I’ve read some of Krueger’s more literary fiction and I was glad to try out his mystery series. Although I could have used a cast list (or maybe I just need to read the previous 19 books!), I found this mystery compelling and decently constructed. The characters are well developed and interesting. I am constantly on the fence about whether or not people should be writing about experiences not their own, and if that bothers you, I would suggest Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley rather than this. I will probably gradually read the others in the series. For fans of JA Jance. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. All opinions are my own.

William Kent Krueger is a new favorite author of mine. I have found all of his books to be very enjoyable, and I enjoyed them immensely. This one was no exception. It was fabulous!

4.5 stars. I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review. Not my favorite Cork O'Connor, but pretty darn close. The main story concerns the trafficking of Native American girls and women, how they are lured in, and why they are afraid to run. As a backdrop to this story is another current disaster in the Native community -- the running of oil pipelines through sacred Indigenous lands. And overall there is the story of Annie, the prodigal daughter, who has come home for her brother's wedding with a broken heart. Highly recommended.

Missing girls, a young boy who can communicate with spirits, bodies in blueberry patches; this continuation of the Cork O'Connor series has them all. Cork's family is gathering to celebrate a family wedding when they get pulled into an investigation concerning the missing daughter of a senator. When a body is found during a family berry picking trip they become targets for the men who will do anything to keep them quiet.

Dedication:
“To the far too many who have been murdered or are still missing. Let them never be forgotten”.

“I’ve always believed that if you pull one thread, it’s sometimes
loosens others”.

“Spirit Crossing”, is book number 20 in the Cork O’Connor series.
*Lucky Us*
William Kent Krueger creates mood and imagery brilliantly….both melancholy and defiantly…..
His stories are…..
…..riveting, suspenseful, raw, and intimate, …..
with utterly ‘alive’ storytelling.
“Spirit Crossing” is magnificent from the opening pages to the end. The plot is engrossing and meaningful.
Heartbreaking tales about Native Americans are explored —(especially young women) > horrific treatment of the Indigenous people goes back centuries.
The prose is well-written and crafted….giving us a mystery crime story while at the same time digging deep into our hearts the truth about the many years of destructiveness, prejudices, and violence
against the native people.
As for the characters in “Spirit Crossing” > it’s impossible not to feel ‘tribally-connected’ to the Cork family. And the supporting cast of characters are strong.

We are back in Tamarack County, Minnesota.
A local politicians teenage daughter had gone missing. There had been a huge manhunt search going on for weeks. But it wasn’t until Cork’s seven-year-old grandson, Waaboo (meaning ‘Little Rabbit’ in the language of Ojibwe people), was picking blueberries, that he stumbled across a shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman …..[a second missing woman] > One white. One Indigenous.
The killer (who?), is not happy with Waaboo’s discovery….and it soon becomes clear that this child is in danger.

Waaboo was born with spirit gifts. When he was newborn baby, he had been hidden under a rock. Those spirits kept waaboo safe from harm until his mother found him.
Waaboo’s spirit gifts were both a blessing and a burden. He played a big part in the mystery of what happened to the missing girls…..putting him in the danger zone.

North Country offered enormous beauty and tranquility. Yet, there was darkness. Waaboo’s knew the spirits were angry and had murder in their hearts. (which worried him) “What if they know about me, Daddy?”.

The storytelling gets complicated — but is easy to follow. I never wanted to put it down.
I got a little teary in one scene. The best written books can do that.

I’m especially moved and thankful for the ways Krueger’s storytelling keeps the experience of the Ojibwe heritage and the Native Americans alive — celebrating and honoring their communities— acknowledging and educating us about the years of suffering— injustice —and repression.
Krueger raises awareness and begins to restore justice with each novel he writes.

One of the best long series ever written > TOTALLY ENGAGING……from the master!

5 stars!

Wow, I truly had so any different emotions reading this one. As always William Kent Krueger writes one heck of a book. I stumbled upon this series by chance and have enjoyed visiting with the characters in each one, along with enjoying a good mystery. Cork, Henry, Cork's family. Strong characters. This mystery was especially important to me. Back along I read a disturbing article that mention many women/girls go missing each year but are not given the attention that a white girl would get. That was disturbing in that we are all the same. There is a lot going on in this book, it was hard to put it down. I think there is enough that you could probably read as a standalone but in my opinion, you should read them all. If you like strong characters, mystery, native Americans, this will be your series. Enjoy! Thank you to NetGalley, Dayna at Atria Marketing but a huge thank you to William Kent Krueger for writing another winner!!



i will post on Amazon and Goodreads closer to the release date unless you want otherwise.

Krueger writes books with the main character being Cork O'Connor who is half Ojibe and a former sheriff.

In this book Ojibe girls keep disappearing and one is found dead. Parallel to this story is the disappearance of a politicians daughter. While the disappearance of a white girl gets major press, the body of the Ojibe girl gets none. However, that doesn't stop the tribal police and Cork from investigating the loss of the missing girls.
It turns out that these parallel stories may become one.

This book, as do all of Krueger's books, is grounded in the Ojibe culture and his adept writing that teaches so much about the culture. When trafficking is discussed one learns even more about the lives of the Native American's.

