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William Kent Krueger

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Iron Lake (20th Anniversary Edition): A Novel (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by William Kent Krueger (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 13,096 ratings

Book 1 of 20: Cork O'Connor Mystery Series

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The first in the New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor mystery series follows Corcoran “Cork” O’Connor as he delves into the dark side of small-town Minnesota while investigating a tangled web of corruption and danger. “A brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate” (Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota, is having difficulty dealing with the marital meltdown that has separated him from his children. Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, he is getting by on heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and guilt.

Once a cop on Chicago’s South Side, there’s not much that can shock him. But when the town’s judge is brutally murdered, and a young Eagle Scout is reported missing, Cork takes on this complicated and perplexing case of conspiracy, corruption, and a small-town secret that hits painfully close to home.

With white-knuckled suspense and unforgettable characters, Iron Lake demonstrates why “among thoughtful readers, William Kent Krueger holds a very special place in the pantheon” (C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Short story specialist William Kent Krueger brings a fresh take on some familiar elements and a strong sense of atmosphere to his first mystery. Chicago cop Cork O'Connor and his lawyer-wife Jo moved back to his northern Minnesota hometown of Aurora to improve their quality of life, but it hasn't worked. Cork became the local sheriff, but lost an election after a disagreement between local Indians and whites over fishing rights turned deadly. Then his marriage broke up, with Jo becoming a successful advocate for tribal rights and Cork reduced to running a scruffy restaurant and gift shop. As the book starts, Cork is feeling guilty about sleeping with a warm-hearted waitress and still hoping to get back with Jo and their three children. Drawn into the disappearance of an Indian newsboy, which coincides with the apparent suicide of a former judge, O'Connor clashes with a newly elected senator--the judge's son and Jo's lover--as well as with the town's new sheriff and some tribal leaders getting rich on gambling concessions. Krueger quickly makes Cork a real person beneath his genre garments, mostly by showing him trying to deal with the needs of his two very different teenage daughters. And the author's deft eye for the details of everyday life brings the town and its peculiar problems to vivid life. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Short-story specialist Krueger brings a fresh take on some familiar elements and a strong sense of atmosphere to his first mystery. Chicago cop Cork O'Connor and his wife, Jo, a lawyer, moved back to his northern Minnesota hometown of Aurora to improve their quality of life, but it didn't work. Cork became the sheriff but lost an election after a disagreement between local Indians and whites over fishing rights turned deadly. Then his marriage broke up, with Jo becoming a successful advocate for tribal rights and Cork reduced to running a scruffy restaurant and gift shop. As the book starts, Cork, feeling guilty about sleeping with a warmhearted waitress, is still hoping to get back with Jo and their three children. Drawn into the disappearance of an Indian newsboy, which coincides with the apparent suicide of a former judge, Cork quickly clashes with some well-connected foes: a newly elected senator (who also happens to be the judge's son and Jo's lover); the town's new sheriff; and some tribal leaders getting rich on gambling concessions. When an old Indian tells Cork that a Windigo (a malign spirit) is fueling events, it becomes an occasion for Krueger to draw some nifty connections between the monsters of the heart and the monsters of myth. Krueger makes Cork a real person beneath his genre garments, mostly by showing him dealing with the needs of his two very different teenage daughters. And the author's deft eye for the details of everyday life brings the town and its peculiar problems to vivid life.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In Krueger's first mystery after a spate of short stories, former sheriff Cork O'Connor deals with a missing boy, a dead judge, and a Minnesota blizzard. Some very strong prepublication reviews (e.g., "the author's deft eye...brings the town and its problem to vivid life," Publishers Weekly) sent this book spinning, and it won some praise from the consumer press as well. It also popped up a few times on LJ's "1999 Adult Book-Buying Survey Among Librarians" as a local title that circulated especially well.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Cork O'Connor is a man beset with troubles, some of them of his own making. But he's a bend-not-break man: an admirable man. And he needs to be, for it's winter in hardscrabble Aurora, Minnesota. The blizzard that buries the small lakeside town also buries some ugly things with it. Like nasty secretsand brutal murder. So here's Cork, who used to be sheriff, who used to have a wife who loved him, who used to have a purpose to his life, sort of stumbling into situations that bewilder him to the nth. There's the apparent suicide of Judge Parrant. Suicide? Judge Parrant? Not that cantankerous old misogynist. There's also a missing boy, a good and responsible boy, with no reason in the world for him to have run away. Then there are the murky goings-on over at the casino, where gambling is producing so much wealth for the Native American population that they've begun calling it ``the new buffalo.'' And finally, there's the windigo, a spirit so malevolent that it can unnerve even those who don't actually believe in it. Almost despite himself, Cork is soon behaving like the lawman he no longer is, looking for answers that are very hard to find. And yet he does find some. Some of those he discovers, though, he soon wishes he hadn't. Minnesotan Krueger has a sense of place hes plainly honed firsthand in below-zero prairie. His characters, too, sport charm and dimension, although things start to get a bit shaky toward books end. Still, this first-timers stamina and self-assurance suggest that O'Connors got staying power. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"Iron Lake is where it all began, when Cork O’Connor walked off the page, tough, vulnerable, hardened and shattered, and into our lives. His creation is a brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate. With this novel, Kent Krueger elevated the crime fiction genre into something very special." (Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Glass Houses )

