William Kent Krueger is an incredible author. Spirit Crossing is not my first book by him and it won’t be my last. His writing is relaxing and the flow of his stories is always perfect. Pure talent.

This link is my full spoiler free review of Spirit Crossing. If you have questions all can be sent to caffent17@gmail.com

https://youtu.be/EpHU299PJmk

Missing girls and a body discovered by a young girl boy are driving the plot in the latest in the Cork O’Connor series.

This is the first novel I have read in the series, although I have read and loved Krueger’s stand alone work. Having recently heard him speak, I was excited to dive into Spirit Crossing. I was aware of the characters and some of the aspects of the series enough to enjoy this one without reading any others, but I do believe it would only be richer to fans of the series.

A satisfying mystery, while weaving in excellent character development in true Krueger form, this undoubtedly will please his readers. I think I find his stand alone novels to be more satisfying, but I enjoyed this nonetheless.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley.

I only discovered William Kent Krueger and the Cork O'Conner series in 2023 or 2024. I listened to one audiobook (book 8) and was hooked. He is such an eloquent writer, the characters are appealing and the setting and cultural challenges between the Ojibwe tribe and the local non-indigenous community is always engaging. I then started the series from scratch and am through book 4, listening to all of them in audio presented by a great narrator. But now, now Netgalley and Atria books gave me the opportunity to read the newest entry! I wondered whether having a talented narrator read Krueger to me made him "better." It did not. He is amazing when read in print and Spirit Crossing is a testament to that.

Cork's grandson, adopted by his daughter Jenny and her husband has a gift. When they go to a blueberry patch near a place once occupied by one of Cork's clients (now deceased), Waboo finds a shallow grave with the body of an Ojibwe woman in it. He has an experience of communication with her that he shares. It suggests another woman is near by. In the town, all attention is on a different missing person case as the daughter of a powerful politician has been missing. Once law enforcement determines the body is not the missing white woman, they lose interest. The situation evolves and soon, little Waboo is in danger, apparently due to his gift. The family agrees Waboo and Jenny should stay with their close friend, Henry Maloux, an elder in the tribe who lives far out in a rural area. Henry can "see" when people are approaching long before they are visible. Henry has a former tribal police officer, Prophet, living near his cabin who can help serve as a body guard since Henry is ancient.

Meanwhile, Cork's daughter Annie and her girlfriend have traveled from Guatemala to attend her younger brother Stephen's wedding. Annie is not officially "out" to her family and she is overwhelmed by a personal issue that is not about being gay. She has not seen her family in years. She does not want to upset them before the wedding and is trying to decide whether, when and how to share her news. Annie and her girlfriend join Cork's wife Rainy by getting involved in a protest against a planned pipeline through an area called Spirit Crossing. The land is sacred to the tribe. A blowhard security guard develops a grudge against Annie and this becomes another part of the evolving mystery involving the missing women.

Spirit Crossing, at Book 20, fully lives up to my love for the other novels I've read in the series. Krueger writes literary fiction, makes characters we love and loathe, even if they are minor characters, and plots like a genius. Everyone loves to call him a "Master Storyteller." That about sums it up. I highly highly recommend this group. A word of caution: Don't read this series out of order. While each book can be read as a stand alone, there is a family and community of people who evolve and change and have died by this book who were alive before. There were a lot of spoilers for me in this novel. Still, if I get a chance to read and review Book 21, I'm in!

**i did not read the first books in this series.**
While you can technically read Spirit Crossing without having read the prior books, you will quite possibly fell lost. It was hard to sort out the characters (I'm still not sure i ever did!). Interesting storyline though.
I try to give a synopsis of my own words but this was hard. Girls were missing/dead, and little boy could feel their spirits and they solved a mystery.

**warnings. There was an lgbtq storyline, some language, and some discussion of sex trafficking.**

Another terrific installment in the long-running Cork O'Connor series. He does a brilliant job at portraying the nuances of the different cultures who live side-by-side in the region.

