I’ve only read one other book from the Cork series, and it was so long ago I had a hard time remembering the characters. I would recommend reading some of the previous books in this series before reading this one. Keeping the characters straight was hard at times. That being said, it still was a great murder mystery that went deeper than surface level by including tough topics. I love his way of truthfully showing the inequality to indigenous people in Minnesota. I actually read this book while at my in-laws lake cabn in Minnesota, making the descriptions in the book so real to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review.

The plot in the twentieth book of the series focuses on missing girls. Specifically, indigenous girls and the difference in resources and publicity versus that of Caucasian girls. You don't have to read he books in order but it is recommended for the full experience as there is a lot of character development. A daughter returns home while a son is getting married. The bad guys are bad and circle of life captures it all. There were some holes to the case at hand but a strong solid series.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book
Although this was a book in a series with main character Cork O'Connor, it could easily be read as a stand alone.
It starts with Cork O'Connor's grandson finding a dead body in a blueberry patch, progressing to follow the investigation of two lost girls.
The characters are well developed . The scenery is beautifully described.
I look forward to going back to read previous books in this series.

This is a wonderful series I wish I'd learned about sooner; this book, the 20th, is only the fourth for me. Former Chicago cop Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor, who's part Irish and part Anishiaabe Indian, early on left the Windy City for remote Aurora, Minnesota; his wife, Rainy, is a Native American who maintains close ties to the local reservation - including to her great uncle, Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux (is he really 100 years old or older? Well, I for one believe it).

These days, Cork still runs a local burger joint and helps with the new Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. His three children are grown, and his young grandson Aaron, a.k.a. "Waaboo," already is showing signs of becoming a healer like the elder Meloux. His abilities are evident as he visits a hidden blueberry patch with his grandfather and "sees" a shallow grave amid the bushes that turns out to be connected to the missing teenage daughter of a local politician. Cork, ever helpful, thinks Waaboo may be helpful in ferreting out more details; Waaboo's mother, though, is less than enthusiastic about encouraging her son's newfound talents.

Into the mix come Cork's daughter, Annie, who's visiting for a while for her brother's upcoming wedding. She's brought her partner, Maria Lopez, a nurse with whom she lives in Guatemala. But the wedding isn't the only reason for her visit; she's got a secret she doesn't want to share with anyone, let alone her family - yet she knows she must.

The plot turns timely as locals stage ongoing protests against construction of a pipeline that would carry crude oil over local sacred wetlands of Spirit Crossing to a refinery on Lake Superior. The highly charged situation brings with it the real possibility that someone will get hurt - perhaps even someone from Cork's family. And once word gets out about the grave Waaboo sensed, the child's life also may be in danger from the person or persons who are afraid he'll be able to "see" them as well. Other issues of the day such as human trafficking and police investigations that go nowhere when the victims aren't lily white rear their ugly head as well, making for even more nasty and life-threatening situations.

As always, books in this series are a pleasure to read (well, given the topics, perhaps "pleasure" isn't quite the right word, but you get my drift). I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one. Well done once again!

Although this is 20th in the series, I had no trouble following along as a newbie to Cork O’Connor’s world. The author did an incredible job introducing all of the characters, along with enough background to follow along.

On a boy’s day out, seven year old Waaboo speaks to the spirit of a dead woman. An investigation into the spot where he “saw” her leads to the discovery of a grave and an unidentified victim. I love how this book combined paranormal with true crime! I enjoyed it so much that I immediately purchased the first book of the series. Anyone who wants to read a good mystery, as well as domestic drama, will love this story.

Thank you for letting me read in advance!

Spirit Crossing is the 20th novel in the Cork O'Connor series and it's every bit as good as all those that preceded it! It features Cork's 7-year-old grandson, Waaboo who is connected to his Ojibwe roots by more than just his heritage. Like his Uncle Stephen, Waaboo can sense things in an extraordinary way, such as the spirits of murdered women and premonitions of evil beings and evil activity. Henry Meloux is working with Waaboo to help him hone these skills and to learn to accept and interpret them without being afraid.

