Episode 71 William Kent Krueger

Minnesota boasts more than its share of homegrown mystery novelists, and William Kent Krueger ranks near the top of that list for many. He is best known for his sixteen-book Cork O’Connor series, set in the state’s forested and isolated Arrowhead Region. O’Connor, a cop turned sheriff and private investigator, burst onto the scene in Iron Lake (1998). This debut won Krueger a rare honor: both the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel. Subsequent installments have won too many honors to name, including five Minnesota Book Awards. Moreover, Krueger has penned two acclaimed standalone novels: The Devil’s Bed (2001) and Ordinary Grace (2013). O’Connor’s sixteenth and latest adventure, Sulfur Springs, offers a departure from the verdant Northwoods setting readers associate with the series. After receiving a cryptic voicemail from his stepson, Krueger’s dogged protagonist travels to Arizona – and finds himself embroiled with the area’s dangerous drug cartels. The Star Tribune lauds it as “a blistering Wild West mystery.”

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