“There’s a feel that you get from a master craftsman, a saddle that sits right, a fly rod that casts with its own agility, or a series of books written with a grace and precision so stunning that you’d swear the stories were your own—Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner novels fit that bill.” (Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series )

“Among thoughtful readers, William Kent Krueger holds a very special place in the pantheon. Upon introducing Cork O’Connor in IRON LAKE twenty years ago, Kent showed the mystery reading world that a protagonist need not be a chain-smoking loner with lots of emotional baggage but he could be an honest and admirable family man doing his best for all the right reasons.” (C.J. Box, #1 NYT Bestselling Author of The Disappeared )

"For readers new to William Kent Krueger, this 20th anniversary edition of Iron Lake will be an eye-opening discovery. For those of us who have been reading his wonderful Cork O'Connor novels since their beginning, this volume will be a welcome pilgrimage to the birthplace of one of our favorite characters, a journey down Krueger's icy, mysterious and singular memory lane." (T. Jefferson Parker, Edgar Award winning author of Swift Vengeance )

"In August 1998, the same month my own first book came out, I heard about this other debut novel called Iron Lake. I can still remember the night I stayed up late finishing it. When I closed the book, I thought two things: This is the best mystery I've read all year. And how in hell am I ever gonna keep up with this guy? Twenty years later, I'm still trying." (Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award winning author of the Alex McKnight series)

“Iron Lake is an explosive brew: one part James Ellroy, one part Stephen King, one part Jack London, and all parts terrific… A truly remarkable first novel.” (David Housewright, Edgar Award-winning author of Penance )

“If you don’t know Cork O’Connor, get to know him now.” (Booklist)

“I can’t remember reading a better first novel than this one.”

(The Drood Review)

“Minnesotan Krueger has a sense of place he’s plainly honed firsthand in below-zero prairie. His characters, too, sport charm and dimension… This first-timer’s stamina and self-assurance suggest that O’Connor’s got staying power.” (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Back Cover

William Kent Krueger joined the ranks of today's best suspense novelists with this thrilling, universally acclaimed debut. Conjuring "a sense of place he's plainly honed firsthand in below-zero prairie" (Kirkus Reviews), Krueger brilliantly evokes northern Minnesota's lake country -- and reveals the dark side of its snow-covered landscape.

Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor is the former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota. Embittered by his "former" status, and the marital meltdown that has separated him from his children, Cork gets by on heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and guilt. Once a cop on Chicago's South Side, there's not much that can shock him. But when the town's judge is brutally murdered, and a young Eagle Scout is reported missing, Cork takes on a mind-jolting case of conspiracy, corruption, and scandal.

As a lakeside blizzard buries Aurora, Cork must dig out the truth among town officials who seem dead-set on stopping his investigation in its tracks. But even Cork freezes up when faced with the harshest enemy of all: a small-town secret that hits painfully close to home.

About the Author

William Kent Krueger is the New York Times bestselling author of The River We Remember, This Tender Land, Ordinary Grace (winner of the Edgar Award for best novel), and the original audio novella The Levee, as well as nineteen acclaimed books in the Cork O’Connor mystery series, including Lightning Strike and Fox Creek. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family. Learn more at WilliamKentKrueger.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Iron Lake

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FC0QBQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books (July 14, 1999)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 14, 1999
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7899 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0671016970

Best Sellers Rank: #6,530 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #21 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #40 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Books)
- #276 in Crime Thrillers (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 13,096 ratings

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William Kent Krueger

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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 currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 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 five novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

"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. "Manitou Canyon," number fifteen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in September 2016. Visit his website at www.williamkentkrueger.com.

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Scott E. High

Reminds Me Of Home

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020

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I left Central Wisconsin 56 years ago but was painfully reminded of the harsh winter climate when reading this novel set in Minnesota. Add in the early morning paper route one of the young characters was responsible for which required newspapers to be delivered during all kinds of weather. Another similarity was that both of us were Eagle Scouts and members of the Order of the Arrow. And then of course we had a hunting cabin (or tar paper shack is a better description) just on the other side of a bog close to the Manitowish Waters Ojibwa Reservation. The Ojibwa by the way had much better and far more comfortable accommodations than we had. While the bog served as a natural boundary, on occasion we could tell that we were being watched, but we never did discover who was doing the watching. So the similarities I lived through were prevalent in this story.

