William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mysteries comprise one of the most well-written and unique series out there. Being part Irish and part Ojibwe already makes Cork O’Connor, a former Minnesota sheriff, an interesting protagonist. However, SPIRIT CROSSING goes deep into the O’Connor family dynamics while also taking time to present real-world social and political issues faced by Native Americans in this country.

The term “spirit crossing” represents a few different things in this novel, which takes place in the north woods of Minnesota: the name for the literal passage of the spirit at the time of death; the physical property in dispute between an oil company and the mostly Native American protestors fighting for that land; and death itself, as more than one character here has either died violently or are themselves dying.

"William Kent Krueger knows his stuff and pulls on the heartstrings along the way while telling a great mystery. Cork O’Connor is a special character in a one-of-a-kind series."

Olivia Hamilton, the teenage daughter of a local politician, has gone missing, which initially dominates the news. With a county-wide manhunt launched to find her, it is Cork’s seven-year-old grandson, Waaboo, who becomes the talk of the town. He is blessed with second sight and literally can see dead people. When he approaches a blueberry patch at a nearby property, he has a vision of death, specifically a dead young woman. A shallow grave is found nearby, and authorities check to see if it’s Olivia or one of a handful of missing Native American young women, like Crystal Two Knives.

Meanwhile, Cork’s daughter, Annie, has returned from Guatemala with her friend, Maria. She has two huge secrets to tell Cork and the rest of the family. But with everything going on, between what now appears to be a serial killer spree and the protests at Spirit Crossing, her arrival could not be more awkward. There’s just not enough time to talk openly.

Cork and the newly formed Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police are called into action by Aurora Police Chief Marsha Dross to assist with the missing women. The body that was dug up was neither of the young ladies they suspected, but the family that owns the property is well known to Cork. The Paavolas had once been involved in a case he worked years earlier. The father has since passed, and the land now belongs to his son and daughter, neither of whom live on it. There is also the old Paavola cabin, which the locals fear and Waaboo claims is a place of demons. When Olivia’s body is eventually discovered, it is in the cabin's hidden basement, and it may not be the only murder that took place there.

Looking into the backgrounds of the two Paavola siblings presents a problem, and when the son promptly disappears after questioning, he becomes a very big person of interest. He is also known to run with a really bad dude who hates women, and neither of them are very popular at the neighborhood watering hole. As the investigation fans out, more names and potential suspects join the party, and it becomes quite difficult to determine who could be behind the murders and all the missing women, and what their motive might be.

Annie finally gets the chance to bear her soul to her family, which really adds a different layer of realism to this already complex novel. William Kent Krueger knows his stuff and pulls on the heartstrings along the way while telling a great mystery. Cork O’Connor is a special character in a one-of-a-kind series.