Spirit Crossing

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Lake Ojibwe is in turmoil.  There’s a pipeline protest going on nearby that has turned violent and involves the courts.  Teenaged native girls keep going missing, but they don’t matter much to the outside world.  When Cork O’Connor’s grandson stumbles across the body of one girl while the family is picking blueberries, the community is hopeful the federal and state officers will take interest, but they are too wrapped up in searching for the missing daughter of a white politician.  However, someone else more sinister takes interest in Cork’s family and his grandson’s ability to connect with those on the other side of the Spirit Crossing, putting them all in danger.

William Kent Krueger is a master of the mystery and suspense book.  His latest book Spirit Crossing follows his most prolific protagonist Cork O’Connor.  The author is 25 years into writing O’Connor’s story and every page feels just as fresh as the first.  This book takes on topics so common in Ojibwe and other native communities in America – the imbalance of focus on crimes against the community versus white citizens and the disrespect of sacred spaces to benefit corporate greed.  While delivering a beautiful tale of family and the healing power of forgiveness and learning not to fear, Krueger hands readers a testament to the mistreatment of native populations and their lands that many would rather turn a blind eye towards.

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I give Spirit Crossing 5 out of 5 stars.  I appreciate the care and respect Krueger shows in his writing, even leaving the readers with a final word on his thanks to the Ojibwe community that has helped him with details and given their blessing to the story.  With a rare perfect 5.0 rating from me, there was really only one thing that I wish would have been different – one small piece of the ending.  I won’t give away too much, but this book was about putting Cork’s family back together after being split for so long.  I was sad to see that was not the final result. 

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This book is number 20 in the Cork O’Connor series, but can be read as a standalone novel – the author does a great job of giving the relevant backstory to give readers an understanding of the characters without the need for them to read all 19 previous books.  If you were a fan of Krueger’s Ordinary Grace or The River We Remember, you will love this book!  I would also recommend this to readers who enjoy Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter series with the similar rural setting and unique challenges of working amongst native customs and communities.  With mentions of abuse and death, this may not be the best book for all readers and I would direct it to more mature audiences over 16.

I was excited to see Spirit Crossing available from NetGalley earlier this month.  Before reading The River We Remember, I was warned I would fall in love with this author’s works, and you all were correct.  William Kent Krueger has earned a spot as a favorite author on my shelves, and I can’t wait to go back and read Cork’s journey from the start!

 

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Santa Overboard, Carolyn McBride
• Current audio book: Confronting the Presidents, Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
• Book I’m most looking forward to: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Fredrik Backman