Meanwhile, Cork is working with the Tribal Police and the sheriff to investigate the disappearance of local indigenous women, leading them to learn of instances of human tracking, rape, murder, and other crimes of violence against native women.

Finally, Cork's daughter, Annie, has returned from Guatemala for her brother Stephen's wedding, bringing with her a secret that she is reluctant to share with her family. While this is not the overarching theme in this novel, Annie appears throughout leaving hints as to what could be her secret.

All books by William Kent Krueger are must reads for me and I look forward to reading many more of his novels.

Spirit Crossing (Cork O'Connor #20)
by William Kent Krueger

Peaceful times never last long in Cork O'Connor's world. A "guys" blueberry picking trip leads to seven year Waaboo old speaking to a spirit over a grave. Girls have been missing, some for a long time, one more recently, and this grave holds the remains of one girl. But there are others that need to be found and Cork, his son in law, and others are going to find them.

Now, though, Cork's family has a target on their backs. Someone doesn't want a little boy talking to more spirits. But Cork's daughter Annie is troubled, too. She's back from her work in another country and doesn't have a timeline for going back. Something was already troubling her and it seems now that she could be drawn into the crisis at home.

Old Henry will be a comfort for Waaboo, Annie, and the entire family. Together they can get things done and also learn to let go when necessary. Spirit Crossing has more than one meaning in this story so it's a great title for the book.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley #partner for the free copies of this book!

What it’s about:
A missing woman leads to a discovery of a shallow grave of a Ojibwe Woman. The unfortunate part is …no one seems to care until Cork picks up the case with the Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police. The clues they uncover lead them to the other missing girl and they now find the links as to what is happening. Someone close to Cork is in the killers crosshairs and it ultimately becomes a race against time to solve the crimes!

Thoughts: I have read a handful of William’s books but not any Cork books! And there are 19 others! 👀 I always enjoy books about Native Americans and the opportunity to learn about topics I am not as familiar with. It seems William has done a lot of research and easily sets be stage for a very captivating atmosphere and story! This book was so well written and thought out. It was easy to get lost in these characters lives and it left me thinking about the racism and struggles Native Americans have had to face. I always appreciate a different perspective and this book fit that bill perfectly! I will absolutely continue to read William’s books and can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

This was my first by this author and many rave about his books. I think this is a perfect fit for bipoc readers.

There are bodies found on land. Cork O’Conner is in charge of the investigation. The story really follows the relationships of the family. How strong they are and the things that can break them apart.

I found this to be a mild mystery. I have Ordinary Grace on the shelf and look forward to reading it.

Thank you to William Kent Krueger, Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Release date August 20, 2024
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley, William Kent Krueger, and Atria Books for this arc of Spirit Crossing, out August 20, 2024!

📜Quick Summary: Two girls are missing…one is the daughter of a big political figure and one is of Indigenous background. One is focused on more clearly, and Cork O’Connor takes matters into his own hands to try to help find some peace for these girls with anIndian Tribal Police Force. When his grandson stumbles across a grave in a blueberry patch, he appears to be talking with the spirits of someone. His daughter Annie returns home from Guatemala with her partner Maria, and she comes bearing a very large secret. His family is also part of a pipeline protest, along Spirit Crossing, and I’m sure more of his family is developed in the first 19 novels….if only I paid closer attention to that :)

💡Thoughts and Feelings: I am a huge WKK fan, and when I saw this new release, I knew I had to read it! His books are always thought provoking, moving, and so well written! This one hit the mark again, and had me invested only a few chapters in. ( I didn’t realize this was part of a series, so there were many, many new characters I had to follow…kind of made it hard, but I still enjoyed the novel!) I was drawn into his exceptional writing, his great storytelling, and the ability to take his mysteries to another level with real life problems.

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: Little Waaboo, the 7 year old who can sense spirits of the dead and communicate, had to be my strong character pick from this novel. He showed a lot of bravery throughout, and even put himself in harms way to continue to help solve the mystery of who murdered these innocent girls.