Don't read this first in the series. Go back to earlier books so that this will make more sense.

Recommend this author and this book if you are already acquainted with this series

William Kent Krueger is one of my favorite authors and he never disappoints. Although I haven’t read all of this series it wasn’t a problem understanding what was going on. I highly recommend his stand alone novels as well.

Spirit Crossing
by William Kent Krueger
Pub Date: August 20, 2024
A disappearance and a dead body put Cork O’Connor’s family in the crosshairs of a killer in the twentieth book in the New York Times bestselling series from William Kent Krueger­, “a master storyteller at the top of his game”
For readers of : (Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
I have read other Krueger books and led them in book club. Good books!
Spirit Crossing is my initial encounter with the captivating world of Cork O'Connor.
This particular masterpiece stands apart from his other creations that I have immersed myself in. One aspect that truly resonated with me was the exploration of Native American culture. While I commend the author's skill in crafting intricate characters, I must admit that the abundance of characters occasionally led to moments of confusion. Despite this minor drawback, I found great pleasure in immersing myself in the narrative and wholeheartedly recommend it to others.
5 stars

In the 20th installment of the Cork O'Connell series William Kent Krueger proves he is still at the top of his game. When a missing indigenous woman is found murdered while a prominent woman is missing Cork must raise awareness and find the murderer before the hunters become the hunted. Krueger is a master storyteller who brings awareness to injustices indigenous people are faced with. This is a must read and another five star book in this series.

I have been a fan of this series from the beginning. I like how the characters have developed and the family has growing and changed throughout the series. This book was full of characters and interesting plot. Bitter sweet ending

The search is on…

⏰ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: Missing girls. One white, the other indigenous and the powers that be care only about one. One is found dead and the search continues for the other. Cork O’ Connor and the newly found tribal police force jump into the fray, working to determine who the killer is and if the two cases are connected. Another wrinkle for Cork - his grandson, little Waboo who is gifted with spiritual sight, has been set firmly in a killer’s crosshairs.

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: I have read EVERY Cork novel and this was a perfect addition. I would say I do NOT recommend reading this as your first Cork Book or be prepared to track a lot of characters. Being a big fan? No issues! Love that everyone came together in this one… no spoilers. Nope.

The story touches on so many issues - missing girls (and trafficking issues with indigenous peoples I was not aware of), but also spirituality, the environment… there’s much to unpack but all are issues currently happening, making the novel relevant and a catalyst for me to read more about these problems.

Because I’m fascinated with spirituality, I’ve read a bit on that and admire that Krueger is like me - just a non-indigenous person who has admiration and respect for Native people. He’s done his research and written a respectful and engaging tale throughout all 20 books. I appreciate the knowledge and the fantastic writing that has me missing Michigan and summers in the north.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mystery

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: All the mystery peeps and WKK fans, but especially if (like me) you grew up in the North. Krueger will make you miss home, even with all the pesky murders.

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Those who don’t like some education in their novels.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for the education I always appreciate in these novels. And for the good cry I needed.

Writing: 3.5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4/5

This is my first foray into the Cork O’Connor, Minnesota Ojibwe territory mystery series. Obviously I’m way behind because this is the 20th in the series! In this story, a body “felt” by O’Connor’s 7-year old grandson on a berry picking expedition turns out not to be the missing daughter of a local (white) politician, causing the FBI and BCA to lose interest rapidly. But through his grandson’s “visions” they quickly identify the body as belonging to a local native girl, missing for some time. And O’Connor, along with the tribal police and local sheriff, do not lose interest. Danger ratchets up for everyone as more grim discoveries are made and the grandson (among others) appears to be the next target.

There were several other storylines not directly related to the plot. Members of O’Connor’s family are part of a large, and sometimes violent protest at the Stockbridge pipeline. One of his daughter’s has just returned from Guatemala with a pretty deep secret that she isn’t quite ready to share. And there is plenty of depressing stories of trafficking, runaway Native girls, alcoholism, and other stereotypical Native problems. A strong theme of forgiveness, even for people who commit heinous acts, with the blame laid squarely on their bad childhoods. To be honest, this always rubs me the wrong way. Not everyone who has a bad childhood becomes a cold hearted killer, and regardless of the problem’s origin, people who are or who have become sociopaths need to be stopped. But I digress.

Overall, I liked the characters. I found the writing acceptable though a little choppy, sometimes making deep sentiments come off as saccharine when they really aren’t. The plot moved at a good pace, though I didn’t appreciate the preachiness (and the fact that all but one white man were “bad” while all Natives and women were “good.”) I did enjoy the depiction of Native philosophy and positive ways of life when we weren’t focusing on those afflicted by alcoholism, abandonment, etc.

** spoiler alert ** Every once in a while, Kent Krueger writes a book that tears your heart out. This is one.
My other thought off the top of my head is that it seems that novels bringing missing and murdered Native women to our attention is almost becoming a sub-genre because it is so common. With the jurisdictions of local, state and federal authorities over native lands such a mash up, too much falls through the cracks.

