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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Anthony Award-winning author William Kent Krueger crafts this riveting tale about a small Minnesota town's ex-sheriff who is having trouble retiring his badge. Cork O'Connor loses his job after being blamed for a tragedy on the local Anishinaabe Indian reservation. But he must set aside his personal demons when a young boy goes missing on the same day a judge commits suicide-and no one but O'Connor suspects foul play.Tags
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Member Recommendations
ckNikka Great "place based" stories
sjmccreary similar remote locations, small towns near Indian reservations, both are cold weather settings
gypsysmom Set in a northern Ontario city this book and the rest in the series really evoke the experience of being in a cold climate.
Member Reviews
I "discovered" William Kent Krueger via a much later book he wrote, This Tender Land, which is one of my favorite books of the 21st century. Someone then loaned me his book Ordinary Grace, which is also beautiful. Someone else mentioned that she was a huge fan of his Cork O'Connor series. And that is how I eventually got here. Crime drama is not my ordinary go-to genre. It is not that I don't like it, it is just that with so many books to choose from, there are other genres that appeal more to me. I kept thinking I might check out the first book, but I kept putting it off. This year, I signed up for the PopSugar Reading Challenge (which to me, is like a joyful literary scavenger hunt), and one of the prompts is "a book with a gem, show more mineral, or rock in the title." I immediately thought of Iron Lake. Glad I did. I already knew Krueger writes compelling fiction, and this book, published almost 23 years ago, is no exception. Dimensional, flawed characters set against an unforgiving winter landscape; throw in a bit about Minnesota Native American culture; add a pinch of broken relationships; tangle it up in a web of blackmail, embezzlement, intimidation, and murder -- and what you get is page-turning, elevated crime drama.
Merged review:
I "discovered" William Kent Krueger via a much later book he wrote, This Tender Land, which is one of my favorite books of the 21st century. Someone then loaned me his book Ordinary Grace, which is also beautiful. Someone else mentioned that she was a huge fan of his Cork O'Connor series. And that is how I eventually got here. Crime drama is not my ordinary go-to genre. It is not that I don't like it, it is just that with so many books to choose from, there are other genres that appeal more to me. I kept thinking I might check out the first book, but I kept putting it off. This year, I signed up for the PopSugar Reading Challenge (which to me, is like a joyful literary scavenger hunt), and one of the prompts is "a book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title." I immediately thought of Iron Lake. Glad I did. I already knew Krueger writes compelling fiction, and this book, published almost 23 years ago, is no exception. Dimensional, flawed characters set against an unforgiving winter landscape; throw in a bit about Minnesota Native American culture; add a pinch of broken relationships; tangle it up in a web of blackmail, embezzlement, intimidation, and murder -- and what you get is page-turning, elevated crime drama. show less
Merged review:
I "discovered" William Kent Krueger via a much later book he wrote, This Tender Land, which is one of my favorite books of the 21st century. Someone then loaned me his book Ordinary Grace, which is also beautiful. Someone else mentioned that she was a huge fan of his Cork O'Connor series. And that is how I eventually got here. Crime drama is not my ordinary go-to genre. It is not that I don't like it, it is just that with so many books to choose from, there are other genres that appeal more to me. I kept thinking I might check out the first book, but I kept putting it off. This year, I signed up for the PopSugar Reading Challenge (which to me, is like a joyful literary scavenger hunt), and one of the prompts is "a book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title." I immediately thought of Iron Lake. Glad I did. I already knew Krueger writes compelling fiction, and this book, published almost 23 years ago, is no exception. Dimensional, flawed characters set against an unforgiving winter landscape; throw in a bit about Minnesota Native American culture; add a pinch of broken relationships; tangle it up in a web of blackmail, embezzlement, intimidation, and murder -- and what you get is page-turning, elevated crime drama. show less
It's the Christmas season and Cork O' Connor is trying to put the pieces of his life together. His mistake cost him his job. It's ruined his marriage to Jo and his relationship with their children. But one thing he hasn't lost is his commitment to the people of Aurora. There's been a series of violent deaths in town and even though he no longer has a badge, Cork detects the thread joining these events together. All things have their price and returning peace to Aurora has a high cost - it will take all Cork has left.
