Apostle's Cove is an absolutely captivating, page turning mystery from beginning to end!! I just loved it! On the verge of his 60th birthday, Cork O'Connor Is contemplating what might be next in his life, when he receives a call from his son Stephen. Stephen is working for a non-profit that investigates possible cold cases on behalf of those who may be unjustly incarcerated. One of those cases was Cork's, when he was a newly elected sheriff. Cork remembers the case, but the Ojibwe man, Alex Boshey confessed to the brutal murder. Still, Cork has always had doubts about his guilt. He begins an investigation again and is soon plunged into a web of lies and deceit, both past and present. It soon becomes obvious that there are those who may not want the case re-opened, including Alex Boshey. Cork is determined to find the truth. William Kent Kruger brilliantly weaves past and present as Cork, with the help of his son, and his daughter Jenny investigate this case again, despite the present-day dangers that they face. Much of the history of Cork, his family, and Tamarak are woven into the story, and it is always good to see favorite and familiar characters, especially Henry Meloux and 7-year-old Waaboo, with his special insight. This is a beautifully written, well plotted mystery, with twists from beginning to end! It kept me reading late into the night! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

This is only the second book I've read in the Cork O'Connor Mystery series. I had trouble keeping track of Cork's family and friends when I jumped into the prior book in the series. Even though this book has two timelines, there seems to be less main characters so it was easier for a new reader to keep up with everyone.

Cork was a former sheriff in Tamarack County in a rural area of Minnesota, but is now a PI. His son is in law school, interning for an Innocence Project in St. Paul. Stephen tells his father that he thinks someone who Cork arrested was falsely convicted. Part One of the book takes place 25 years ago and describes the case in which Axel Boshey was arrested for killing his wife. Part Two comes back to the present and follows Cork's reinvestigation of the case, this time with help of his daughter, Jenny, who is a writer.

The book is interesting, especially the first part. I also like the Minnesota setting. I've never been there, so I enjoyed learning more about the area. Many of the characters, including Cork, have Ojibwe heritage, and I also liked learning about the culture of these indigenous people. Some of the events near the end of the book didn't seem to fit with the tone of the book, but that may have just been me since I'm not a regular reader of the series. Overall, I enjoyed the book and getting to see Cork both in the present and the past.

I received an advance copy of this ebook for review consideration from Atria Books and NetGalley, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up! William Kent Krueger understands how to build atmosphere, culture, and world. He drew me in from the first page. His characters are complex, yet relatable. The man knows how to tell a story!

It is days before Halloween and Cork O'Connor gets a call from his son, Stephen, who has been reopening cases of unjust rulings for incarcerated inmates. Decades ago, Sheriff Cork O'Connor sent an Ojibwe man named Axel Boshey to prison for the death of his wife, Chastity - a crime he knows Axel didn't commit. Hearing Stephen out, Cork feels an obligation to Tamarack County and the Anishinaabe people of Minnesota to expose the real killer. It is a sensitive case, and the deeper Cork digs into who might have been involved, the more he discovers a spider's web of lies. Being part Anishinaabe himself, he knows he will need to rely on the elders in that community. Coincidentally, his grandson believes the hungry spirit of the Windigo has come to Tamarack County and will not leave until he is sated.

The indigenous people and their culture, paired with a murder investigation, are the best parts of this writing. It almost felt folklore-ish at times, and that resonates with me. I felt as though I was stepping into history. These aspects of writing are what Krueger does best. The book is divided into two parts: 1. The Axel Boshey case from decades earlier, and 2. The reopened Axel Boshey case. Unfortunately, the difficulty in the form fell into repetition with the same people being questioned over again. It was nearly the same story read twice. The ending was unexpected and eye-opening, bringing the storytelling back to life. Krueger is a fantastic writer, and I admire his ability to draw the reader in without caving to hypersexual themes. I will continue to read more of his work.

A special thank you to NetGalley, William Kent Krueger, and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A few nights before Halloween, as Cork O’Connor gloomily ruminates on his upcoming birthday, he receives a call from his son, Stephen, who is working for a nonprofit dedicated to securing freedom for unjustly incarcerated inmates. Stephen tells his father that decades ago, as the newly elected sheriff of Tamarack County, Cork was responsible for sending an Ojibwe man named Axel Boshey to prison for a brutal murder that Stephen is certain he did not commit. Cork feels like he needs to reinvestigate the crime but that is easier said than done 25 years later with a man that is refusing to help. Then there are those in the present time who are willing to kill again to keep him from finding out the rruth.

