Spirit Crossing : William Kent Krueger

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I have only read a couple other Cork O’Connor series, this book does stand alone but I’m sure I was missing some backstories from previous books that may have added to the read. I feel lucky to have some pieces to trace backwards as I read more of this series. 

 The book got off to a slow start for me, but confession: I’m not a big mystery fan but love this author. By 25% in the book had me and I couldn’t put it down. Cork is a retired lawman who can’t stay away. There were a lot of characters and I can’t say I kept them all straight. The underlying story involved missing girls, one white and one indigenous and led to a nest of human trafficking, a real problem in the world that people don’t know a lot about. Cork’s seven year old grandson has some ability to see dead people, which I thought would be corny but actually worked here, though I would not have let my 7 year old near and investigation, if it seems dangerous is is! But the Cork family are made of tougher stock, the child was helpful in several ways. At the same time Cork’s adult daughter is coming home to celebrate another child’s wedding, but also to share some difficult news. 

 The relationships Cork has built over time (and 20 books) with his community is almost a character in the book as I feel this is what allows him to uncover the truth, and also protects him from harm. I appreciated the Native American culture and its part in the story. 

 Side note : There are many indigenous references in the Cork books. Their beliefs surrounding death seem so beautiful and comforting, parallel in many ways to Christian ideas but connected to the earth, which I have come to appreciate so much more deeply as an adult who has experienced loss. I live in WI, these books take place in Northern MN, so there is some ground to explore on this nearby.