Heron River — Hugh Cook

Heron River probes the fierce bonds of family, the tragic consequences of human failure, and the persistent reverberations of history and memory.The story is set in a small Ontario town. Madeline Harbottle, a woman with a debilitating illness, seeks solace from the pain of the past and the challenges of the present. Her son Adam, damaged from a tragic childhood accident, finds security in his routine existence, until he falls prey to a cunning deception. Jacob Cunningham, a gifted thirteen-year-old boy, harbours a dark secret that he must confront in order to be whole.A young female police officer named Tara Burnaby tries to solve a string of break-ins following the murder of an elderly woman, and the previously staid small town reacts anxiously to the fact of a killer in their midst.Heron River explores human error and redemption, tragedy and triumph, and confronts the possibilities for human forgiveness and love amidst adversity.