Iron Lake [Paperback]

William Kent Krueger (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket Books, New York (1997)
• ASIN: B002T9OMNG
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)

More About the Author

For more than two decades, William Kent Krueger has made his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and two children. His Cork O'Connor novels, Iron Lake (winner of the 1998 Anthony Award for Best First Novel and the Barry Award), Boundary Waters, Purgatory Ridge, Blood Hollow (winner of the 2004 Anthony Award for Best Novel), Mercy Falls (winner of the 2005 Anthony Award for Best Novel), Copper River (winner of a 2006 Minnesota Book Award) and Thunder Bay (winner of the 2007 Minnesota Book Award for Best Genre Fiction), as well as the political thriller The Devil's Bed, are available from Atria Books. Visit his website at www.williamkentkrueger.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great first book to an exciting series!, October 7, 2004

By 

Kel "acountkel" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iron Lake (Cork O'Connor) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to jump on the O'Connor band wagon. This was a great one. Couldn't put it down. Krueger has proven he can compete with the big boys. This takes place in a small Minnesota town on the fringe of a reservation. Cork is trying to get over losing his job as sheriff. Some strange murders are happening in Aurora and he is lured to the investigation. In the mean time, he is also trying to figure out his personal life. He is attracted to a younger woman but is also trying to figure out what to do with his crumbling marriage.

I liked the way Krueger developed the characters while keeping the reader hooked on the mystery. Not many authors have mastered this. Krueger is working on becoming the master...

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Monuments are the grappling-irons that bind one generation to another." Joseph Jaubert, June 20, 2010

By 

michael a. draper (Guilford, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Iron Lake: A Novel (Cork O'Connor) (Paperback)

In Aurora, Minnesota in the winter, there are as many people who travel by skis and snowmobiles as by cars.

Judge Robert Parrent is found dead, a possible suicide. The newspaper delivery boy, Paul LeBeau, is missing. All of Paul's deliveries were made up to the Judge's house.

Cork O'Connor, once a cop in Chicago and former sheriff in Aurora, feels compelled to take action where there's a need to solve a crime.

Cork is undergoing a time of turmoil, himself. His wife, Jo, wants a divorce and he's separated from his three children; painful indeed, just as the Christmas season is upon him. He takes emotional refuge with Molly Nurmi, a kindly waitress at the local coffee shop.

One winter day, he gives a ride to an old Indian wise-man, Henry Meloux, who tells him that the Windigo has called Harlan Lytton's name. This is an Indian sign of a person's imminent death. When Cork goes to Harlan's home to warn him, he's attacked by Harlan's dog and is forced to kill it. Not long after, Harlan is found dead and it is learned that he has been spying on the residents and more.

Cork doesn't believe that the Judge committed suicide. He thinks the Judge had something that the killer was after. Cork also learns things about his own family that shakes his well being.

I enjoyed Cork as a character. He shows that he is human and yet has the innter strength to continue the investigation while pondering his own faith and his relationship with his children. This is while he is having personal issues at the same time.

This is a fine debut novel which won the Anthony Award. The author can certainly tell a captivating story full of memorable characters, set in the frozen countryside of Minnesota. With his use of Indian folk lore, he places himself as a successor to the legendary Tony Hillerman.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling thriller set in the iron range of Minnesota., September 30, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Iron Lake (Cork O'Connor) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you like James Lee Burke and Tony Hillerman, you will find "Iron Lake" to your liking. Deeply intricate plot, good local color, plot twists and good characterization. Add Cork O'Connor to your list of favorite characters along side of Dave Robichaux, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn.