Cork O'Connor returns to the pages after a year hiatus in Spirit Crossing, one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and William Kent Krueger delivers in every sense of the word.
When the body of a missing girl is discovered on a remote piece of land by Cork O'Connor's family, the media swarms to Aurora, Minnesota looking for answers. Across town at Spirit Crossing, the protest of an oil pipeline that threatens the land of the Ojibwe is starting to turn more violent as police and protesters clash. Cork and his family are stuck in the middle, and due to his nephew's discovery of the body, the O'Connor family is suddenly in the crosshairs of the potential murderer.
Last year, I was talking to fellow BTB reviewer Steve Netter as we drove to a William Kent Krueger book event in Hood River, Oregon. I had read two Cork O'Connor novels, as well as the stand-alones, and Steve had told me he binged the entire Cork O'Connor series (19 books) over the course of a year because he loved them so much. Okay, I thought, I wonder if I could do the same and have them all finished in 11 months when Kent's next book, Spirit Crossing comes out. I started the first chronological book in Kent's series, titled Lightning Strike the day after Thanksgiving of 2023. I finished three in November, six in December, six more in January, and wrapped up the last four in February, as well as re-read each of the stand-alone novels in March. I have never read a series, especially such a long one, that quickly. I was instantly hooked. So you can imagine my anticipation and excitement when I got my hands on the twentieth book in the Cork O'Connor series, Spirit Crossing.
Over the course of a Kent book, you come to fall in love with the characters. They are down-to-earth, lovable (for the most part), and they always leave an impression. Spirit Crossing is no different, with the introduction of a few new characters into the series. Of course, one of the best parts of this series is the family dynamics between Cork and his children. You feel the love, the frustration, and the caring.
Once again, Kent has delivered a harrowing, beautifully knit novel of mystery, love, and hope. He paints a beautiful picture of the landscape - Iron Lake, the stars peppering the night sky, the smell of the pines. By the end of the novel, you feel like you exist in Aurora, down at the end Gooseberry Lane, in the old Quonset hut called Sam's Place, or out on Crow Point with Meloux.
William Kent Krueger can leave you lost of breath, crying, or joyful - a master with the pen. There is no book I look forward to more than a Cork O'Connor novel, and Spirit Crossing was as engaging and exciting as it was picturesque and beautiful.
Follow Stuart on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase Spirit Crossing
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