I have enjoyed the novels by William Kent Krueger that I have read, so I was happy to receive an advance copy of his latest, Spirit Crossing, from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Minnesota politicians? A hot topic this election season, and in this one, the teenage daughter of a local politician has disappeared, and as a gigantic manhunt is underway to find her, the grandson of Krueger’s familiar character Cork O’Connor stumbles on the grave of a young woman – not the object of the search, but rather a young Ojibwe female. No one seems to care much, except Cork and the recently formed Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. Surprise! (not really) there is a connection between the two females, and Cork’s grandson seems in line to be the next victim.

As usual, Krueger’s writing about the setting is beautiful and the mystery unravels in a mesmerizing way/ Another winner from Krueger! Four stars.

Spirit Crossing
William Kent Krueger
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


It is always such a joy to read another Cork O’Connor tale. They are all infused with raw emotion, warmth, and an overwhelming sense of family and love. This is an excellent jumping-off point for new readers, as Krueger eloquently supplies the necessary backstory to make this a poignant standalone. His almost poetic prose provides a perfect blend of suspense and mystery, infused with his ever-present insights into human nature.

A cast of eclectic characters are deftly developed, surrounding Cork, who is now a retired sheriff from Aurora, Minnesota. Although he spends a lot of time working at his long-term fast-food eatery, he is often drawn into private investigation for friends and close locals.

Krueger provides an immersive tale that effortlessly weaves together three major plotlines. Olivia Hamilton, the privileged daughter of a wealthy and influential politician, goes missing. Last seen at a rowdy biker bar, the “Howling Wolf,” full of drunks and assorted low-lives. At the same time, a standoff is ramping up at Spirit Crossing. Construction of the controversial Stockbridge oil pipeline is approaching the critical wetlands of the Jiibay River. This area, known as Spirit Crossing, is sacred to the Anishinaabe of Minnesota. The pipeline has a history of catastrophic spills, and protestors are amassing, attempting to stop the inevitable. Meanwhile, Cork’s daughter, Annie, returns home from Guatemala with her partner, Maria, and a deep secret.

The pot is stirred when the men of the O’Connor clan go out on a wild blueberry-gathering outing. In attendance are Cork’s twenty-three-year-old son, Stephen, his son-in-law, Daniel England (a full-blood Anishinaabe), and his seven-year-old son, “Waaboo” (a nickname meaning “little rabbit” in Ojibwe). While foraging, Waaboo comes across a small mound of earth where he sees a vision of a dead woman. He insists she is lost and sad as she attempts to walk the Path of Spirits. This discovery results in an intense involvement of the FBI and state and local law enforcement. However, this interest quickly dissipates when the exhumed body is that of a Native woman. A local indigenous woman, named Crystal Two Knives, has been missing for six months, with little, if any, ongoing investigation. Cork takes it upon himself, with the aid of the local tribal police, to further investigate the murder of this unknown woman. The news of Waaboo’s vision goes viral, and the O’Connor family home is besieged by the media.

William Kent Krueger proves to be a masterful storyteller as he deftly weaves and collides these plotlines together. The suspense and intrigue culminate in a masterful denouement. His mesmerizing prose and character development rival that of James Lee Burke’s best. He continues to speak for the powerless while acknowledging the importance of love and family. Krueger explores themes of native trauma, social inequities, the ravages of addiction, the horrors of human trafficking, and the struggle against big business.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for supplying an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully, we will be treated to another Cork O’Connor tale from this master of the genre

Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger.
Book 20 in the Cork O’Conner series
I had a bit of a hard time with this book because of the health issue of one of the main characters. Having read this series from the beginning, this aspect of the story was very difficult for me. I found myself tearing up in the waiting room at the ophthalmologist’s office and had to switch to reading something else. Maybe I get too involved sometimes.
Other than that, it was a well written story centered on a timely topic with some twists and turns in the whodunnit aspect of the mystery.

