Creative Courage: Critical Writings Shrouded in Mystery
The work of Louise Penny and William Kent Kruger
Welcome back to Creative Courage. I hope this finds you well. In the links section below, you’ll find information about my writing, including a link to a story that just came out yesterday.
I usually think of science fiction as my happy place for reading about the world’s problems in story form. I once thought of mystery as my happy place for escape. Well, it still is. But I’ve noticed that two of my favorite mystery series have been taking on the world’s problems. Louise Penny and William Kent Krueger are doing a fine job of illuminating critical issues.
Mystery is often steeped in place, and Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series is set in Minnesota’s northeastern triangle, which includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Before Krueger, if someone had asked me – a West Coast girl – about Minnesota ecosystems, I would have shrugged and said something like “cold?” But after reading this series, I may be half in love with Minnesota from afar. Krueger infuses his novels with his love for lakes, forests, and wild animals. In later books, including Manitou Canyon, Fox Creek, and Spirit Crossing, Krueger directly details the danger that oil and gas pipelines, fracking, and mining pose to this wilderness. And he doesn’t just use fiction to remind us about what matters.
In an August 23rd, 2023 blog post, Krueger says,
The Boundary Waters is a wildland refuge critical for resiliency in the face of global climate change. The 4.3 million-acre boreal ecosystem that includes the Boundary Waters, Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park, Voyageurs National Park, and the Superior National Forest is critically necessary for the planet as climate change forces adaptation, resilience, and the need to protect biodiversity.
Earlier this month, on April 17th, 2026, the United States Senate voted 50-49 to overturn protections for this area. The primary beneficiary is a mining company owned by Twin Metals, a subsidiary of the Chilean mining company Antofagasta, which wants to mine for metals, including copper. The sulfide-ore mining they want to carry out here is high risk; seventy-six percent of similar mines polluted nearby water. While this vote does not automatically start a permitted mine operation, it removes a major barrier and increases the risk to a resource we should protect.
In addition to talking about his beloved Minnesota ecosystems, Krueger’s books delve into corrupt politics, poor treatment of Indigenous people (particularly the Anishinaabe), logging of old-growth forests, sex trafficking, and more. Yet the books are never directly about these things. They are stories about family and are always centered around a mystery. They are well-written, engaging, and page-turning. I’m re-reading Spirit Crossing right now, which is the first Krueger book I read. Even on a second read, I don’t want to put it down. I discovered the series in 2024 and have already almost caught up. I have one more unread book. Luckily, there is another one coming in August. Best to start at the beginning, but each can be read on its own.
I’ve also finished all twenty of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache books. These are usually set in the cozy fictional village of Three Pines in Canada near the Vermont Border. Penny has also taken on current issues. She has written about opioids, drug trafficking, eugenics, police corruption, and more. Like Krueger, she weaves these topics seamlessly into enchanting mysteries. But in her last two books, The Grey Wolf and The Black Wolf (really, a single story told across two books), she predicted some of what the Trump Administration has been demanding of Canada. She starts The Black Wolf with an Author’s note that says, “I wrote this book over the course of 2024, and turned in the final draft to my publisher in September 2024. Imagine my surprise in January 2025 when I started spotting headlines that could have been ripped right from this book…”
Light spoiler warning — you can skip the next paragraph if you want to read the books first. I’ll talk about what, but not ruin the who or how.
Penny’s plot indicates America wants Canada. She suggests this is for its rich resources. In particular, for Canada’s vast reserves of fresh water. I’ve personally felt that Trump’s reasons for making “51st State” noises are about resources. Canada has a lot of wilderness. Ice melt is making Canada and Russia closer to each other than in the past, given the historic difficulty of traversing the Arctic. So Canada is strategic for America, whether it’s Trump supporting Russia or a different leader defending us from Russia. Canada might also be a more pleasant environment for people to live after fifty more years of climate change, pollution, and war.
To be clear, America should not encroach on Canada. Penny, sensibly, also disagrees with Trump’s takeover talk. She cancelled her US book tour dates and moved the launch of The Black Wolf from the Kennedy Center to Ottawa.
The Grey Wolf and The Black Wolf can be read together without reading the previous eighteen books. They are amazingly prescient. Then start at the beginning. That way, by the time you get back to the recent books, we’ll know if Trump got what he wants. My prediction is no, he won’t, not soon. But Penny asserts that Canada does not possess a military capable of beating the US military today. This is probably true. Maintaining our long friendship as countries depends on mutual respect.
Other mystery writers are taking on current issues, including the brilliant James Lee Burke, but I really wanted to highlight these two. I have read almost every book in both series. I consider these books to be great ways to explore current issues through compelling stories and characters.
It takes courage to consistently write fiction that nails both current problems and the likely causes of them, particularly when the problem you’re illuminating is unpopular with people in power. William Kent Krueger and Louise Penny are both brave and brilliant masters of mystery that speaks to the heart and soul of humanity.
Personal news and information:
I’m really pleased to have been chosen to join the XPRIZE Brain Trust for a second time this year. While I’m primarily wearing my writing hat on the Brain Trust, I’ll get to use my history in local government, in construction, in IT, and as a writer to help design a better future. I’ve over-volunteered (but for great things) so these little essays about creatives may be down to one a month until fall.
Appearances:
August 27-31: LACon (the 84th Annual World Science Fiction convention), Anaheim, California. I’ll be on panels and giving readings from Thursday through Sunday. There will also be a robst virtual program.
Note: I may also have an appearance in Portland, Oregon, June 20th. Watch my socials.
Recent work: When Mothers Dream: Stories is my latest collection of stories and poems. It highlights strong women and climate issues, and you can order a physical or ebook version from the publisher or at most other online outlets.
Brand new work: I have a story, “Northern Lights and Southern Robots,” just out at Sunday Morning Transport on Substack. Sunday Morning Transport is a subscription service, but you can get a free month. It’s 4 great stories a month for 5.99 a month, and if you like great speculative fiction, it’s well worth the price. You can get a free subscription at this link: https://www.sundaymorningtransport.com/subscribe?coupon=ee6cfce9
Sharing/Subscribing to Substack:
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Links:
Please consider donating to the effort to save the Boundary Waters
William Kent Krueger has shared his love of the Boundary Waters, making it a place I want to see protected. Perhaps I can even visit someday. So I donated a little money. Leaving the links here just in case anyone else wants to research this cause or help it through a donation.
Save the Boundary Waters Science Digest (highlights the dangers of sulfide-ore copper mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Voyageurs National Park). They also have a donation page.