Cork feels compelled to reinvestigate the crime, but that is easier said than done. Not only is it a closed case but Axel Boshey is, inexplicably, refusing to help. The deeper Cork digs, the clearer it becomes that there are those in Tamarack County who are willing once again to commit murder to keep him from finding the truth.

I was most fortunate to actually meet this author several years ago when he was in a local bookstore. As he told about his books, it was evident that he loved to write his books about the North Country, since he actually lives in this area and know the landscape that he describes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read another book by one of my most favorite authors. He has let his characters evolve in age and life experiences which I really like. If you like the North Country and a good mystery, you will love this author. I recommend the Cork O'Connor series highly. It is best to read them in order because of the stories of the characters changing from one book to the next, but he gives enough backstory in each one that you can read them out of order.

APOSTLE'S COVE by William Kent Krueger (This Tender Land and Fox Creek) is book 21 in his excellent series which features lawman Cork O'Connor of the Boundary Waters area in rural Minnesota. This tale transports readers twenty-five years into the past with one of Cork's first murder investigations as Sheriff. At that time, Cork had misgivings about the resolution to a brutal murder that involved an Ojibwe man named Axel Boshey. Once again, Krueger explores a crime of passion, substance abuse, and the prejudices against Indigenous peoples. Because it is telling a story from long ago, APOSTLE'S COVE could work as a stand-alone (the publisher calls it "the perfect entry point for anyone who might be new to the series"). The first half of this novel is set firmly in the past, but the case is revived in the modern day during the second half when Cork's son gets involved through an Innocence Project like effort. Was the wrong person sent to prison? Is the killer still at large? The conclusion is full of evil and felt a bit rushed, but it's balanced by the wisdom of tribal elder Henry Meloux and Cork's persistence in solving a suspenseful mystery (as Cork says, "Truth is a tricky critter. Not always what it seems.").

4.5 stars overall

Wow! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! This book will leave you wanting for more and the characters and storyline stick with you long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this page-turner!

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria for an advance reader’s copy of this novel.

The twentieth book featuring Corcoran (Cork) O’Connor, the part Ojibwe-part Irish American former sheriff of Tamarack County in rural Minnesota. On the eve of his 60th birthday, he has retired from the force but takes on occasional private investigations. His heritage, and abiding sense of justice and equality, mean that these are often cases needing someone with sensitivity to the tensions between the town’s dominant white society and the Natives from the bordering reserve.

This is a dual timeline story, but it is structured in two sections rather than the usual alternating timelines. The first section is an extended flashback to a case 25 years earlier that involved Cork as sheriff. A beautiful young mother was brutally murdered. Most believed the killer was her husband, a Native army vet with serious drinking problems. When Cork arrested Axel Boshey on the reserve, he confessed that he had killed his wife, but was too drunk to remember what happened. Cork had some misgivings, but the force of (white) public opinion and Axel’s unwavering insistence on his own guilt saw him sentenced to prison for life. His young children were raised on reserve by his mother.

The second part opens 25 years later. Cork’s son Stephen, a law student who heads a program for the wrongfully convicted—many of whom are Indigenous—asks him to re-open the case at the behest of Boshey’s son. Axel Boshey has recanted; he wants to clear his name but, curiously, he still wants to serve his sentence. Cork feels his own responsibility to investigate the case, though he is skeptical that he will turn up any new information. Boshey refuses to tell Cork, or anyone, the details that might exonerate him. Many of those who lived in the tight-knit community have left, are too old to remember much, or have died. Some, like a police duo who were known for their brutality and hatred of Boshey and ‘Indians’ in general, are no longer on the force but still very good at obstructing justice. And they seem to be protecting the alluring, promiscuous Aphrodite, Chastity’s estranged mother. She was covered in her daughter’s blood and holding a knife beside her body when the police arrived on the scene.

Those who know the series will enjoy seeing familiar characters, many of them having passed on in the more recent books, replay their roles. There is a certain sadness, too, in knowing how much has happened to Cork, his family, and the community, in the intervening 25 years. In the contemporary section, the newer characters, such as Cork’s sweet and infinitely wise adopted grandson, Waaboo, who has mystic powers, are important players. Waaboo’s visions of the fearsome monster known as the Windigo further heighten the tension as Cork gets closer to uncovering the truth.

