Cork O'Connor Mysteries by William Kent Krueger
Ranked #995 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #46,189 overall
Cork O'Connor North Woods Murder Mystery Novels
crime mystery series, but I remember being captivated from the very beginning of the first book Iron Lake. 
I've read and enjoyed the rest of his series also.Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor is the former sheriff of the fictional Tamarack County in the North Woods of Minnesota, and he investigates murders and other crimes. He's of mixed heritage, part Irish and part Ojibwe (Native American), and fits in partially, but not completely, with each community. He's a family man, with two daughters and a son, but in the first book is estranged from his wife. They do get back together, and over the course of the series, we see their relationship become stronger, and we see his children grow up.
The location of many of the books in this series, the North Woods of Minnesota, is important to the story lines through out the series. Also the different backgrounds of the characters is important. The community has a mixed heritage of Caucasion and Native American people. We're shown elements of life in and around small North Woods communities and of the Ojibwe reservations in that part of the country. We're also introduced to some of the legends of the Ojibwe people.
I grew up in Minnesota, and vacationed and camped regularly in the northern part of the state (part of the North Woods area) and have always felt a strong affinity for that area. What hooked me right away about the Cork O'Connor books was Krueger's lovingly wrought descriptions of the scenic beauty of northern Minnesota. I've continued reading this series because I love the fully-realized character of Cork O'Connor and other main characters, including his family, and I've continued to be captivated by Krueger's well-crafted plots and side-plots.
WARNING -- some of the longer reviews do include "spoilers" -- plot elements that maybe you don't want to know yet!
At a Glance, Here Are the Cork O'Connor Books
Author William Kent Krueger
He grew up in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, but now lives with his wife and children in St. Paul, Minnesota. He loves the area including the northern part of the state, which clearly comes through in his writing.
Before beginning to write in earnest he had a number of different jobs, including in logging and in construction, and writing occasional magazine articles.
He has been called "The Michael Connelly of the Midwest" -- interesting to me because I only "discovered" crime fiction writer Michael Connelly very recently, while I've been reading William Kent Krueger's series since around 2000. (Incidentally, I also greatly enjoy Connelly's books.)
Read more of Kent's biography on his William Kent Krueger website
Image of William Kent Krueger from his website Media Kit.
Iron Lake -- Book 1
1998
In this first book, Cork O'Connor and his wife have moved from Chicago back to northern Minnesota, where he had grown up. He had become the sheriff, but lost his job after a bitter disagreement between the local Ojibwes and whites over fishing rights. His wife, a lawyer who represented the Ojibwes, left him at about the same time.
Iron Lake: A Novel (Cork O'Connor)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 05/30/2012)
From the Amazon.com product description:
As the book starts, Cork is feeling guilty about sleeping with a warm-hearted waitress and still hoping to get back with Jo and their three children. Drawn into the disappearance of an Indian newsboy, which coincides with the apparent suicide of a former judge, O'Connor clashes with a newly elected senator--the judge's son and Jo's lover--as well as with the town's new sheriff and some tribal leaders getting rich on gambling concessions.
The Character of Cork O'Connor
Boundary Waters -- Book 2
1999
This is a beautiful scenic area for canoeing, camping, and fishing. I've been there on canoe trips a number of times.
Boundary Waters: A Novel (Cork O'Connor)
Amazon Price: $3.44 (as of 05/30/2012)
From the Amazon.com Product Review:
The durable O'Connor, who used to watch over the territory as sheriff until he was voted out of office in a personal and professional meltdown, now tends a burger stand but still has a reputation as a go-to guy when trouble arises. It does so in the form of William Raye, an aging country singer who's looking for his daughter, Shiloh, a famous rock musician who disappeared several months earlier into the Boundary Waters, the thickly forested, lake-dotted area to the north. O'Connor isn't looking for work, but he takes the case because Shiloh is an Aurora native, and O'Connor hopes someone would do the same for him if any of his three kids were lost.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area from City Pictures Wallpaper
Cork O'Connor Series, Books 3 - 5
and 
both received the Anthony Awards for best mystery novel of the year. 
On History and Culture
William Kent Krueger in Purgatory Ridge.
Cork O'Connor Series, Books 6 - 8
, takes Cork out of Minnesota and into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he spends time in hiding while recuperating from a gunshot wound. I currently live in southern Michigan, but have vacationed in the U.P. and it's as beautiful as Northern Minnesota.
Northern Minnesota sunset by lars hammer CC 2.0 license
Heaven's Keep -- Book 9
2009
is the most upsetting and least favorite for me because his wife dies. Maybe Krueger thought it was a necessity for developing Cork's character in a different direction in following books, but in my opinion it was not a good move. Still, the writing and the plot are as good as his previous books. Just an interesting note: Krueger's wife is also a lawyer, as is Jo, Cork's wife.This book takes Cork entirely out of the midwest and into Wyoming to investigate the disappearance of a plane that his wife was on.