Cork's story really crosses genres. It's a modern Western - there's Indians and the Land and guns - everybody's packing! Cork is the ultimate white hat. He's a man with a code. A man who, once set in search of the truth, show more does not stop. He's tenacious. No law, no lock, no relationship is safe. And he's difficult to stop too. In the classic Noir style, he takes beatings and bullets and keeps crawling along until the end. Not that he's impervious, like a lot of tough manly-men characters seem to be. Cork feels deeply and you bleed for him.
Iron Lake won the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Minnesota Book Award and the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award and I can see why. It's difficult to believe this is a first novel. Krueger's bio says he's been writing his whole life but he didn't complete a novel until the age of forty. You can tell that he's had all that "practice". The writing is so polished and so evocative. It just grabs me. I really, really like this character and will probably consume the rest of Krueger's series in short order. show less
Cork's story really crosses genres. It's a modern Western - there's Indians and the Land and guns - everybody's packing! Cork is the ultimate white hat. He's a man with a code. A man who, once set in search of the truth, show more does not stop. He's tenacious. No law, no lock, no relationship is safe. And he's difficult to stop too. In the classic Noir style, he takes beatings and bullets and keeps crawling along until the end. Not that he's impervious, like a lot of tough manly-men characters seem to be. Cork feels deeply and you bleed for him.
Iron Lake won the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Minnesota Book Award and the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award and I can see why. It's difficult to believe this is a first novel. Krueger's bio says he's been writing his whole life but he didn't complete a novel until the age of forty. You can tell that he's had all that "practice". The writing is so polished and so evocative. It just grabs me. I really, really like this character and will probably consume the rest of Krueger's series in short order. show less
I've finally made the acquaintance of Cork O'Connor, and found him interesting, if not the stuff of heroes. In this initial installment of the series, O'Connor is an ex-sheriff, acting outside the law much of the time, and stirring up some pretty evil shit. Dead bodies seem to turn up just before he comes on the scene, and "natural causes" never describes the situation. But is there a supernatural element to what's going on in the town of Aurora and the deep woods surrounding Iron Lake? Reminiscent of the Longmire series in setting and characters, the novel features members of the Anishinaabe people, Indian casinos and the seemingly inevitable corruption associated with big pots of cash, and winter---always winter. No upright lawmen in show more this one, however, and Cork is in no way as indestructible as Longmire. When he's beaten, he falls; he hurts; he is impeded by injuries; his strength is NOT as the strength of ten; and his judgment isn't all that great either. He makes the same mistakes over and over. While these attributes don't make me love him, they do make him a slightly more realistic protagonist than Walt (who, btw, I do love), and one whose further adventures I will follow for a while, at least. show less
Summary: A murdered judge and a missing paperboy sets former sheriff Cork O’Connor onto the trail of a conspiracy, a trail on which this won’t be the last death.
One of my delightful discoveries of 2023 was the the work of William Kent Krueger, through the recommendation of a fellow reader. Earlier this year I read This Tender Land (review) and Ordinary Grace (review). Both of these are standalone works. Iron Lake is the first book in Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series which has now reached nineteen books.
O’Connor, as we encounter him in this first book is a former sheriff, voted out of office in the small town of Aurora, Minnesota, after a conflict between the Anishinaabe and the townspeople that ended tragically with his mentor show more from childhood, Sam Winter Moon, lying dead. He is separated from his wife, Jo, and their children, living in Sam’s old quonset hut, which he has inherited, a broken man with a marriage falling apart. O’Connor also lives between two cultures, part Anishinaabe and part Irish, both and neither, entirely..
