William Kent Krueger Books in Order

William Kent Krueger is an American crime and mystery author best known for the Cork O’Connor series set in the north woods of Minnesota that draws on Ojibwe culture and highlights the tensions of small-town America. He’s also the author of Ordinary Grace, which received major mystery awards in 2014, Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Macavity, and Dilys, and This Tender Land, a New York Times bestseller. His last thirteen novels have all hit the bestseller list.

This page lists all William Kent Krueger books in order, including the Cork O’Connor series, his standalone novels, and short stories.

Latest William Kent Krueger Books

God’s Country
God’s Country (Cork O’Connor #22), August 20265

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Cork O’Connor Series (Books in Order)

The Cork O’Connor series follows Corcoran “Cork” O’Connor, a former sheriff of Tamarack County, Minnesota, who is of mixed Irish and Ojibwe heritage, over more than twenty mysteries set in the north woods of the state. Cork works cases that often take place around the Iron Lake Ojibwe community, dealing with land rights, missing persons, racial tension, while also solving more conventional murder investigations.

Reading Order

  1. Iron Lake, 1998
  2. Boundary Waters, 1999
  3. Purgatory Ridge, 2001
  4. Blood Hollow, 2004
  5. Mercy Falls, 2005
  6. Copper River, 2006
  7. Thunder Bay, 2007
  8. Red Knife, 2008
  9. Heaven’s Keep, 2009
  10. Vermilion Drift, 2010
  11. Northwest Angle, 2011
  12. Trickster’s Point, 2012
  13. Tamarack County, 2013
  14. Windigo Island, 2014
  15. Manitou Canyon, 2016
  16. Sulfur Springs, 2017
  17. Desolation Mountain, 2018
  18. Lightning Strike, 2021
  19. Fox Creek, 2022
  20. Spirit Crossing, 2024
  21. Apostle’s Cove, 2025
  22. God’s Country, 2026

Reading notes:

  • Lightning Strike is a prequel in which Cork investigates his first murder case as a young man.

Standalone Novels

Novellas and Short Stories

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

Non-Fiction Books

William Kent Krueger Biography

William Kent Krueger books in order

William Kent Krueger is an American crime and mystery author, best known for the Cork O’Connor series.
Official website: williamkentkrueger.com

William Kent Krueger was born in 1950 in Torrington, Wyoming, and grew up moving between eleven homes across six states. He spent his early years in Hood River, Oregon. He entered Stanford University in 1969, where he initially wanted to study cultural anthropology, but was expelled in 1970 after participating in a takeover of the president’s office during Vietnam War protests. After that he worked several odd jobs logging timber, in construction, and freelance journalism, eventually became administrator of the research laboratory of the University of Minnesota where he researched child development.

He didn’t finish his first novel until he was in his forties, writing early mornings at a St. Paul café before going to work. That debut novel, Iron Lake, won the Anthony and Barry Awards for Best First Novel and launched the Cork O’Connor series. He has published over 20 books in that series to date. His standalone Ordinary Grace (2013) won five major awards in the same year, including the Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Macavity, and Dilys Awards, which is unusual for any author. This Tender Land (2019) was for almost six months on the New York Times bestseller list, and The River We Remember (2023) received an Edgar nomination for Best Novel. His books are usually set in the American Midwest and focus on crime, community, and local history.

William Kent Krueger currently lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

William Kent Krueger Awards and Nominations

Major Awards and Honors

  • Iron Lake – Anthony Award for Best First Novel (1999)
  • Iron Lake – Barry Award for Best First Novel (1999)
  • Ordinary Grace – Edgar Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Anthony Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Barry Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Macavity Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Dilys Award (2014)
  • Tucson Festival of Books Founder’s Award (2026)

Awards (Full List)

Show all awards Close

  • Iron Lake Anthony Award for Best First Novel (1999)
  • Iron Lake Barry Award for Best First Novel (1999)
  • Blood Hollow Anthony Award for Best Novel (2005)
  • Mercy Falls – Anthony Award for Best Novel (2006)
  • Thunder Bay Dilys Award for Best Book (2008)
  • Ordinary Grace – Anthony Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Barry Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Dilys Award for Best Book (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Edgar Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Lefty Award: The Squid (2014)
  • Ordinary Grace – Macavity Award for Best Novel (2014)
  • Sulfur Springs – Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel (2018)
  • Lightning Strike – Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel (2022)
  • Tucson Festival of Books Founder’s Award (2026)

Nominations and Shortlists

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  • Iron Lake – Dilys Award for Best Book (1999)
  • Boundary Waters – Dilys Award for Best Book (2000)
  • Purgatory Ridge – Barry Award for Best Novel (2002)
  • Purgatory Ridge – Dilys Award for Best Book (2002)
  • Mercy Falls – Barry Award for Best Novel (2006)
  • Thunder Bay – Anthony Award for Best Novel (2008)
  • Red Knife – Anthony Award for Best Novel (2009)
  • Red Knife – Barry Award for Best Novel (2009)
  • This Tender Land – Macavity Award for Best Novel (2020)
  • The River We Remember – Edgar Award for Best Novel (2024)
  • The River We Remember – Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel (2024)
  • Spirit Crossing – Barry Award for Best Novel (2025)

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

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4 Comments

  1. I started reading a few of these books(not in order) and whenever I needed a good read. After many losses in my family and friends, and several moves later, I was back in Minnesota and near a library. I checked out every book of yours they had and could order. When they ran out, I started ordering them in what order there was left for me. I’m down to my last four, and I began to of (what next.). I’d considered writing to your publisher to send a message to you to please start another. When I went online to order two of the last four, I was elated to see you have another coming out this Fall. Thank you so much. I feel part of the O’Conner family. I wish you a long life and many more books.

  2. Do the Cork O’Conner books need to be read in order or can they be stand alones?

  4. Thank you for writing incredible books. I remembered hearing you speak of writing about 10 years ago at a marriage retreat. At the time I had two kids under 10. The thought of reading for pleasure was comical. Hearing you speak, I could tell you had a heart for adventure. I tucked your books in my mind for “someday”… Well now I’m a partial empty nester and that “someday” has arrived.
    My only regret was having waited to read your fantastic writing that feels like I’ve stepped right into the scene. There’s so much joy reading your books, I almost am sad to flip that last page.
    Thank you for your art, your writing that so delights and inspires this middle aged mom and all who read your work!

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