Like all Krueger’s books, this one mixes a powerful blend of ancient Native beliefs with historical white injustices. He is a seasoned storyteller, and his characters are exquisitely drawn. I’m not sure the section approach is as effective as the alternating timelines, simply because having many of the same characters in both leads to a fair bit of repetition. The ‘before’ story lays things out, while the ‘after’ sees them hashing out the same story. The ending is wonderfully dramatic. Considering the building tension and the trauma, however, the closing fireside scene, clearly an effort at comic relief, just didn’t work for me. I’m looking forward to number 21.

I have finally caught up to book #20! I received a copy of the previous book, so I quickly read book #1, Iron Lake. I then set out to listen to all of the books, which I finished just in time to read the EARC, provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
I love how the author keeps it fresh by occasionally going back in time.
Stephen O'Connor is now a lawyer working on helping prisoners who have been wrongly accused. He comes across an Indian, Axel, who confessed to murdering his wife, but now, after 25 years in prison, admits to hi son and daughter that he didn't do it.
When Cork learns of this he decides to look into the case that he investigated when he was sheriff. we go back in time to follow the case (fun seeing Henry Melioux as a younger man, only 75)
There are many twists and turns as we watch both stories unfold. It is a pleasure to be with the O'Connor family again.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review.

I did not realize this book is part of a series, much less one that is now over 20 books! I've enjoyed his standalone novels, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. I'm so glad I did! While it is part of the Cork O'Connor series, it revisits an early case featured in a previous book, so it can be read as a standalone. Readers get all of the details from the case in a split timeline format. I felt like I knew who all the major characters were and could follow along easily. Readily recommend for mystery fans! I fully intend to go back and read some more of the Cork O'Connor series.

Book 21 in the Cork O'Connor series drew me in from the beginning. When Cork's son Stephen calls him just before his sixtieth birthday to let him know that a man from a case he investigated twenty-five years earlier has been wrongly incarcerated for a murder he did not commit, Cork is determined to revisit the case.

The first half of the story walks us through the case and gives us details of his work and family life. It then returns to the present and Cork's grandson senses that the mythical Windigo is in Tamarack County and wants to satisfy its thirst for human blood while a killer seems determined to strike again in order to prevent the truth coming to light.

This is a well-written whodunit mystery with great character development and plot. The pacing is excellent and kept me turning the pages. Apostle's Cove is the latest installment of a long series but can easily be read as a stand-alone and a great introduction to the series. I also love the spiritual references and Native American culture woven into the novel, which is a trademark of a William Kent Krueger novel. I highly recommend this, and it is perfect for fall as there are key events in the past and present storyline that occur on Halloween.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and William Kent Krueger for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Cork returns to a case when he first was sheriff. A grisly murder of a young woman. Her husband confesses but Cork is not sure he was guilty. After 25 years in prison, Stephen asks his father to revisit the case to find the truth. A story that grips you and keeps you reading to discover what happened. Cork and Jenny set out to figure out the past and lay to rest the ghosts surrounding the case. Lots of themes in this story, all of which continue to be relevant in today's world. This book will hold your interest from start to finish. Well written and filled with the characters loved in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Years ago, when Aphrodite McGill came to Tamarack County, she brought with her a teenage daughter named Chastity and an air of sex and danger that the small community had never seen before. Now, years later, Sheriff Cork O'Connor finds her at her daughter's house covered in blood gripping a knife and sitting next to the body of Chastity, who has been brutally murdered. Moonbeam, Chastity's daughter and Aphrodite's granddaughter, is screaming from her crib in another room. What has gone on in this house? Could Aphrodite be so depraved as to kill her own daughter? And where is Chastity's husband, Axel Boshey, a drunk with whom she has had monumental fights?

The case is a hard one for Cork, as he has known all the people involved for years and the investigation looks at many people in the community as the true extent of Aphrodite's influence becomes clear. In the end, although he was blind drunk and doesn't really remember much about the night of the murder, Axel confesses and is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

But now it is 25 years later. Cork has retired as Sheriff and lives quietly in the community. Then one night his son, Stephen, who works for the Great Northern Innocence Project, calls to give him news no lawman ever wants to hear. Axel Boshey almost certainly did not murder his wife.

As Cork determines to find out the truth and free Axel if he is in fact innocent, many of the players in the case are still around. And many are still not telling all they know about this case. There are a lot of secrets in a small town and many come to light as Cork and his daughter Jenny, a crime novelist who has often assisted him with difficult cases, try to solve this old mystery.

