Spirit Crossing is a gripping read and actually my first in the series. I was drawn in immediately by the vivid characters and haunting story. This book was very well done wand I easily see why this series is so popular. So now I have a long tbr list. This story highlights a sad truth that minorities and indigenous people are often not as heavily investigated in sone areas due to a variety of circumstances including bias and discrimination. It’s a tough topic and it was handled thoughtfully and the story was very thought provoking. If you live a great investigative thriller this book is for you. Highly recommend it!

"Spirit Crossing," the twentieth installment in William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series, is a gripping mystery that delves into the disappearance of a politician's daughter and the discovery of a young Ojibwe woman's grave. The investigation, led by Cork and the Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police, unravels a dangerous conspiracy that puts Cork's family at risk.

Krueger masterfully blends suspense with social commentary, highlighting the marginalization of Indigenous communities. The characters are vividly drawn, and the plot is both heart-wrenching and heartwarming. "Spirit Crossing" is a compelling read that maintains the series' high standards. Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction and those interested in Native American issues.

Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger pierced me to my heart. There are many characters and subplots in Krueger’s most recent novel, but he seamlessly interweaves all into a plot that is alternately heart-wrenching and heart-warming—but always relevant and true to the challenges Indigenous peoples face now and into the future.
Cork O’Connor and his family are confronted by life and death issues, both within and outside of their family. A murdered white girl and several missing Native American women and girls loom large in this story. A member of the O'Connor family is confronted with an existential challenge, and layered on top is a pipeline that threatens native water that has supplied nutritional and cultural sustenance to Indigenous peoples for centuries.
The wisdom and internal peace of Henry Meloux ties the subplots together, and Prophet, who was introduced in an earlier novel, is present once again as a force of strength and loyalty. Readers will be drawn into this rich story of loss, love, and gratitude. Many thanks to NetGalley for offering me the opportunity to read this book.

The twentieth book in the Cork O'Connor mystery series, centers around the disappearance of a local politician's teenage daughter in Minnesota, which garners significant media attention and initiates a large-scale manhunt. Amid this chaos, Cork O'Connor's seven-year-old grandson, discovers the shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman. This grim discovery, however, does not attract the same level of urgency from law enforcement, highlighting issues of marginalization. Cork, along with the Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police and local sheriff Marsha Dross, decides to investigate the case. As they delve deeper, they uncover connections between the missing teenager and the murdered Ojibwe woman, revealing a larger, more dangerous conspiracy. The investigation puts Cork and his family in the crosshairs of powerful and desperate individuals willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden. The story not only provides a thrilling mystery but also sheds light on critical issues affecting Native American communities, blending suspense with poignant social commentary. Recommended!

Spirit Crossing
by William Kent Krueger
Another great adventure with Cork and his family!
In this installment, the O'Connor family reunites for a wedding. Jenny is back with news to share after several years away. The mystery unfolds when Waboo finds a dead body that turns out to be a missing Ojibwe girl. At the same time, a search for a missing white girl is the focus and no one seems to care except Cork, Daniel, and the rest of the Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. Waboo becomes the target of the killer as well. Lots of action and I definitely cried in this one.

So another Cork O'Connor series!! love the series and i loved Spirit Crossing.

its an incredible story. The characters are enjoyable and you will enjoy every drop of this story and series. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

thanks publisher and netgalley. all thoughts and opinions are my own

addictive-series, supernatural, suspense, thriller, trafficking, tribal-police, visions, secrets, retired-cop, religious-differences, relatives, relationships, paparazzi, Ojibwe, Minnesota, MMIP, MMIW, murders, mystery, law-enforcement, lawyers, local-gossip, local-history, local-legends, jurisdiction, family-dynamics, forensic-anthropology, forensics, fracking, friendship, pipeline, crime-fiction, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage*****

