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William Kent Krueger to read from latest book at St. Olaf College Wednesday, March 14

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March 7, 2001

NORTHFIELD, Minn. ? Acclaimed author William Kent Krueger will read from his new book Purgatory Ridge on Wednesday, March 14, at St. Olaf College.

The reading, free and open to the public, will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room of Buntrock Commons. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book-signing by Krueger.

Purgatory Ridge, published this month by Pocket Books, is the third installment in Krueger?s Cork O?Connor mystery series. Set in Minnesota?s Superior National Forest near the small town of Aurora, the book details a compelling tale about the result of clashes between tradition and commerce.

Purgatory Ridge depicts a tale of dramatic suspense while displaying Krueger?s talent for rich, powerful prose. The novel depicts the conflict between the Anishinaabe tribe and Karl Lindstrom, owner of the largest lumber mill in the region. To the Anishinaabe, the massive white pine trees on their Northern Minnesota homeland are spiritual beacons, providing their people with shelter and serving as sacred objects for their rituals. To Lindstrom the trees are a source of profit; he cares little about the tribe or the environmentalists trying to prevent his logging operations.

When an explosion rips through Lindstrom?s mill, the town blames the Anishinaabe. But former town sheriff Cork O?Connor, sensing there is more to the case than meets the eye, investigates.

According to Edgar Award-winning author Steve Hamilton, "When you read a William Kent Krueger book, you?re taken back to a place so real it?s like home, with characters so close to you they feel like family. ... The suspense in this book is almost painful. The final pages are the most satisfying I have read in years. ... Krueger keeps getting better and better."

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William Kent Krueger reading ? 2

Krueger?s first two Cork O?Connor novels are Iron Lake, winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel in 1998 and the Barry Award, and Boundary Waters.

Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, Krueger briefly attended Stanford University before leaving to experience the "real world" as a logger, construction worker, freelance journalist and child development researcher. For the last 20 years he has lived in St. Paul, Minn., with his wife and two children.

St. Olaf College prepares students to become responsible citizens of the world, fostering development of mind, body and spirit. A four-year, coeducational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), St. Olaf has a student enrollment of 2,950 and a full-time faculty complement of approximately 300. It is one of Money Guide?s top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation?s colleges in percentage of students who study abroad.

Contact Michael Cooper at 507-786-3315 or cooperm@stolaf.edu.