TURLOCK — Fans of suspense, secrets, and small-town intrigue won’t have to sleuth far to find their next literary thrill. On Nov. 8, the Friends of the Turlock Public Library and The Library Presents! will welcome New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger for a special afternoon event at the Carnegie Arts Center.
Krueger, best known for his long-running Cork O’Connor mystery series, will speak at 2 p.m. about his celebrated body of work, which spans more than two decades and includes award-winning novels such as “Ordinary Grace,” “This Tender Land,” and “The River We Remember.” His latest release, “Apostle’s Cove,” continues the saga of former sheriff Cork O’Connor as he unravels a chilling case from his past.
Tickets for the event are $15 and available online at ticketleap.events. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Krueger, purchase books from Modesto’s independent bookstore Bookish, and get their copies signed.
“Library Presents! is thrilled to host William Kent Krueger, an author who is extremely popular in our area,” said Suzi Guina, board director for the Friends of the Turlock Public Library. “We love bringing authors our community enjoys to share their wit and wisdom with us here in Turlock.”
Krueger’s path to literary acclaim is as compelling as his fiction. Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, he was expelled from Stanford University for his involvement in radical protests, later working in logging, construction, and child development research before becoming a full-time novelist. He now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife of over 50 years.
His Cork O’Connor series, set in the north woods of Minnesota, blends crime fiction with cultural depth, featuring a protagonist of mixed Irish and Ojibwe heritage. The series has earned Krueger numerous accolades, including the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, and Minnesota Book Award. His last thirteen novels have all landed on the New York Times bestseller list.
The Nov. 8 event promises more than just a literary lecture—it’s a celebration of storytelling, community, and the enduring power of books.
“We’re also thrilled to have Bookish Modesto as our new event bookstore,” Guina added. “With Bookish at our side, we’ll be able to bring more readers, writers and book lovers together. It’s important to us to support other local bookish places to create an even more vibrant literary community in our area.”
For more information, follow the Friends of the Turlock Public Library on social media.