The problems highlighted in this story are all too real and not endemic only to our area of the world where finding the murderer of a marginalized girl is viewed as less important than one whose father is viewed as important by feds and others. Spectacular writing on painful and controversial subjects. Many thanks to the author.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Atria Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Brandon's Law:
Accept without delay any report of a missing person
* Conduct preliminary investigation to determine whether the person is missing
* If missing, determine whether the person is endangered as defined in statute
DHS is home to the Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT)
#MMIP #MMIP #HumanTrafficking #SpiritCrossing #NetGalley @AtriaBooks @WmKentKrueger

The 20th book in the Cork O'Connor series is every bit as fresh and engaging as the first 19 books. Vividly drawn characters, a well paced plot, and the focus on social issues in the indigenous community made this a page turning read that I couldn't put down. Although it can be read as a stand alone mystery, I strongly recommend reading the entire series from the beginning starting with book 1, "Iron Lake". Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I have only read a couple other Cork O’Connor series, this book does stand alone but I’m sure I was missing some backstories from previous books that may have added to the read. I feel lucky to have some pieces to trace backwards as I read more of this series.

The book got off to a slow start for me, but confession: I’m not a big mystery fan but love this author. By 25% in the book had me and I couldn’t put it down.

Cork is a retired lawman who can’t stay away. There were a lot of characters and I can’t say I kept them all straight. The underlying story involved missing girls, one white and one indigenous and led to a nest of human trafficking, a real problem in the world that people don’t know a lot about. Cork’s seven year old grandson has some ability to see dead people, which I thought would be corny but actually worked here, though I would not have let my 7 year old near and investigation, if it seems dangerous is is! But the Cork family are made of tougher stock, the child was helpful in several ways. At the same time Cork’s adult daughter is coming home to celebrate another child’s wedding, but also to share some difficult news.

The relationships Cork has built over time (and 20 books) with his community is almost a character in the book as I feel this is what allows him to uncover the truth, and also protects him from harm. I appreciated the Native American culture and its part in the story.

Side note : There are many indigenous references in the Cork books. Their beliefs surrounding death seem so beautiful and comforting, parallel in many ways to Christian ideas but connected to the earth, which I have come to appreciate so much more deeply as an adult who has experienced loss. I live in WI, these books take place in Northern MN, so there is some ground to explore on this nearby.

Spirit Crossing, William Kent Krueger’s 20th book in his popular Cork O’Connor series, is aptly named for many reasons. It’s a sacred place for the Minnesota tribe of the Anishinaabeg, which is being desecrated by the construction of an oil pipeline. In addition, the plot entails the passing of spirits, those of Native and non-Native people. It is a somber book, but because of the presence of the inimitable healer, Henry Meloux, there is an ever-present spirit of another Power at work.

The deaths are tragic. Young Native women who are runaways or who have been lured into prostitution have gone missing. But the only girl whom law enforcement officials seem to care about is the daughter of a well-to-do white politician. This angers Cork’s son-in-law Daniel, who vows to keep searching for the killers and the missing Ojibwe girls. Cork enlists the help of Sheriff Marsha Dross, and the tribal police.

These events put a damper on the O’Connor family's upcoming celebration. Son Stephen is preparing to be wed. His sister Annie has come home after years of working with poor families in Guatemala. Accompanying her is her beloved Maria. Despite not explaining their relationship to the family, everyone seems to recognize their connection. However, something is deeply troubling Annie; it is a worrisome secret, which she is not ready to share. Both women have nursing experience and are ready and willing to help at the protest site, where Stephen and his fiancée, Belle, have been at Spirit Crossing among the protesters.

After another dead body is found, the situation becomes more tense. Cork’s family is threatened, and even his young grandson Waaboo - Little Rabbit - is in danger. It is a test of love of family and commitment to community and professional duty. It is a tense situation for everyone, but communication among all involved in the case eventually gets results. The calming spiritual presence of Henry is a comfort, particularly to Waaboo and to Annie. As we’ve come to expect in this series, Henry helps others see that life and death is a cycle to be accepted and that the spirit can be freed to walk the Path of Souls. While the setting is in the north country of Minnesota and the problems illustrated affect the Native community there, particularly Native females, the themes of love, life, and death are universal.