This personal history helped me relate to the people, climate and scenes described in "Iron Lake". I normally read aggressive crime/thriller/mystery novels which are set in large urban populations where the technology used is up-to-date, the urban scenes dark and dreary, and a host of attractive women seem to make up the majority of the population. Many of those novels don't even identify the race or heritage of the characters, leaving the reader with a homogeneous feeling. Mr. Kruger however is very specific on race, body type, character, level of intelligence, and the goals of each of his actors.

I discovered this novel when I switched up my method of discovering new authors to read. Recommendations from friends helped as well as tracking down some of the novels that Amazon sends me outlines of. Then it's a matter of weaning down the choices further to determine the average rating given by reviewers -- not just to each specific novel selected but also to the other works written by the same author. William Kent Krueger stood out for the quality of all of his works and because of the rather unusual setting for his Cork O'Connor mystery series.

This novel turned out to be an exceptional selection. "Iron Lake" was written 20 years ago and was such a good seller that a twentieth anniversary edition was just published for those of us unfamiliar with this author's skill set. The northern winter scenery was a story in itself and figured prominently in the plot. Nothing moved too fast and in fact some critical thinking was required to keep up with the characters' thoughts and actions. But the novel itself proved to be an extremely enjoyable read especially since the first person narratives were often given by several of the main characters. That was extremely helpful in deciding why some actions were taken and how those activities affected the lives of each of them. Great job Mr. Krueger. I'll be taking another trip with Cork very soon.

45 people found this helpful

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James L. Thane

Introducing Cork O'Connor

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2014

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After working a number of years as a Chicago cop, Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor moves his wife and children back to Auora, Minnesota, his tiny home town in the northern part of the state. His objective is to provide his family with a better quality of life, but those dreams go up in smoke very early on, both in his professional and personal lives.

Aurora borders the Anishinaabe Indian reservation, which is enjoying a newfound prosperity as a result of the casino that has just been built on the reservation and which is practically minting money. O'Connor is part Anishinaabe himself and would seem to be the ideal bridge between the two societies. But when things take a decidedly bad turn, O'Connor is forced to stand in a recall election and is booted out of office. As the book opens, he's reduced to eking out a living running a seasonal hamburger stand. Meanwhile, his wife has become a very successful attorney and the two are now estranged.

When the town's most prominent citizen, a political boss named Judge Parrant, is found dead from a shotgun blast, the new sheriff declares it a suicide, but O'Connor isn't so sure. On the same evening that the judge dies, a young Indian boy goes missing from his paper route in a huge blizzard. Is there a possible connection between the two events?

Though no longer having any legal authority to do so, O'Connor begins investigating both developments. This will inevitably get him in hot water with a lot of people, and in the meantime, his family situation continues to deteriorate. O'Connor is also feeling guilty because, in the wake of the separation from his wife, he has secretly begun seeing a beautiful waitress with a hot sauna and a bad reputation.

The strength of the book lies principally in Krueger's description of the brutal winter landscape in which the story plays out. He's also carefully researched this history of the Anishinaabe and describes their culture and society sympathetically and knowledgeably. It's a complex story with lots of twists and turns, and a reader would be well-advised to have a hot toddy or two close at hand as a remedy for the freezing Minnesota winter.

If I have a concern about the book it lies principally with the whole idea of Cork O'Connor conducting this investigation with no legal authority to do so. This involves him meddling in crime scenes and breaking and entering into several buildings in search of evidence, legal niceties be damned. The new sheriff is something of a Casper Milquetoast, who occasionally warns O'Connor off, but who at other times works with him. It's hard to imaging this scenario ever playing out in real life, and virtually all of the evidence that O'Connor gathers would be inadmissible in any court, given that it was obtained illegally and without the benefit of warrants, proper chain of custody and other such minor matters. But if one can suspend disbelief long enough to overlook these issues, this is a very solid start to the Cork O'Connor series.

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carolynfromoz

Excellent start to a series, even 20y on

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2019

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I've been meaning to start this series for some time and am glad that I finally have as this first in the series was very enjoyable and the rest of the series looks promising.

Cork O'Connor is a very interesting main character. Part Irish American and part Anishinaabe Indian, he lives in a small town in Minnesota but is also respected by the native Americans who live on the reservation. He lost his job as Sheriff six months ago when an unfortunate event left two men dead, one of them shot by Cork. His marriage has also failed and he is living apart from his family, lawyer wife Jo and his three children and has recently started seeing a lovely waitress Molly Nurmi.

