Official Biography
Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He’s been married for more than fifty years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.
Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last thirteen novels were all New York Times bestsellers.
Ordinary Grace, his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. The companion novel, This Tender Land, was published in September 2019 and spent nearly six months on the New York Times bestseller list. His most recent stand-alone, The River We Remember, published in 2023, was featured on many best-of-the-year lists, as well as receiving an Edgar Award nomination for Best Novel.
Downloadable Images
Photos of Kent
Photo Credit: Diane Krueger
Photo Credit: Tony Nelson
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Photo Credit: Paul Dinndorf
Book Covers
Spirit Crossing
Hardcover
Atria Books
August 20, 2024
The River We Remember
Paperback
Atria Books
May 21, 2024
The River We Remember
Hardcover
Atria Books
September 5, 2023
Fox Creek
Paperback
Atria Books
May 23, 2023
Fox Creek
Hardcover
Atria Books
August 23, 2022
Lightning Strike
Hardcover
Atria Books
August 24, 2021
This Tender Land
Paperback
Atria Books
May 26, 2020
This Tender Land
Hardcover
Atria Books
September 3, 2019
Desolation Mountain
Cork O’Connor Mystery Series, Book 17
Trade Paperback
Atria Books
April 16, 2019
Awards & Recognition
- Anthony Award for Best First Novel, Bouchercon World Mystery Convention
- Anthony Award for Best Novel, Bouchercon World Mystery Convention
- Barry Award for Best First Novel, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
- Barry Award for Best Novel, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
- Dilys Award, Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
- Edgar Award for Best Novel, Mystery Writers of America
- Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller, Goodreads
- Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel, Left Coast Crime
- Loft McKnight Fiction Award, The Loft Literary Center
- Lovey Award for Best Series, Love is Murder Conference
- Lovey Award for Best Thriller, Love is Murder Conference
- Lovey Award for Best PI / Police Procedural, Love is Murder Conference
- Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel, Mystery Readers International
- Maine Readers’ Choice Award, Maine State Library and Maine Library Association
- Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
- Minnesota Book Award, Friends of the Saint Paul Library
- Northeastern Minnesota Book Award, University of Minnesota
- Silver Falchion Award for Best Novel: Literary Mystery/Suspense, Killer Nashville Conference
- Squid Award for Best Mystery Set in the United States, Left Coast Crime