Heaven's Keep: A Novel
Amazon Price: $3.82 (as of 05/30/2012)
From Amazon.com book description:
When a charter plane carrying Cork O'Connor's wife, Jo, goes missing in a snowstorm over the Wyoming Rockies, Cork must accept the terrible truth that his wife is gone forever. But is she?
Months after the tragedy, two women show up on Cork's doorstep with evidence that the pilot of Jo's plane was not the man he claimed to be. It may not be definitive proof, but it's a ray of light in the darkness surrounding Cork's loss. Agreeing to investigate, he travels to Wyoming, where he battles the interference of local law enforcement who may be on the take, the open hostility of the Northern Arapaho, who have much to lose if the truth is known, and the continuing attempts on his life by assassins who shadow his every move.
Vermillion Drift -- Book 10
2010
I read this newest book shortly after it came out this fall, and am impressed with the layers of plot and detail that William Kent Krueger adds to his story. I'll continue reading this series as more books are published!
Vermilion Drift: A Novel
Amazon Price: $5.40 (as of 05/30/2012)
From a product description:
Mining heir Max Cavanagh hires Cork to trace his missing sister, Lauren, founder of an artists' retreat--and to try to identify the sender of threatening letters to various people connected with Vermilion One, a Cavanaugh family mine, which the U.S. Department of Energy is considering for long-term nuclear waste storage. When Cork and a mine official descend into Vermilion One, they discover six bodies.
Northwest Angle -- Book 11
2011
In Northwest Angle, a derecho (a strong, very damaging straight line wind) scatters Cork O'Connor's family while they're on vacation on Lake of the Woods. Cork and his oldest daughter, Jenny, who had taken a small boat to go pick up Jenny's boyfriend, are caught in the storm and are washed up on a remote island. They find a young woman who has been murdered, and her infant son who has been safely hidden away.
After being re-united with the rest of their family, they work to solve who the murderer is, and how to keep the baby boy safe. I thought there were some very interesting twists and turns in the plot.
Northwest Angle: A Novel
Amazon Price: $7.01 (as of 05/30/2012)
"William Kent Krueger can't write a bad book. Northwest Angle is one of his best. A complex crime novel that contains meditations on the difficulties of loving and the paths we take to reach God, this Cork O'Connor novel has everything you want in a great read: depth, action, and credibility." -Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Reckoning
Find Cork O'Connor Books by William Kent Krueger on eBay
Recent Online News and Reviews About William Kent Krueger
Author of the Cork O'Connor Mystery Series
- Twin Cities books with Mary Ann Grossmann for May 24, 2012
- ... including ?Curse of the Jade Lily? by David Housewright (Minotaur Books); ?Stolen Prey? by John Sandford (Putnam); ?Hide and Snake Murder? by Jessie Chandler (Midnight Ink); and ?Trickster's Point? by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books, Aug.
More About William Kent Krueger and the Cork O'Connor Mysteries
- Bookreporter.com - Author Profile: William Kent Krueger
- William Kent Krueger: Biography, interviews, booklists and more.
- William Kent Krueger: Author of VERMILION DRIFT
- William Kent Krueger is the award winning author of the mystery novel Heaven's Keep.
- William Kent Krueger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- William Kent Krueger is a multi award-winning American author and crime writer, best known for his Cork O'Connor series of books, which is mainly set in Minnesota. USA.
- William Kent Krueger speaks to Ali Karim for Shots Ezine
- William Kent Krueger speaks to Ali Karim for Shots Ezine
Let Me Know You Stopped By!
Have you read William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor books? Do you read other crime/murder mysteries?
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A reader.
Sep 30, 2011 @ 6:58 pm | delete
- Argh. I was looking for information on the series, and appreciate your efforts in that regard. However, I was not expecting you to spoil two huge series plot twists by posting them in your review. You might consider warning future readers that you've got spoilers in your review, so they can then decide whether or not to read on.
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kajohu Sep 30, 2011 @ 8:39 pm | delete
- Yikes, good point! I will re-work this page soon. Thanks for the comment.
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SofiaMann
Dec 30, 2010 @ 12:57 pm | delete
- I have not read, but has managed to motivate me. Very good commentary on the book. Thanks.
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by kajohu
I like to "relax" by reading well-crafted murder/crime mysteries by authors such as William Kent Krueger. more »
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The Devil's Bed
by William Kent Krueger
The Devil's Bed
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 05/30/2012)
This book is not in the Cork O'Connor series, but an enjoyable stand-alone political thriller. Secret Service agent, Bo Thorsen, is assigned to protect the First Lady when she visits her father in Minnesota after an "accident" that later appears to be the work of an escaped mental patient. In the meantime, the President is having his own problems, and a couple of his long term aides die in suspicious accidents. The President enlists the help of Bo Thorsen to look into these suspicious deaths.
