time she spent with the killer.
Best part of story, including ending:
I like that the story portrayed small town Minnesota in a kind and accurate way. The residents are rubes or quirky beyond all reality. They are just people who happen to be living in a rural community.
Best scene in story:
The scene in which Lucas Davenport rescues Catrin Mattsson. He's frantic and angry and appalled as he realizes how much has been done to this local officer. He also is willing to overlook the fact that she ends up essentially executing him before other officers arrive.
Opinion about the main character:
One of the things I liked best about Lucas Davenport were the small scenes with his family. His worries about his daughter and her upcoming move to school, his love for his wife and their chemistry together. He is a very well-written and very believable character.
