William Kent Krueger (known to his friends as “Kent”) is an American novelist of crime fiction. Kent is best known for writing novels featuring Cork O’Connor, who is half-Irish, half-Ojibwe. His novels are set in Minnesota, where Krueger himself lives. The setting of these novels is of great importance to the series.

Krueger’s first novel was Iron Lake, the first Cork O’Connor novel, and was published in 1998. Since then, his entire bibliography consists of Cork O’Connor books and are published at the rate of about once a year. Below is a list of William Kent Krueger’s books in order of when they were originally released:

Publication Order of Cork O'Connor Books

Iron Lake (1998)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Boundary Waters (1999)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Purgatory Ridge (2001)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Blood Hollow (2004)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Mercy Falls (2005)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Copper River (2006)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Thunder Bay (2007)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Red Knife (2008)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Heaven's Keep (2009)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Vermilion Drift (2010)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Northwest Angle (2011)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Trickster's Point (2012)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Tamarack County (2013)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Windigo Island (2014)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
The World of Cork O'Connor (2016)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Manitou Canyon (2016)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Sulfur Springs (2017)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Desolation Mountain (2018)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Lightning Strike (2021)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Fox Creek (2022)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Lightning Strike is a prequel to the series.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

The Devil's Bed (2003)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Ordinary Grace (2013)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
This Tender Land (2018)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
The River We Remember (2023)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Hixton (2010)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
The Levee (2023)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

The William Kent Krueger Reader's Companion (2012)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price

Publication Order of Anthologies

Twin Cities Noir(2006)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories About Love, Lust, and Murder(2006)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
These Guns for Hire(2006)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Resort to Murder(2007)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem and Suspense(2009)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side(2010)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Writes of Spring: Stories and Prose(2012)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
Writing Murder: A Basic Guide to Writing Mystery Fiction(2012)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price
USA Noir(2013)Best Hardcover PriceBest Paperback PriceBest Kindle Price

Note: Writing Murder: A Basic Guide to Writing Mystery Novels was written with 14 other authors.

If You Like William Kent Krueger Books, You’ll Love…

Order of Books » Authors » Order of William Kent Krueger Books

8 Responses to “Order of William Kent Krueger Books”

  1. Barbara Vascukynas: 1 year ago

    I just finished reading ” The Devil’s Bed”. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

    I am wondering if there will be a sequel to this story line with Bo Thorsen’s character.

    I hope so.

    Barbara

    Reply

  2. Lyn Glenn: 1 year ago

    In Mercy Falls Connor leaves quickly, alone with price on his head. Which book follows, resolving his need to hide?

    Reply

    • Graeme: 1 year ago

      As per the list above, Copper River is the next book in that series.

      Reply

  3. Bette Jane Bessey: 2 years ago

    I am leading a book discussion in my town in Maine for “This Tender Land”.
    There is quite a theme of forgiveness and Christian values.
    I was wondering if Mr Krueger is a Christian? Or if his faith is important to him.
    Any other insights you could share would be appreciated for the March 26th discussion.
    Sincerely,
    BJB

    Reply

    • Graeme: 2 years ago

      Your best bet would be to search for interviews featuring him. Here is one example from Shots Magazine where he comments on it:

      Ali: One theme in your work is religion and rituals and how the past affects the present and the future. Why do these themes interest you?
      Kent: The spiritual life is a significant concern for me – what it is, what impact it has on our lives, how to stay in touch with it. When I created the character of Cork O’Connor, I made him a man who’d turned his back on God, and who believes that God has turned his back as well. I liked that because I think we’re all struggling with spiritual questions and often feel abandoned and alone. Cork is Catholic, a religious tradition with a complicated history and a lot of ritual. He is also part Ojibwe, a culture with a rich spiritual tradition tied very much to nature. Put these elements together and you have a wonderful complexity of character and theme to deal with, rich territory to mine as an author.

      Reply

  4. Lou N Jackie Johnson: 3 years ago

    Has Kreuger stopped writing Cork O’Connor books?

    Reply

  5. Linda: 9 years ago

    When will there be a new cork oconner book?????

    Reply

    • Bodhi Kannon: 6 years ago

      there is, as of 2017

      Reply

Leave a Reply