I ran into this William Kent Krueger title while updating my Amazon Wish List (click the link if you really want to get me anything, you can maybe write it off as a donation if you know enough legal loopholes).

Anyway, I’m hoping a real visit Minnesota’s famed Northwest Angle is in my future. As your geo-geeks may know, the Angle was created due to a surveying error and is the only part of the contiguous U.S. to clip above the 49th parallel. It is home to many “northernmosts” in the lower 48, including a post office, golf course and school. The de-facto “capital” is Angle Inlet, which resides on the north shore. The entire plot of land is home to about 150, give or take a few. According to the plot summary, which centers around a murder and a mysterious baby, these residents may not be all what they seem:

Powerful forces intent on securing the child pursue them to the isolated Northwest Angle, where it’s impossible to tell who among the residents is in league with the devil.

Yikes – I’m not sure I’d want that kinda ignominy – fiction or not – following me around. That said, I’m sure Northern Minnesotans are used to the characterizations made by Krueger (I’ll have to ask my girlfriend), who bases all his books on locales in the area. If anyone wants to grab me a copy, feel free. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first murder mystery set against the backdrop of this geo-oddity. Tim O’Brien’s 1994 novel, “In the Lake of the Woods” , also dealt with similar themes.

Anyone up for a murder mystery set in the Kentucky Bend?