I found this to be a grim story at times. I appreciate WKK’s attention to the problem of missing indigenous girls and women, and the issues of abuse, chemical dependency, and murder in their communities. I received a copy of Spirit Crossing in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to Net Galley, Atria Books, and as always, the wonderful Kent Krueger.

5 stars

It’s good to remind many of us about our brothers and sisters in the Indian Nation. William Kent Krueger always gives us mystery and the history of our Native Americans. Cork the retired officer takes his grandson to pick berries to a hidden patch, but Waasso feels the spirt of a lost girl. Why? Thank you for another great read with so many details and tradition.

An engrossing, moving, thought-provoking novel.

Having read and adored nearly all of the author‘s previous books *except* the Cork O‘Connor series, I already expected a well-written novel, but wasn‘t sure I‘d find my way around the series given this is already book no. 20, according to GoodReads.

Well, I needn‘t have worried. William Kent Krueger does a formidable job of expertly introducing even a newbie like me to the extended O‘Connor family, but in a way that I‘m assuming won‘t feel too annoyingly repetitive for longtime readers.

„Spirit Crossing“ begins with the accidental discovery of a buried young Native woman by Cork O‘Connor‘s 7-year old grandson. While the big agencies continue searching for another missing (white) girl, hardly anyone seems to care about this one.

The book, with its many layers, including spirituality, indigenous culture, protection of the environment, and racism, reads more like a literary novel than a mystery/suspense novel, and that‘s a good thing. With strong characters, haunting prose, and a thought-provoking plot (do not skip the author‘s note in the back!), „Spirit Crossing“ may have been my first Cork O‘Connor book, but it definitely won‘t be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„Spirit Crossing“ is slated to be released on August 20, 20/4.

As always, WKK dazzles with this newest entry in the Cork O'Connor series. Here, Waboo, Cork's grandson, is able to communicate with the spirit of a young Native woman found buried in a blueberry patch. This tale of missing Native women (which needs to be discussed more) involves the usual twists and turns in a WKK novel. But there's also the humanity as well, and the everyday complexities the characters face that raise the writing to a higher level. Highly recommended.

Spirit Crossing is the 20th book in the Cork O'Connor series. This story starts when Cork, his son-in-law Daniel, and his grandson Waboo go picking for blueberries at their spot and find that it has been picked clean by animals. Cork says he knows of another spot on a past clients property who once paid him in blueberries for finding his niece and nephew. There Waboo finds a grave by one of the bushes and communicates with the lost soul. Police are hopeful that it is the missing body of a local politician's daughter, but Waboo tells his family that the spirit was that of an indigenous person and not a white. While the police move on in trying to locate the politician's daughter, Cork and the Tribal police continue on a path to determine who the body of the indigenous girl is and how she came to be buried in that patch that only a few people know about. As they dig more and more into this mystery, Waboo and Cork's family is put more at risk by the day.

Having never read a book in this series, I found it to be a great read and can see myself going back and reading others in the series as well. There were several characters at play in this book, but I was able to sort them all out and keep track of them all. William Kent Krueger wrote one of my favorite books (This Tender Land) that I always recommend to people. I have others on my TBR, but it is looking like I'm going to have to add this series as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #SpiritCrossing #AtriaBooks #WilliamKentKrueger

The book Spirit Crossing delivers on mystery, interwoven family stories, the connection of special gifts with the solving of crime, and real world struggles and horrors. This book is number 20 in the Cork O’Connor series. I have not read previous books from this series and was able to follow along as if it was a stand alone book, however, I imagine I would have a deeper understanding of the characters and am curious to go back and read the others to see how it would add to my experience! Being from northern MN myself, I was able to picture the settings, locations and enjoyed the experience of reading a fellow Minnesotans work! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery novel!

Thank you Net Galley and Atria Books for the Advances Readers Copy (ARC) of Spirit Crossing!