While building a reputation for his stand-alone midwest literary fiction, William Kent Krueger continues to add to his widely popular Cork O'Connor crime fiction. Set in Minnesota, the crime novels shed realistic light on Native American culture and problems, both historic and present. SPIRIT CROSSING tells the story of Cork O'Connor's young grandson's visions that lead to the discovery of two bodies, both young females, one native and one white. But the story is made more complex by the backdrop of the protests against a pipeline through Minnesota's lake country and by the return from Guatemala of Cork's daughter Anne who seems to be hiding a secret. I have read many, but not all of Krueger's crime novels, and I am never disappointed. I definitely will be working my way through those that I have not read.

This 20th Cork O'Connor book deals with quite a few issues, perhaps a few too many to do full justice to any. Among the topics that play out between its covers are the huge percentage of Indigenous women who go missing each year, the difference in the way police treat missing white women's and Indigenous women's cases, the appropriation of native land by oil and gas companies, the importance of family, and Indigenous spirituality. Likewise, there seems to be no real center to this book but rather characters and events that are used as incompletely rendered plot devices. There's a wedding that brings the O'Connors together for the span of the book, but which gets very little attention once everyone arrives. Annie, Cork's daughter, arrives out of the blue after a long estrangement, hiding a secret that ends up having little bearing on the plot.


Taken as a mystery, the plot has to do with the recent disappearance of several women, both Indigenous and white. Cork O'Connor, a retired sheriff with no official law enforcement role, becomes involved when his grandson Waaboo discovers a grave in a blueberry patch and senses the spirit of the woman who lies within it. From that point on, the boy plays a role in the investigation, providing guidance for the search through his gift of communing with the spirits of the dead. Cork, who knows the legal constraints that law enforcement must adhere to, takes on a lot of investigation that is off limits to the official tribal or local police. To a large extent, the solution to the women's murders would never have been found if it weren't for unorthodox sleuthing, and it felt as though Krueger just pulled another non-official action from a hat when he wanted to give us the next clue.


All of this takes place as an overlay to a conflict between the Ojibwe people whose land is being destroyed to build a pipeline and the economic interests of those hired to build that pipeline. Krueger makes his point about the politics involved, but he doesn't fully flesh out the people involved and doesn't provide the sense of location that earmarked his earlier books. I missed the captivating language with which he described the natural beauty of the Canadian/US borderland in his earlier books. I also missed the depth of characterization his previous work has been notable for. At the beginning of the book, he gives us a quick verbal family tree, and that isn't much expanded upon as the book continues. It's hard to keep track of the characters, not necessarily because there are so many, but because they are not well developed enough to emerge as real people.


One thing I did quite like was the double-entendre of the book title. Spirit Crossing is the name of the location where the pipeline conflict takes place, and it also refers to the spirit of the dead woman who speaks to Waaboo as she tries to find the path to cross into the next world.


SPIRIT CROSSING is not the best book in this series. Krueger's writing in earlier books is much stronger than in this. I would definitely not recommend starting the series with this book; instead, go back to IRON LAKE and see how it all began while enjoying an amazing writer. I am hoping that this 20th series offering is an anomaly and not a sign that Krueger is losing interest in Cork O'Connor. Perhaps the 21st book will make that clear.

Absolutely loved this installment of the Cork O’Connor series and it strikes this Minnesotan with all the feels. Mr Krueger takes the O’Connor family into some deeply personal moments - life and death - while truly resonating the Native culture of Northern Minnesota. Tie into that the plight of child trafficking and this one packs a punch. Grateful to NetGalley for this read. You can read this as a standalone, but I recommend reading the series in order to truly understand the full impact of this story.

More family oriented than many in the series. Everyone is back home, one for a wedding and one carrying a terrible burden. Environmental woes and a young boy who has visions. Brings attention to the many missing native women that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Henry, the midi, is once again the voice of reason.

