The River We Remember

William Kent Krueger is an American writer best known for his Cork O’Connor mystery series. Set primarily in northern Minnesota, the series features detective Cork O’Connor who is of both Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and white heritage. Krueger is also the author of the mystery The Devil’s Bed (2003) and the standalone works of historical fiction Ordinary Grace (2013) and This Tender Land (2019). Krueger is interested in Minnesota and its surrounding areas and in the way that Indigenous cultures, traditions, and histories have shaped the region. In 2005 and 2006 he won the Anthony Award for best mystery novel, and in 2014 he won an Edgar Award for Ordinary Grace. This Tender Land was on the New York Times bestseller list for almost six months. He has additionally been the recipient of the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Barry Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize.

Krueger was born in Wyoming and raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. He attended Stanford University for a short time before being forced to leave for taking part in radical protests of the Vietnam War. He then worked a series of odd jobs including logging, construction, and freelance journalism. He eventually settled in the Twin Cities so that his wife could attend law school, and it was there that he began to write.