Iron Lake: A Novel (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series)
The 20th anniversary edition of the first novel in William Kent Krueger’s beloved and bestselling Cork O’Connor mystery series—includes an exclusive bonus short story!
“A brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Glass Houses
“A master craftsman [and] a series of books written with a grace and precision so stunning that you’d swear the stories were your own.” —Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series
“Among thoughtful readers, William Kent Krueger holds a very special place in the pantheon.” —C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Disappeared
In eighteen novels over twenty years, William Kent Krueger has enthralled readers with the adventures of P.I. Cork O’Connor, former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota—selling more than 1.5 million copies of his books and winning the Edgar Award, Minnesota Book Award, Northeastern Minnesota Book Award, Dilys Award, Lovey Award, and Anthony Award along the way. Now, in this special anniversary edition, longtime fans and new readers alike can read the novel that first introduced Corcoran “Cork” O’Connor to the world.
Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, Cork is having difficulty dealing with the marital meltdown that has separated him from his children, 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.
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Community Reviews
“She was a beautiful woman, 10yr younger than Cork, though she had taken such good care of herself, didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t eat red meat, that she looked even younger. Cork was a dozen pounds overweight, smoked far too much and was beginning to go a little bald on the crown of his head. What she saw in him, he had no idea.” - Cork O'Connor
Me neither. At this point in the story (chap3), I’m thinking that male companionship in Aurora, MN is pretty slim pickings. This is my second book on Cork O’Connor. The first was the prequel of when he was a tween and before his father died. This one picks up decades later and Cork is unemployed, separated from his wife and kids, and chasing said wife, that doesn’t want him anymore, as well as trying to have a secret affair and doing a really bad job at it. While 12yr old Cork seemed like a pretty decent kid, 40-something Cork is really rough around the edges (and not in a “diamond in the rough” kind of way either). Could be how Cork finds himself alone and living in the Quonset hut/hamburger stand of a dead man. JMHO
“Everthing disappoints us sometimes. Everybody disappoints us. Men let women down, women let men down. Ideals don't hold water, and God doesn't seem to give a damn. I can't speak for God, Cork, but I'll tell you what I think. I think we expect too much, simple as that, and the only thing that lets us down is our own expectations.” - Father Tom
The book summary pretty much lays out the start of the story, so I’m not going to repeat that here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is the extremely antagonistic, contentious, dangerous, prejudiced history between the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe tribe on the reservation and the white residents of Aurora. Don’t get me started on what these two groups think of those that are biracial like Cork or how the biracial are treated. Basically, neither race wants anything to do with them, another possible reason Cork finds himself alone and friendless.
Most of the story revolves around Cork “unofficially” investigating the death of a judge, who was basically an @$$#*!% that no one really liked and who had a lot of enemies. The death was ruled a suicide, but Cork doesn’t believe that it was. There is also a missing biracial teenager who is suspected of being in the area delivering papers at the time of the judge’s death. The boy’s Anishinaabe father, Joe John, who has been missing for quite a while now, had a rough history with the judge.
There is also the Minnesota Civilian Brigade, a white supremacist group, that has a long-standing war with the reservation and the start of their annual spearfishing event in Iron Lake. This is how Cork lost his job, because at the last one, he shot and killed a white resident who shot and killed Sam Winter Moon, Cork’s life-long friend. It took a while for me to warm up to Cork, and it’s deep into the second half that I find myself actually rooting for him. This is a good sign – at least to me it is. Now, I’m less likely to abandon the series.
The character development of Cork and a few other characters was well done. The pacing of the first half was slow and picked up just a little in the second half. There is a lot going on in this story that took quite a while to finally get to the bottom of. The storyline was interesting though and did keep me engaged. This is the third book I’ve read by Krueger, and it’s Krueger’s writing talent that is the best part of the story. Krueger is a really good writer and storyteller. I liked the way that he weaved in the legend of the Wendigo in the storyline and flipped back and forth between a bear hunt that Cork and Sam Winter Moon went on decades earlier and the rumor that the Wendigo was currently hunting some Aurora residents.
I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.8 that I will round up to a 4star review. This one has been on my list a long time, June2021, and part of my 2025 Cleaning Out the Closet reading challenge. I'm glad I finally got around to it.
Me neither. At this point in the story (chap3), I’m thinking that male companionship in Aurora, MN is pretty slim pickings. This is my second book on Cork O’Connor. The first was the prequel of when he was a tween and before his father died. This one picks up decades later and Cork is unemployed, separated from his wife and kids, and chasing said wife, that doesn’t want him anymore, as well as trying to have a secret affair and doing a really bad job at it. While 12yr old Cork seemed like a pretty decent kid, 40-something Cork is really rough around the edges (and not in a “diamond in the rough” kind of way either). Could be how Cork finds himself alone and living in the Quonset hut/hamburger stand of a dead man. JMHO
“Everthing disappoints us sometimes. Everybody disappoints us. Men let women down, women let men down. Ideals don't hold water, and God doesn't seem to give a damn. I can't speak for God, Cork, but I'll tell you what I think. I think we expect too much, simple as that, and the only thing that lets us down is our own expectations.” - Father Tom
The book summary pretty much lays out the start of the story, so I’m not going to repeat that here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is the extremely antagonistic, contentious, dangerous, prejudiced history between the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe tribe on the reservation and the white residents of Aurora. Don’t get me started on what these two groups think of those that are biracial like Cork or how the biracial are treated. Basically, neither race wants anything to do with them, another possible reason Cork finds himself alone and friendless.
Most of the story revolves around Cork “unofficially” investigating the death of a judge, who was basically an @$$#*!% that no one really liked and who had a lot of enemies. The death was ruled a suicide, but Cork doesn’t believe that it was. There is also a missing biracial teenager who is suspected of being in the area delivering papers at the time of the judge’s death. The boy’s Anishinaabe father, Joe John, who has been missing for quite a while now, had a rough history with the judge.
There is also the Minnesota Civilian Brigade, a white supremacist group, that has a long-standing war with the reservation and the start of their annual spearfishing event in Iron Lake. This is how Cork lost his job, because at the last one, he shot and killed a white resident who shot and killed Sam Winter Moon, Cork’s life-long friend. It took a while for me to warm up to Cork, and it’s deep into the second half that I find myself actually rooting for him. This is a good sign – at least to me it is. Now, I’m less likely to abandon the series.
The character development of Cork and a few other characters was well done. The pacing of the first half was slow and picked up just a little in the second half. There is a lot going on in this story that took quite a while to finally get to the bottom of. The storyline was interesting though and did keep me engaged. This is the third book I’ve read by Krueger, and it’s Krueger’s writing talent that is the best part of the story. Krueger is a really good writer and storyteller. I liked the way that he weaved in the legend of the Wendigo in the storyline and flipped back and forth between a bear hunt that Cork and Sam Winter Moon went on decades earlier and the rumor that the Wendigo was currently hunting some Aurora residents.
I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.8 that I will round up to a 4star review. This one has been on my list a long time, June2021, and part of my 2025 Cleaning Out the Closet reading challenge. I'm glad I finally got around to it.