But a lot of secrets have to be uncovered and another murder to finally reveal what happened that long-ago night and finally bring peace and justice to Cork and everyone who was involved.

Atria Books, Netgalley, you have my sincere thanks and appreciation. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review in advance in exchange for my honest opinion.

Even though this is perhaps the 20th entry in the series, I'd heard it could be read as a standalone, so I went for it. The ease of which I was able to enter the world of Cork O'Connor is worth noting. It is incredibly atmospheric and filled with rich characters.

There are many references to older significant events in Cork's life (earlier books I can assume) but it never felt like you were missing anything, it all worked to create a detailed backstory for the characters.

Revisiting a case from over 25 years ago with a plot told in two halves (Past/Present) it was able to cover a lot of ground both in terms of plot and attachment to the world itself.

There are a lot of references to Indigenous culture and tradition which helped flesh out the world and even though the 'mystery' at hand could have been resolved sooner if everyone stopped withholding information, it was a wonderfully written book and a series that I will fully explore.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)

This might be the latest in a long running (and terrific) series but it's also great even as a standalone because the first half of the novel is in Cork's past, when evidence seemed to point to Axel Boshey as the one who brutally murdered his wife Chastity. Axel's been in prison for years because he pled guilty even though he did not remember what happened that night but now his son has connected with Cork's son, who is working at an Innocence Project. You'll know throughout the first half that Cork was not confident in Axel's confession and in the second half, he goes back through the case with the help of his daughter Jenny, now a novelist. These characters leap off the page-not just Axel but also his mother in law Aphrodite, Henry, and most of all Cork. This is twisty, with more than one red herring that will keep you guessing even though the answer is right there in front of you. Hard to review without spoilers but know that it's a real page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this.

Whether you’re a returning reader to the Cork O’Connor mystery series or a newbie reader, if you enjoy thoughtful, layered stories with strong characters, you’ll find Apostle’s Cove a worthwhile read. There is enough background given that the book can be read as a standalone. I have read several in the series and plan on catching up on the rest.

The novel starts in the present day, with Stephen, Cork’s son, asking Cork to revisit a murder investigation from 25 years prior. Cork was never totally convinced that the correct person was convicted for the crime. We are then taken back to that time with the first half of the novel focused on the original case. Part two returns us to present day, with Cork and his daughter Jenny digging into it. We meet a lot of interesting characters along the way. As always, Cork’s Native American ancestry plays a pivotal part of the plot development and atmosphere. The writing is strong with a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Another brilliant William Kent Krueger read. Suspenseful and a classic Minnesota novel! Thank you so much To NetGalley for the advanced read!

3.5 stars

Veteran detective Cork O'Connor finds himself drawn back into a haunting case from his past, thanks to his son's urging. Two decades ago, Cork played a pivotal role in convicting Axel Boshey, but as he revisits the case, the evidence begins to tell a different story.

This gripping thriller unfolds through a dual timeline, expertly weaving together the original investigation and the new revelations that emerge. As a newcomer to the Cork O'Connor series and to William Kent Krueger's writing, I was pleasantly surprised by how accessible it was to jump into book 21. My enjoyment of detective series typically leads me to start from the beginning, and now I’m excited to explore the earlier installments.

I received an advanced reader copy from Atria Books, and all opinions expressed are my own.

William Kent Krueger has done it again with his next installment in the Cork O’Connor series. This story is a real page turner that will keep you guessing till the very end. It’s about tragedy and the love of family and finding ones true self. Such a great story that every mystery and thriller reader should read.

Another hard-to-put-down Cork O'Connor thriller by William Kent Krueger. This novel takes a different approach to O'Connor's investigations. It starts 25 years in the past as O'Connor has just become the Sheriff and tells of a vicious, violent murder that he has to solve. Was the man who was convicted the guilty party, even though that man admitted to the crime? Cork always questioned whether he sent an innocent man to jail. Jump ahead 25 years and O'Connor's son Stephen works for the Great North Innocence Project. He approaches his father to question him about that case. The second half of the novel explores Cork's reinvestigation based on some newly discovered facts. It's Halloween and Cork's young grandson insists that the Windigo, a mythic evil character in Indian culture, is out for blood. Death soon follows.

This is a fast-paced mystery that was not easy to figure out. I had a hard time putting it down. All books by William Kent Krueger are must reads for me and I look forward to reading many more of his novels.

really fun murder mystery with some interesting character development and characters. the whodunnit is definitely great too, but kinda takes a backseat. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.