Annie and her girlfriend Maria come back to Aurora from Guatemala for Stephen and Belle's wedding. The whole family is reunited under one roof as they wait for this happy occasion. One of my thoughts was damn, that's a big house with a huge dining room table. Cork, Stephen, Daniel and Waboo head out to go blueberry picking. The 612's got to their spot first and picked the bushes dry. They go to another patch where Waboo has a vision and they find what could be a grave. Is it a local girl that has gone missing? Is it a white girl from a wealthy family who has also gone missing. Interspersed with this mystery is a story of a pipeline being built and people trying to stop construction.

Then there is Annie. I can say no more. Except, I thought that during this part of the story, that Jo would get more than a brief mention.

SYNOPSIS
- Set in Minnesota. Some girls / young women are missing. One is white & a politician’s daughter, and the rest are Indigenous.
- Cork works along different folks to solve what is going on. Also, Cork’s 7 year old grandson, Waboo, has a spiritual connection, and he is able to make some connections in the case.

MY THOUGHTS
- This is the 2nd novel by Krueger I’ve read. I enjoyed The River We Remember more than this one, and I rated it 4 stars.
- There are a lot of characters, and it’s tough to keep them all straight.
- Apparently, this is book #20 in Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series, so I suspect I would have rated higher if I had read the prior 19 books. I would suggest not reading this as the first book in the series for that reason alone.
- The pacing is a little slow, and some parts are repetitive.
- I enjoyed how the book highlights important topics, like the epidemic of missing Indigenous women & violence against Indigenous women. I am glad the author is shedding light on these issues.
- Overall, the story was just okay to me. It was predictable in most aspects, including the ending. There wasn’t anything that made this one stand out to me.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️important topics + commendable for the author to shed light on the epidemic of missing Indigenous women and violence against Indigenous women. I hadn’t read the other books in series, so I don’t recommend it as THE introduction to the series. Overall, story was just okay & predictable in many ways.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on August 20, 2024.

Spirit Crossing: Cork O’Connor #20 by William Kent Krueger is one of the best in this popular series. Cork’s grandson Waboo has visions leading to a missing girl while bringing unwanted attention to his gift. Native girls and young women are disappearing, but law enforcement doesn’t pay attention until the white daughter of a State Senator goes missing. Cork’s daughter returns from Guatemala with a secret and disputes over a pipeline across sacred native land bring out the worst in a sadistic security officer. The caring nature of the community shines through. Based on true stories of missing indigenous women, this is a story we all should read and it’s a page-turner to boot.

Book 20 in the Cork O'Connor series
While Cork is out picking blueberries with his grandson Waboo, Waboo stumbles upon a shallow grave. It is first thought that the body is that of a missing daughter of a state senator. Agents from the FBI and the stat Bureau of Apprehension appear to investigate until the body is revealed to be a Native American female. Cork and the tribal police work to determine if this case is connected to the missing girl. When it is reported that Waboo, who has the gift of spiritual sight, saw the woman's spirit , he becomes a target of the killer. As the investigation continues, it hints at human trafficking
Highlights how little attention is paid to the disappearance and murder of indigenous women.
#SpiritCrossing #Atria #NetGalley

"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking".
Black Elk

I have missed these characters so much! I immediately felt as though I had wrapped myself in a soft blanket and visited with my old friends as I played flute music softly in the background.

A huge manhunt has been launched to find a local politician’s teenage daughter. Cork O’Connor’s grandson stumbles across the shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman but no one seems to care about her. Ah, but one does. Cork's grandson, Waaboo. (Little Rabbit.) He's only seven years old but reminds me a lot of Henry.

I love that Spirit Crossing has some gentle reminders about some of what has happened in previous books in the Cork O'Connor Series. That is quite helpful to those who started the series years ago!

I happy dance every time a new book is released in this series and I hope it never ends!!

HUGE thanks to both #AtriaBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Spirit Crossing!! This book is #20 in the Cork O'Connor series, with an expected publication date of August 20, 2024.

#WilliamKentKrueger #IndigenousPeoples

Cork and his family are back in this mystery/thriller. Cork's grandson discovers a dead body while berry picking. Is it the well-known missing white girl or an indigenous girl that no one seems interested in finding. The wedding of Cork's son is the background for this novel. Soon, many family members are involved in finding a murderer, stopping a pipeline across a sacred Native American area, and confronting human trafficking. Thanks to Net Galley for the arc. Have followed this series since it's beginning, and it doesn't disappoint me. Krueger touches real problems for many in this story.

William Kent Krueger writes with the most remarkable sense of place. His novels blend indigenous beliefs and concerns into the lives of modern Minnesotans, Native or not. This combo is magical, fresh and fascinating.

That being said, this is not the best book to begin your immersion into his world. I've read a few of the Cork O'Connor books but felt I was being dropped into the middle of something important with people I couldn't quite place. There's enough depth to this series to read the whole thing and be satisfied at the development of the characters.

Krueger is such a fine writer that it's a pleasure to explore a part of the country I didn't know with him. If you are a long time reader, you'll love "Spirit Crossing." If you're new to the writer, enjoy a few earlier reads first.

Many thanks to the publisher and NewGalley for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.