I love this series and I really could use my very own midi.

ARC from Netgalley

This was my first Cork O’Connor book but not my first William Kent Krueger book. Set in northern MN, a young child finds the gravesite of a person while blueberry picking. This child briefly communicates with the spirit of the dead woman. Soon lead investigators to the site of another body. Who killed these young women, and why.?

This was an engaging book with some mysteries, and it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read any of the earlier Cork books. I enjoy reading about Minnesota and the native tribes and it’s people and legends. This was an engaging read.

Thank you to William Kent Krueger, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an early copy of this book, which was released in August.

William Kent Krueger is a new automatic pick up for me. This book was phenomenal! This was my first novel by this author, and it was doable without reading previous Cork Book’s, but having a pen and paper to keep track of characters was a must!

I loved that there was some education included in the novel!

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for the chance to read this book prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

** reviewed book on Amazon!

This book's mystery unfolds at a moderate pace and is filled with fascinating, essential subplots. There was much more to this narrative than just solving a mystery—it dealt with spirituality, Native people trafficking, and missing girls. The cultural background threaded throughout is well thought out and researched. The story toggles back and forth between the protest and missing persons dilemma. Waboo becomes a target when word gets out about his vision at the grave. Frightened for their son's life, Waboo and Jenny head to Henry's cabin at Crows Point. A former tribal police officer called Prophet helps and protects 100 year old Henry offering support and protection to others. Meloux works closely with Waboo to eliminate nightmares, and deepen vision skills which soon reveal other 'ghosts' of missing girls. Sex trafficking, abduction, and murder are addressed in his blunt but sympathetic way through the eyes of Cork O'Connor, one of my all-time favorite sleuths.

Thank you to Atria Books, the author and NetGalley

Another great story by William Kent Krueger. I like the descriptions of the scenes, the characters who are realistic and relatable, and the weaving of culture and faith into the story. Spirit Crossing is an enjoyable, although heartwrenching story. The facts of the violence and murder rates to Native women are astonishing. I'll be looking for more books from this author. I read a complimentary copy of the book through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own.

Minnesota is having a moment and it seemed like perfect timing to read a new William Kent Krueger book. No one writes with a sense of place quite as beautifully as WKK does. Spirit Crossing centers around themes of justice, family, and puts a spotlight on Native American women who are victims of violence. A quiet and moving mystery with Cork O'Connor at the helm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

I'm already a huge fan of William Kent Kruger, and especially the Cork O'Connor series set in Minnesota. So, I was excited to see a new book in the series, this one focusing on the extended family's involvement in the discovery of a buried body and even more deadly secrets. There are multiple story lines beyond this main theme:: Cork's daughter Annie has returned from Guatemala bearing a secret, his son is about to be married but also involved with a pipeline protest, his grandson adjusts to his newfound ability to see visions. The story is richly portrayed and makes for non-stop immersion in the book.

Having grown up as a white kid in a community near where this series is set, I had the typical "white" education about the Ojibwe culture. That is, we learned very little about them except that they were conquered so white men could settle there. Krueger's books have given me a totally new appreciation for the Anishinaabeg and I thank him for that. He's made the effort to tell his stories from their perspective, yet in a way that non-native people can understand. I bookmarked several sections for myself to return to, as they provide good philosophy of life. And, unlike a lot of series, which become boilerplate after several books have been written, this series always has a fresh perspective and new experiences. I would highly recommend this book (and the entire series)! Can't wait to read the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advance review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Reading William Kent Krueger's work is like sleeping on a cloud. It is engrossing and you don't want it to be over. In this installment, Cork O'Connor is engaged in the search for the missing daughter of a well-known political figure. Of course, it's much more than that. There is unrest over environmental issues in the local area, the grave of a young indigenous woman is investigated and Cork's young grandson may be the target of some not to well meaning bad guys. It's a lot to take in at the same time, but so worth the effort.