A call from Darla LeBeau changes everything. Her son Paul, a reliable Eagle Scout, hasn’t come home from delivering papers in a snow storm. He agrees to help and starts at the last house on the route, that of retired Judge Parrant. No Paul, but he gets no further. He find’s Judge Parrant’s body seated at his desk, his brains blown out from a gun held to his mouth and fired. An apparent suicide, but the pooling of blood indicates he was on his back when he died. This was murder.
That sets O’Connor on a trail of a conspiracy, one that mutes people with fear, one that leaves more bodies along the way, and one that will endanger the people Cork loves. It’s a story that involves graft, a casino, and an ambitious newly-elected Senator. The story is full of twists and surprises along the way including what becomes of Paul the paperboy.
It also involves the windigo, a mythical creature that stalks humans. He learned of the windigo when out hunting a great bear with Sam Winter Moon as a boy. Amid all else that is going on, Henry Meloux, an old medicine man says he’d seen the windigo. Then Cork hears the windigo call his name as do others. To hear the windigo call your name is to know it is after you to kill and consume you. Others also hear the windigo call their names. And they all end up dead. The only way to escape this fate is to become a windigo and kill the windigo. And what then…?
Amid all this, Cork awakens to his longing to save his family, even his marriage to Jo. Tender scenes at Christmas give us hope until pictures of each in compromising situations unravel everything, part of a trove of incriminating evidence used to control the town. But who is doing the controlling?
Krueger gives us a page-turning novel with a protagonist both flawed and of great depth. It is a great introduction that left this reader wanting to read more of Cork O’Connor. Aak! Another great series! At least I don’t have to wonder what to read after all the Gamache books! show less
One of my delightful discoveries of 2023 was the the work of William Kent Krueger, through the recommendation of a fellow reader. Earlier this year I read This Tender Land (review) and Ordinary Grace (review). Both of these are standalone works. Iron Lake is the first book in Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series which has now reached nineteen books.
O’Connor, as we encounter him in this first book is a former sheriff, voted out of office in the small town of Aurora, Minnesota, after a conflict between the Anishinaabe and the townspeople that ended tragically with his mentor show more from childhood, Sam Winter Moon, lying dead. He is separated from his wife, Jo, and their children, living in Sam’s old quonset hut, which he has inherited, a broken man with a marriage falling apart. O’Connor also lives between two cultures, part Anishinaabe and part Irish, both and neither, entirely..
A call from Darla LeBeau changes everything. Her son Paul, a reliable Eagle Scout, hasn’t come home from delivering papers in a snow storm. He agrees to help and starts at the last house on the route, that of retired Judge Parrant. No Paul, but he gets no further. He find’s Judge Parrant’s body seated at his desk, his brains blown out from a gun held to his mouth and fired. An apparent suicide, but the pooling of blood indicates he was on his back when he died. This was murder.
That sets O’Connor on a trail of a conspiracy, one that mutes people with fear, one that leaves more bodies along the way, and one that will endanger the people Cork loves. It’s a story that involves graft, a casino, and an ambitious newly-elected Senator. The story is full of twists and surprises along the way including what becomes of Paul the paperboy.
It also involves the windigo, a mythical creature that stalks humans. He learned of the windigo when out hunting a great bear with Sam Winter Moon as a boy. Amid all else that is going on, Henry Meloux, an old medicine man says he’d seen the windigo. Then Cork hears the windigo call his name as do others. To hear the windigo call your name is to know it is after you to kill and consume you. Others also hear the windigo call their names. And they all end up dead. The only way to escape this fate is to become a windigo and kill the windigo. And what then…?
Amid all this, Cork awakens to his longing to save his family, even his marriage to Jo. Tender scenes at Christmas give us hope until pictures of each in compromising situations unravel everything, part of a trove of incriminating evidence used to control the town. But who is doing the controlling?
