The Land of Dreams

Lance Hansen, “forest cop” and amateur historian, is following up on a routine report of an illegally located tent when he notices an abandoned running shoe next to the trail. The shoe belongs to the naked and blood-covered man sitting not far away. The man is rocking himself and mumbling in Norwegian. When he bolts, Lance follows, and discovers a body in the bushes. The FBI and a Norwegian policeman are called in to investigate the crime, while Lance acts as a witness and attempts to answer the question, “Is this the first murder in Cook County?”

The Land of Dreams is very clearly the first book in a trilogy. Sundstol spends most of the book developing the character of Lance Hansen and describing the history of the setting, Cook County, Minnesota. He describes Lake Superior beautifully, and the history lessons would be interesting, if they tied into the plot more clearly. Readers looking for answers will be disappointed because there is no resolution. The police arrest a suspect, but he didn’t necessarily commit the crime. The Land of Dreams is more of psychological study than a mystery. If you want the whole story, wait to read this book until the entire trilogy has been published.