Thank you to @netgalley and @Atriabooks for this ARC. Book 20 in the Cork O'Connor series. While picking blueberries, Cork's grandson feels the spirit of a woman that was killed near by. When they call the authorities, he reveals not one but two spirits. They investigate the owner of the property to find answers but only offers more questions. I love this series. I didn't start reading until about Book 18 so you can start anywhere in the series but I would start now! #SpiritCrossing #WilliamKenKrueger #AtriaBooks #Aug2024

Spirit Crossing is an incredible story and no one can tell these stores like William Kent. The characters are so dynamic and enjoyable and you will enjoy every drop of this story. The latest in the Cork O’Connor series and this just keeps getting better and better. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

The Cork O’Connor series continues to work its magic for me. And magic is the exact word, as this book involves spirits and visions. I’m not a big fan of magic realism, but WKK had me totally believing that young Waaboo, Cork’s 7 year old grandson, has the ability to see and talk with spirits.
In this, the 20th book, a young wealthy, white woman, the daughter of a politician, has gone missing. And, as to be expected, it’s causing a huge uproar with both the news and the different police agencies. The fact that a young Ojibwe girl has been missing for six months without any real effort to find her is unfortunately par for the course. Cork and his family are searching for wild blueberries when they stumble across a shallow grave and Waaboo speaks to a troubled spirit. But as soon as it’s determined the corpse isn’t the white woman, no one is interested except the tribal police and the local sheriff. Along with all this, Annie has returned home from Guatemala with her girlfriend. But it’s obvious she’s hiding something else from her family.
There’s also a subplot about a pipeline being built that will cross sacred tribal lands and efforts to stop it.
I just love these characters. These are all people I would love to spend my time with. Henry better live forever!
As always, WKK’s writing is beautiful and evocative. Despite the horrific subject matter, the book left me with a feeling of peace.
This would not work as a standalone. But for those already familiar with the series, it is a great addition.
Make sure to read the Author’s Note, which tells the sad inspiration for this story.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

This is the 20th book in the series involving Cork O’Connor, the part-Irish, part-Anishinaabe Indian ex-sheriff of the small town of Aurora, Minnesota. In Tamarack County. While no longer formally serving in law enforcement, Cork now occasionally works as a private investigator.

This installment begins as the police are engaged in a manhunt to find Olivia Hamilton, a missing teenager whose father is a rich state senator and politician. While on a blueberry-picking trip, Cork’s seven-year old grandson Waaboo senses a dead body and the police come to the site. (Waaboo, like Cork’s son Stephen, has visions of things others cannot see.) The body they find is not of a white girl however, but of a young Ojibwe woman. The authorities lose interest, but Cork and his family, including his son-in-law Daniel, a member of the Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police, do not, and decide to investigate on their own.

At the same time, Cork’s son Stephen is getting ready to be married to Belle, and Cork’s daughter Annie has returned from Guatemala for the wedding, bringing her life-mate Maria Lopez with her. But having a girlfriend is not what Annie is keeping from her family.

Annie does not let her secret stop her from joining Stephen, Belle, Maria, and Cork’s wife Rainy from participating in the protests for the proposed Stockbridge pipeline. This fictional pipeline, like the non-fictional ones actually proposed or in operation, was designed to carry crude tar sands oil from Alberta more than a thousand miles to a refinery in Wisconsin, and to run through critical wetlands and cross the (fictional) Jiibay River at a place called Spirit Crossing, an area sacred to the Anishinaabeg of Minnesota. (Jiibay is an Ojibwe word meaning spirit or soul.) Krueger writes, “Despite the fact that other pipelines built by the company had a history of catastrophic spills and that an enormous hue and cry had arisen against the proposal, approval for the project had been granted at all governmental levels.”

The plot lines become intertwined, and in addition, when it gets out that a young boy could communicate with the dead (and therefore may be able to implicate the killers), Waaboo’s life is in danger.

