Order of William Kent Krueger Books

This section lists the William Kent Krueger stand-alone books in reverse chronological order, with his newest book first. Unlike the Cork O’Connor series, these stand-alone books do not have any common characters or continuous storylines, so you can read them in any order.

Historical Fiction

The River We Remember

William Kent Krueger

Publication Date:

09/04/2023

Setting:

Small-town Minnesota, 1958

Book Summary

On Memorial Day in 1958, the residents of Jewel, Minnesota, are shocked to discover the dead body of the town’s most powerful citizen, wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn. Sheriff Brody Dern must investigate, but he’s still carrying the physical and emotional scars of his military service, which complicate his career.

The townspeople have a prime suspect before Dern even has the autopsy report. Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran, has recently come back to town with a Japanese wife. But does the couple’s return have anything to do with this case?

The River We Remember explores midcentury life in America and highlights how countless small towns were affected by the WWII scars that remained well after the last shots were fired.

The Book Girls Say…

We’ve both already purchased this book, but haven’t had a chance to read it. However, we took a peek at the average reviews online, and it’s trending even better than This Tender Land, which is an impressive feat!

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Bookshop.org

Iron Lake, the first Cork O’Connor series book, was published in 1998 and still remains popular twenty-five years later. As of 2023, there are 19 released titles in the series, with #20 now available for pre-order ahead of its 2024 release.

The title character, Cork O’Connor, is the protagonist of the series. The mystery novels contain highlight the character’s mixed Irish and Ojibwe heritage along themes of family, identity, cultural diversity, and the social issues facing Native American populations. 

As a character, Cork is resourceful, using his experience in law enforcement to solve mysteries as a private investigator for the good of his community. The series is set in fictional Tamarack County, Minnesota, which is based on the real northern woods of the state, known for the dynamic mix of forests and lakes.

Each book in the Cork O’Connor series contains a separate mystery with different plots, including murders, missing persons, conspiracies, and hidden secrets. The great outdoors almost always comes into play, with Cork hiking or surviving in the wilderness on the search for answers. If you love a mystery with great storytelling and well-crafted characters, we think you’ll enjoy these novels.

Some of the titles in the Cork O’Connor series are included free with an Audible Membership as of 11/8/23, including books 1-3, and book 7.

Iron Lake
Cork O’Connor #1

Published 1998

In the first book, we are introduced to Cork O’Connor, who has recently lost his job as sheriff of Tamarack County. He becomes embroiled in a complex mystery involving a wealthy businessman’s missing wife, a powerful Indian artifact, and a web of secrets from the past.

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Looking for a printable version of this chronological William Ken Krueger book list, including the full Cork O’Connor series in order? Our Buy Me a Coffee BFFs have access to a cute two-page printable tracker featuring the covers of all his novels! Join our membership site today for instant access to your copy, along with some other fun perks!

Do you have to read the Cork O’Connor books in order?

Reading the Cork O’Connor series in order of publication allows you to see the growth and development of characters between investigations. However, consider starting with the 2021 book Lightning Strike, instead of the first published book, Iron Lake, before proceeding through the rest in order of publication.

While Lightning Strike was published more recently, it’s a prequel and takes us back to Cork O’Connor’s childhood. By starting with Lightning Strike, you’ll get insight into Cork’s coming of age and the events that drive his personality and decisions throughout the rest of the series.

That said, if you’ve already read some of the Cork O’Connor series, it’s fine to pick up Lightning Strike at any time.

How many books are in the William Kent Krueger series?

As of the end of 2023, there are 19 books published in the Cork O’Connor series. You can find the list in order above.

Is William Kent Krueger still writing books?

Yes, William Kent Kruger is still actively writing books and publishes new releases regularly. His most recent standalone book, The River We Remember, was published on September 5, 2023.

Will there be more Cork O’Connor books?

Yes! In a 2021 interview with Park Bugle, Krueger claims he is “nowhere near finished with his marquee fictional character.” The next book in the series, Spirit Crossing, is available now for preorder and is currently scheduled to be published in August 2024.

Is William Kent Krueger from Minnesota?

William Kent Krueger was raised in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and then briefly attended Stanford University in 1969 before being kicked out for participating in a Vietnam protest in 1970.

After that, he moved to Nebraska to pursue Diane, the girl he hoped to marry. He made the right decision and together, they moved to Minnesota in 1980 for Diane to attend law school. They remained in St. Paul after law school, making it their long-time home. They have now been residents of Minnesota for over forty years. He still loves the region, which is the setting of most of his novels.

Have any William Kent Krueger books been made into movies?

While there have been discussions about making Ordinary Grace and Iron Lake into movies, no screen adaptations have been completed. In 2020, Krueger met with producers about Ordinary Grace and felt good about the direction of script development, so cross your fingers that it will resume now that we’re past the pandemic and writer’s strike. We’d love to see any of his novels on the big screen.