Author · updated September 2026
William Kent Krueger Books in Order
Every William Kent Krueger book in publication order — 29 in total, spanning 1998–2024.
William Kent Krueger writes crime fiction with the soul of literary fiction — the kind of mysteries that stay with you for the people and the place as much as the puzzle. He's best known for Cork O'Connor, a former sheriff of part-Irish, part-Ojibwe heritage in the great Northwoods of Minnesota, whose cases are steeped in landscape, family, and hard-won grace. Krueger has also written two standalone novels so beloved they've become book-club institutions in their own right. If you like your thrillers with heart and a powerful sense of place, he's a treasure.
Publication Order of Cork O'Connor Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Iron Lake | 1998 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Boundary Waters | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 |  Purgatory Ridge | 2001 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 |  Blood Hollow | 2004 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 |  Mercy Falls | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 |  Copper River | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 |  Thunder Bay | 2007 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 |  Red Knife | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 |  Heaven's Keep | 2009 | Amazon US UK |
| 10 |  Vermilion Drift | 2010 | Amazon US UK |
| 11 |  Northwest Angle | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
| 12 |  Trickster's Point | 2012 | Amazon US UK |
| 13 |  Tamarack County | 2013 | Amazon US UK |
| 14 |  Windigo Island | 2014 | Amazon US UK |
| 15 | The World of Cork O'Connor | 2016 | Amazon US UK |
| 16 |  Manitou Canyon | 2016 | Amazon US UK |
| 17 |  Sulfur Springs | 2017 | Amazon US UK |
| 18 |  Desolation Mountain | 2018 | Amazon US UK |
| 19 | Lightning Strike | 2021 | Amazon US UK |
| 20 | Fox Creek | 2022 | Amazon US |
| 21 | Spirit Crossing | 2024 | Amazon US |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Devil's Bed | 2003 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Ordinary Grace | 2013 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 | This Tender Land | 2018 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 | The River We Remember | 2023 | Amazon US |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Writing Murder | 2012 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The William Kent Krueger Reader's Companion | 2012 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Anthologies
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories About Love, Lust, and Murder | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  These Guns for Hire | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
Every title by year All 29, oldest to newest
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iron Lake | 1998 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 | Boundary Waters | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 | Purgatory Ridge | 2001 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 | The Devil's Bed | 2003 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 | Blood Hollow | 2004 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 | Mercy Falls | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 | Copper River | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 | Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories About Love, Lust, and Murder | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 | These Guns for Hire | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 10 | Thunder Bay | 2007 | Amazon US UK |
| 11 | Red Knife | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
| 12 | Heaven's Keep | 2009 | Amazon US UK |
| 13 | Vermilion Drift | 2010 | Amazon US UK |
| 14 | Northwest Angle | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
| 15 | Trickster's Point | 2012 | Amazon US UK |
| 16 | Writing Murder | 2012 | Amazon US UK |
| 17 | The William Kent Krueger Reader's Companion | 2012 | Amazon US UK |
| 18 | Tamarack County | 2013 | Amazon US UK |
| 19 | Ordinary Grace | 2013 | Amazon US UK |
| 20 | Windigo Island | 2014 | Amazon US UK |
| 21 | The World of Cork O'Connor | 2016 | Amazon US UK |
| 22 | Manitou Canyon | 2016 | Amazon US UK |
| 23 | Sulfur Springs | 2017 | Amazon US UK |
| 24 | Desolation Mountain | 2018 | Amazon US UK |
| 25 | This Tender Land | 2018 | Amazon US UK |
| 26 | Lightning Strike | 2021 | Amazon US UK |
| 27 | Fox Creek | 2022 | Amazon US |
| 28 | The River We Remember | 2023 | Amazon US |
| 29 | Spirit Crossing | 2024 | Amazon US |
Frequently asked
What order should I read the Cork O'Connor books in?
Publication order, starting with Iron Lake (1998), then Boundary Waters, Purgatory Ridge, and on through the series to Fox Creek (2022) and Spirit Crossing (2024). Cork and his family grow across the books, so order matters.
Do I need to read William Kent Krueger books in order?
For the Cork O'Connor mysteries, yes — the personal storylines build book to book. His standalones (Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land) are completely separate and can be read on their own, in any order.
What is the best William Kent Krueger book to start with?
For the series, Iron Lake. For a single unforgettable standalone, Ordinary Grace (2013) — it won the Edgar Award for Best Novel and is many readers' favorite.
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