As suggested above, there are two overriding issues affecting Native Americans that Krueger uses to frame the story. One is the violence toward women, underreported and a low priority for white law enforcement, but a serious threat to Natives. In his post-novel Author’s Note, Krueger writes:

“According to a 2018 study undertaken by the Urban Indian Health Institute, homicide is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous girls and teens. More than half of American Indian or Alaska Native women (56.1 percent) have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. The murder rate of AI/AN women is almost three times that of non-Hispanic White women. . . . In 2020, there were 1,496 American Indian or Alaskan Native people recorded as missing in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, 578 of whom were female. Because of reporting difficulties or omissions, this is probably a gross underreporting of the actual number.”

[Per the Urban Indian Health Institute the average Native community does not have the thousands of dollars and unlimited time to continue to follow up for this data; some cities still do not have systems that are searchable by race or include American Indian, Native American, or Alaska Native as categories; there is a formidable jurisdictional morass acting as a barrier to taking action on both sides; and media coverage of this issue is extremely uneven, to name some of the problems collecting data.]

The other issue is the pipeline, destined to cross Native land. There are several analogous actual pipelines that have also posed safety and environmental threats and spurred similar protests. The Keystone Pipeline, for example, which was supposed to be “the safest ever built,” has leaked millions of gallons of crude oil in at least twenty-two separate spills in the last dozen years.."

Or Krueger could be referencing the Lakehead Pipeline Company (now Enbridge), which ruptured on a wetland near Grand Rapids, Minnesota, spilling oil into the Prairie River, a tributary of the Mississippi River. It was the largest inland oil spill in the history of the United States. There have been subsequent ruptures: as of 2023 there were four confirmed breaches along the pipeline route, which started operating in the fall of 2021 and generated fierce opposition from environmental activists and Native American tribes.

Krueger, in his Note, observes:

“The horrific treatment of the Indigenous people on this continent goes back centuries, beginning with the perception of those earliest of our European ancestors, who viewed the Native people here as savages and who, from the very beginning, treated them in savage ways. Ignorant misconceptions, destructive stereotypes, human avarice, persistent prejudices, all have contributed to the ongoing struggle of Native people to preserve their cultures, their languages, and their right to the freedoms that both our Constitution and lawful treaties are supposed to ensure.
The violence against Native people continues, as the statistics demonstrate. But the statistics are only part of the story. Another important part is the perception that still lingers in the hears of so many Americans of European ancestry that somehow Native people are different from us.”

Evaluation: Although this is part of a series, it is quite possible to read this installment without feeling lost. On the contrary, Krueger manages to pull you into the O’Connor family immediately. Krueger is a good writer, and I love how he integrates Native American culture and an appreciation for the landscape into his stories. In addition, the continuing prejudice and indifference toward violence committed toward Native Americans and their land is a recurring theme of Krueger’s, and lends passion to his stories.

Whether you come to his novels for the murder-mystery aspect, the depiction of a strong, loving family, or the insights into Native American culture, his books are a rewarding reading experience.

This was a great addition to the Cork O’Connor series. I’ve read several, and lucky for me, there are some I can still read for the first time. It was fun to slip back into the O’Connor family life in Northern Minnesota. There are several things I love about his writing and this book:

1. His ability to weave an interesting story that may seem disparate until the end.
2. The Native American influence that permeates the book.
3. Characters that are incredibly unique.
4. The land takes center stage and is a central character in all of his books.

In Spirit Crossing, the family is reunited for the impending wedding of one of Cork’s sons. His daughter, Annie, comes back from her work in Guatemala with a friend named Maria. (Her arc is so beautiful.) The tension mounts as a young white woman is missing weeks after a young native woman has also disappeared. The reaction from law enforcement is distinctly different, all while a dispute about a pipeline through sacred land has ignited a powder keg on the reservation and beyond.

I can’t say enough how I loved Cork’s grandson, Waaboo (Little Rabbit), who has a gift of sight that he is learning about.
The book is tense and nonstop action about the missing girls and the fight over the pipeline.

Krueger is a unique writer who builds passionate, heart-felt stories that you can’t put down. Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for the advanced readers copy.