Risingshadow
Speculative Fiction Books
  • About
    • Home
    • Articles
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Staff Members
    • Newsletter
    • Finnish (FI)
  • Books
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Books of the Year
    • Bookshelves Activity
    • Recently Added
    • Advanced Search
    • Reviews / Comments
    • Genres and Tags
    • * Submit Book
  • Community
    • Discussions
    • - Recent Messages
    • - Recent Topics
    • - Hot Topics
    • - Popular Topics
    • - Search
    • CHALLENGES
    • - Reading Challenge
    • - Book Trivia Quiz
  • Home
  • Books
  • William Kent Krueger
  • Cork O'Connor Mystery
  • Windigo Island

Windigo Island

Cork O'Connor Mystery #14 / 23
by William Kent Krueger
Windigo Island (Cork O'Connor Mystery #14) by William Kent Krueger
★ 9.00 / 1
123456781910

When the body of a teenage Ojibwe girl washes up on the shore of an island in Lake Superior, the residents of the nearby Bad Bluff reservation whisper that it was the work of a deadly mythical beast, the Windigo, or a vengeful spirit called Michi Peshu. Such stories have been told by the Ojibwe people for generations, but they don’t explain how the girl and her friend, Mariah Arceneaux, disappeared a year ago. At the request of the Arceneaux family, private investigator Cork O’Connor takes on the case.

But on the Bad Bluff reservation, nobody’s talking. Still, Cork puts enough information together to find a possible trail. He learns that the old port city of Duluth is a modern-day center for sex trafficking of vulnerable women, many of whom are young Native Americans. As the investigation deepens, so does the danger.

Yet Cork holds tight to his higher purpose—his vow to find Mariah, an innocent fifteen-year-old girl whose family is desperate to get her back. With only the barest hope of saving her from men whose darkness rivals that of the legendary Windigo, Cork prepares for an epic battle that will determine whether it will be fear, or love, that truly conquers all.

Amazon: Check Best Offer

ThrillerMysteryCrime FictionSuspense Thriller
Release date: August 19, 2014

Book Order
Amazon
Kindle
Audible
Amazon CA
Amazon UK
Amazon Europe

Your Rating
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Standard Shelves

Readers also enjoyed

The Name of the Rose
★ 8.18 / 27
The Client
★ 8.76 / 4
The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
★ 8.76 / 4
The Pelican Brief
★ 9.00 / 4
In a Dark, Dark Wood
★ 7.26 / 4
The Hound of Death and Other Stories
★ 8.00 / 4
One Good Deed (Aloysius Archer #1)
★ 8.50 / 4

Join the Discussion
You can post as a guest or sign in for more features.
Have questions about this book or want to share your thoughts? Join the conversation!
William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger

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.

Read more ...

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.

Cork O'Connor Mystery

Set against the deep forests, cold lakes, and small towns of northern Minnesota, the Cork O'Connor Mystery series by William Kent Krueger blends crime fiction with a powerful sense of place. These novels do more than follow investigations, they explore the quiet tensions and hidden histories that live beneath the surface of a tight-knit community where everyone knows each other, yet many secrets remain buried.

Read more ...

At the center of the stories is Cork O’Connor, a former sheriff with both Irish and Ojibwe heritage. That dual identity shapes how he moves through the world around him. He understands the rhythms of the wilderness and the complicated cultural lines that run through the region, which often places him between communities, expectations, and truths that others overlook. When violence breaks the calm of the Northwoods, Cork is rarely able to stand aside.

The series stands out for its atmosphere as much as its mysteries. Snowbound towns, dense pine forests, and the vast silence of Minnesota’s lakes create a landscape that feels both beautiful and isolating. Crimes here are never just puzzles to solve. They ripple through families, tribal lands, and generations of history, touching on themes like justice, identity, grief, and reconciliation. The investigations unfold slowly and thoughtfully, giving space for the emotional weight carried by victims, suspects, and the investigator himself.

Over time, the books build a layered portrait of a man trying to protect his community while navigating the fractures within his own life. Relationships evolve, losses accumulate, and the past refuses to stay quiet. Readers who follow the journey discover that each case reveals something deeper about the land and the people who call it home.

Blending literary storytelling with gripping suspense, the Cork O'Connor Mystery novels have become a defining example of modern atmospheric crime fiction, where the wilderness is as much a character as the people who walk through it.


Cork O'Connor Mystery consists of twenty-two books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Iron Lake (Cork O'Connor Mystery #1)
★ 6.00 / 1
Boundary Waters (Cork O'Connor Mystery #2)
★ 8.00 / 1
Purgatory Ridge (Cork O'Connor Mystery #3)
★ 8.00 / 1
Blood Hollow (Cork O'Connor Mystery #4)
★ 8.00 / 1
Mercy Falls (Cork O'Connor Mystery #5)
★ 8.00 / 1
Copper River (Cork O'Connor Mystery #6)
★ 8.00 / 1
Thunder Bay (Cork O'Connor Mystery #7)
★ 9.00 / 1
Red Knife (Cork O'Connor Mystery #8)
★ 8.00 / 1
Heaven's Keep (Cork O'Connor Mystery #9)
★ 9.00 / 1
Vermillion Drift (Cork O'Connor Mystery #10)
★ 9.00 / 1
Northwest Angle (Cork O'Connor Mystery #11)
★ 8.00 / 1
Trickster's Point (Cork O'Connor Mystery #12)
★ 9.00 / 1
Tamarack County (Cork O'Connor Mystery #13)
★ 9.00 / 1
Windigo Island (Cork O'Connor Mystery #14)
★ 9.00 / 1
Manitou Canyon (Cork O'Connor Mystery #15)
★ 8.00 / 1
Sulfur Springs (Cork O'Connor Mystery #16)
★ 8.00 / 1
Desolation Mountain (Cork O'Connor Mystery #17)
★ 8.00 / 1
Lightning Strike (Cork O'Connor Mystery #18)
★ 8.00 / 1
Fox Creek (Cork O'Connor Mystery #19)
★ 9.00 / 1
Spirit Crossing (Cork O'Connor Mystery #20)
★ 9.00 / 1
Apostle's Cove (Cork O'Connor Mystery #21)
★ 9.00 / 1
God's Country (Cork O'Connor Mystery #22)
⧗ 9.00 / 3
Cork O'Connor Mystery Book 23 (Cork O'Connor Mystery #23)
⧗ 8.00 / 1


^ Top
Follow Us: Newsletter | Facebook | X | Mastodon | RSS
Hosted by Planeetta Internet Oy
© 1996 - 2026 Risingshadow. All rights reserved.
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Privacy Policy