When judge Robert Parrant is found dead in his study, the new Sheriff, Wally Schanno, appears to accept that his death was a result of suicide but Cork is sure he has been murdered and can't help but look into the case. What he finds leads him to uncover a major fraud involving corruption, blackmail and secret files and photos. Along the way there are more murders and Cork himself is given some warnings to back off by some nasty characters.

Although the plot is quite complex and multilayered, it was well written and easy to follow. The Minnesota winter was very much a feature of this novel with heavy snowfalls, freezing conditions and a partially frozen lake hampering everyone's movements and adding to the darkness of the plot. I'm now looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out what happens next for Cork and his family.

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Scroggins

Second Krueger read

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024

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Krueger has my attention and I’ll be reading more of Cork O’Connor Mystery Series books! Great thrill ride and a definite page turner!

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Kindle Customer

Love this series!!

Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2024

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I have enjoyed this series immensely!

Historybuff

Krueger is James Lee Burke of the North

Reviewed in Australia on April 8, 2021

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Krueger evokes the same atmosphere for the Iron Range of Minnesota as Burke does for the bayou of Louisiana . Corcoran O'Connor is part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, a former sheriff who was voted out of office in a small Minnesota town. He is a devoted father and a banished husband guiltily watching his marriage dissolve. His skills and his connections with the local tribe draw him into the mystery of the murder of a prominent judge and the disappearance an Anishinaabe boy . Woven throughout the story are the forests, the frozen lakes, the snow and Anishinaabe traditions. This a beautifully written page turner I would recommend to anyone who loves James Lee Burke as much as I do.

Sabine Korsukewitz

Geoßartiger Einstieg in eine Serie

Reviewed in Germany on December 27, 2015

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Gibt es das Genre "Landschaftskrimi"? Wenn nicht, sollte man es einführen. William Kent Krueger stellt hier seine Ermittlerfigur vor, einen Ex-Cop der als Mischling zwischen der Welt der Weißen und der Welt der Ojibwe-Indianer steht. Er ist verbittert, weil er gerade seinen Job als Sherriff verloren hat. Seine Ehe ist so gut wie gescheitert. Den Winter muss er in einer kleinen Hütte verbringen. Mitten im Schneesturm wird ein einflussreicher lokaler Politiker ermordet un d ein Indianerjunge wird vermisst. Cork O'Connor, der das Schnüffeln nicht lassen kann, wird verwickelt in eine Intrige, die ihn seine geliebte kostet aber am Ende seinen Fraun zurückbringt. Nach allen Regeln der Kunst geschriebeb: Eine tolle, gebrochene Ermittlerfigur, großartige Landschaft und Wetter, raffinierter Plot.

One person found this helpful

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内田光彦

先住民族にまつわる物語

Reviewed in Japan on May 11, 2015

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主人公のコーク・オコナーには先住民の血が混じっている。ミネソタのオーロラという架空？の町が舞台。近くに居留地がある。ほとんどカナダとの国境に近い場所。冬の間の話なので、湖は凍結している。湖面を車やスノーモービルで行き来している。アイアン・レイクの名前は、近くで鉄鉱石を産出していたので、その名がある。コークは妻との間がうまく行っていない。子どもは３人。この夫婦関係の行方が興味ぶかい。殺人やいろいろな出来事の中で、元シェリフのコークが裏を取ろうと動く。初めは誰が背景にいるのか分からない。少しずつ事情が分かってくる。最後に犯人と攻防。物語の舞台や先住民としての話が珍しく、夫婦関係や子どもたちとの先行きも気になる。これがデビュー作とのこと。シリーズは楽しめそうだ。この著者のOrdinary Graceという作品も読んでみたい。

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Linda Pfeiffer

The 20th anniversary of Kruegar's first in his series about the heroic Cork O'Connor

Reviewed in Canada on November 4, 2019

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I recently read a novel by William Kent Krueger called Ordinary Grace which I thoroughly enjoyed and decided to read another story of his soon. Then I found the 20th anniversary issue of his novel Iron Lake in which he introduces his readers to Cork O'Connor his protagonist in a new series begun before the new millennium. Cork is half native American and half Irish descent, favoring his father's side in looks with his fair skin and ginger hair and his mystical thinking gained from his native influence. The setting in a mountainous rural town becomes a character in his books. Without the snow storms, icy lake and treacherous roads, this book cannot exist. Did I like it as much as Ordinary Grace, probably not, but I did enjoy his talented writing and storytelling and will undoubtedly read something of his again.

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Iron Lake (20th Anniversary Edition): A Novel (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

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