📖Read if you want: a mystery/thriller, mixed in with crime solving…but maybe read the series in order to fully develop the character’s personalities

🌟Overall Rating:4 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge WKK fan and have read every book he's written. The previous book in this Cork O'Connor series was a 5 star read and one of the best yet so I was very excited to receive this one as an ARC. While this one had the elements I love about Kruger's writing, rich character development You must start this series at the beginning!), amazing sense of place, well-written dialog, and a creative plot, this was actually my least favorite of the series. I didn't enjoy the multiple view points. It felt disjointed to me. I also felt like instead of just writing a good story weaving in the social issues such as the pipeline and discrimination and poor treatment of native Americans, Kruger's personal feelings na agenda came through a bit too strong for me. Also, his daughter suddenly arriving on the scene gay felt inconsistent and out of place. This just didn't feel like authentic WKK to me. I will likely pick up the next book he writes, but I hope it has that WKK vibe back again that I have come to love.

This is book number 20 in a series and I didn't pay attention to that going into it. There were a handful of characters and I'm not sure if they are in previous books or not. But I did feel it was a little hard to connect with some of them and my guess would be that it's because I need to read the previous books. I did still find the story interesting and captivating. It's more of a mystery rather than thriller, although there were a few exciting parts. What I absolutely loved is the representation of indigenous people and their customs and beliefs. I connected most with O'Connor's grandson and found his character most intriguing.

I would love to read all of the previous books in this series and will be adding them to my TBR list.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Krueger’s standalone works, I was excited to receive an ARC of his newest work, Spirt Crossing, on NetGalley.

This is my first Cork O’Connor novel, so I can confirm that this story can be consumed on its own. However, I suspect having read at least a few of the prior 19 novels in this series would have added to a greater attachment to this large cast of characters.

If you enjoyed the Longmire series (the books or the TV show) the Cork O’Connor mysteries should be on your TBR.

Another good book by William Kent Krueger. I always learn something new from his books. The love and commitment to his family and heritage is so refreshing to read about these days. A lot of twists and turns.

William Kent Kruegar is a favorite author of mine. I am usually not a fan of murder mystery novels but I really enjoy his writing. The Cork O’Connor series deals with Native American culture and injustices. These books are always suspenseful and interesting. I enjoyed revisiting some of the characters in his prior novels and I look forward to more Cork O’Connor stories.

Another homerun from one of the masters of the genre. The way Krueger draws a family in both love and conflict is incredible. The mystery at the heart of this one is great, but it's the family element that makes this so readable. There's a bigger message here about Missing Indigenous Women that must be heard and must be repeated.

I enjoyed reading this story about a family who sticks together to solve the unknown murders that are occurring in their town. I was sucked in to the relationships they had with each other, but did find that there were a lot of characters to keep track of.

After reading the previous book in this series I thought it was time to give this series a rest.
The rest is over, as Cork series comes back strong!

The body of a young Ojibwe woman is found buried in a field of blueberries by Cork O’Conner’s grandson Waaboo, who claims he heard her spirit calling to him. Nearby, protesters are trying to stop an oil company from building a pipeline that is destroying Spirit Crossing, a site sacred to the Anishinaabe people. While O’Conner and the newly formed Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police Force search for the young woman’s killer, another body is found, and they conclude the crimes must be related. They also realize the killer, or killers are after Cork’s grandson and his daughter Annie. William Kent Krueger excels at interweaving social and personal issues into his stories that give depth to the mystery that is at the heart of the novel. Spirit Crossing also delves into the nature of death and the deep impact a very personal and specific impending death has on Cork O’Conner and his entire family. Krueger is a master storyteller and wonderfully descriptive writer. He brings the Ojibwe culture, the Iron Lake Reservation and the beautiful surrounding territory of Tamarack County Minnesota to life in this latest addition to the Cork O’Conner series.

Picking up a Cor O'Connor book is like having a family reunion - one where everyone gets along.
I can't even describe how it feels to start reading one of Krueger's books. Its hard to put down and when the book is done you are so sad, but the thrill of putting it into someone else's hands is beyond measure. then man hasn't written a bad book -
Try one. His books are the best.