Spirit Crossing: Cork O'Connor Mysteries, Book 20

4.6 | 710 ratings

Price: 21.88

Last update: 08-28-2024

About this item

William Kent Krueger—“a master storyteller at the top of his game” (Kristin Hannah)—returns with a breathtaking new novel in his New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor series.

After the teenage daughter of a prominent Minnesota politician goes missing, a huge manhunt is launched to find her. But when Cork O’Connor’s grandson Waaboo stumbles across the shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman while hunting blueberries, nobody seems to care. Nobody, that is, except Cork and the newly formed Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police Department. As Cork and the tribal officers dig into the circumstances of her murder, they discover a link to the missing girl that suggests these are not isolated incidents, but evidence of something much more sinister.

Already, tensions in the small town of Aurora, Minnesota, are high as residents gather to protest an oil pipeline that is being constructed through the pristine forests sacred to the Ojibwe at a place known as Spirit Crossing. In the meantime, little Waaboo, who has a unique connection with the dead woman, has become a target for the killers, and Cork’s daughter, Annie, has returned home with a secret that threatens to tear the family apart. The closer Cork gets to finding the answers he seeks, the more he fears for the people he loves.

Jean F. Coldwell

A Powerful, Somber Mystery - William Kent Krueger Shows Why He's a Beloved Writer

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2024

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.

donna comeaux

Spirit Crossing - Netgalley Review

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2024

As always, to sit in a quiet place to read a book written by William Kent Krueger is a lot like preparing for a long-awaited family member to return home. Etchings of joy dance around your spirit in anticipation, a soothing light fills your eyes, and the melodious and cacophony of music threaded through this novel both soothe and disturb your soul.

People often concern themselves only with the world around them, rarely venturing out to investigate the goings-on outside their purview. It’s like walking out of a Walmart store and gazing at the black and white posters of the missing, pausing slightly, before moving on to put your keys in the ignition.

Something inside you changes after reading Spirit Crossing. It’s profound. Provocative. Unsettling. Repetitive. Mindful. Disturbing. Could it be the realism coming from the events surrounding the story?

Indeed.

By the time the story ended, I was left with this one question: How can I solve the problem of prejudice, sexual abuse, other’s murderous intent, children who have lost their way? The question is so overwhelming I almost lost perspective on what I could do, which is to work with one individual at a time. When I see something, say something; not walk away helpless.

The ending of Spirit Crossing was as moving as its beginning, leaving you with a myriad of emotions you can’t control or identify until days later. The story moves fast, filled with action-packed events. There are too many characters to count, and I almost needed to create a ledger to keep up with them. Krueger doesn’t waste time overloading you with feely-touchy thoughts. He’s on a mission … to exploit the facts … that we are prejudice and bent on putting others beneath ourselves for the sole purpose of supporting the misguided theory that we are superior.

He also doesn’t shy away from exposing the carelessness of grownups who have changed the hopeful future of precious children. The ill behavior of grown people who are commissioned to care for the helpless can often weave webs of confusion and anger, leaving these precious babies without an outlet—except to impose their trauma upon others, which they sometimes do, which is why some are psychological disturbed, addicted, incarcerated, or killed.

At the end of Spirit Crossing, you will undoubtedly face your prejudice and be left to deal with it. Surprisingly, you’ll find yourself at a crossroad. Wait for it— Whatever you feel toward others will also be reciprocated toward you. If you don’t nurture your children, they will in turn absorb and impose your evil behavior upon others. And there lies the world’s dilemma ... a repetitive conundrum we can’t seem to break.

Though I do not consider the writing to be Krueger’s best, the substance of the story saves. And that’s the point.

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