In this prequel to the series, it is the summer of 1963, and 12-year-old Cork O'Connor has stumbled upon the body of a man he revered, hanging from a tree in a logging camp in Aurora, Minnesota. Cork's father, Liam O'Connor, is the sheriff and it is his job to confirm that the man's death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. But was it? Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing what their hearts know is right.

"A brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate."—Louise Penny