Krueger gives us a page-turning novel with a protagonist both flawed and of great depth. It is a great introduction that left this reader wanting to read more of Cork O’Connor. Aak! Another great series! At least I don’t have to wonder what to read after all the Gamache books! show less
The murder/suicide of a corrupt judge in far northern Aurora Minnesota sets the momentum of this well written first novel. The mysteries pile up, a whiteout type blizzard sets in, the Windigo is afoot, and a first rate story ensues.
The central character, Cork O'Conner is a straightforward man beset by complexities. He was fired from his post as sheriff and, wonder of wonders, deserved it. The usual mystery ploy is the hero was wrongfully used and was in fact a total hero, if only he had been understood. Cork is invested with real human frailties. His marriage is spiraling toward a divorce, and he can't get a handle on what to do about it. The sheriff who took his place, far from being an illiterate, crooked nincompoop, is actually a show more competent, honest man-much to Cork's discomfort.
The story is well paced with excellent plotting and characterization. The interplay between the characters, both verbally and emotionally, is exceptionally strong. There is a whiff of the supernatural that the author lightly touches upon and leaves to the reader whether to accept or not. 4 well earned stars. show less
The central character, Cork O'Conner is a straightforward man beset by complexities. He was fired from his post as sheriff and, wonder of wonders, deserved it. The usual mystery ploy is the hero was wrongfully used and was in fact a total hero, if only he had been understood. Cork is invested with real human frailties. His marriage is spiraling toward a divorce, and he can't get a handle on what to do about it. The sheriff who took his place, far from being an illiterate, crooked nincompoop, is actually a show more competent, honest man-much to Cork's discomfort.
The story is well paced with excellent plotting and characterization. The interplay between the characters, both verbally and emotionally, is exceptionally strong. There is a whiff of the supernatural that the author lightly touches upon and leaves to the reader whether to accept or not. 4 well earned stars. show less
Cork O’Connor is the former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota, and separated from his wife. Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, he straddles the line between the white townspeople and the Native Americans who reside on the tribal lands and who have found a lucrative business in the area’s newly built casino. When the local judge turns up dead – shot to death in his home – and a young Indian boy goes missing, Cork finds himself right in the middle of an investigation which will test his loyalties on both sides.
Set in the rugged wilderness of Minnesota, Iron Lake captures the beauty of the lake country. William Kent Kreuger writes with authority about the area, but also about the history and legend of the Anishinaabe Indians. At times show more the novel drifts into the realm of magical realism, but never to the point of losing its reader who must decide how much of the Windigo legend is truth, and how much is simply symbolic of the violence and greed which reside in the hearts of men.
Cork O’Connor drives the narrative – a conflicted man whose identity is torn between his Native American roots and the mostly white townspeople he has always served. He also finds himself torn between two women: his wife who seems to be ready to end the marriage, and a young Native American waitress who stirs long suppressed emotion in Cork. Not only is his marriage shattered, but his faith in justice and truth has also been shaken.
He’d learned early not to invest a lot of emotion in thinking about the truth in a crime. As a cop, he’d gathered evidence that had been used to guess at the truth, but in the end responsibility for assessing the pieces and nailing truth to the wall was in the hands of others – lawyers, judges, and juries. Truth became a democratic process, the will of twelve. He’d been burned when he cared too deeply. As a result, he’d trained himself to remain a little distant in his emotional involvement on a case. In the end, the outcome was out of his hand, and to allow himself to believe too strongly in the absoluteness of a thing he couldn’t control was useless. He felt different now. Desperate in a way. This time he had to hold the truth in his own hands like a beating heart. – from Iron Lake, page 240-241 -
Iron Lake is an engrossing, well-structured mystery that incorporates Native American culture into the plot. This is the first book in a series featuring Cork O’Connor, and I am interested to read the rest of the books. Readers who enjoy mysteries will find Iron Lake a good read.
Recommended. show less
Set in the rugged wilderness of Minnesota, Iron Lake captures the beauty of the lake country. William Kent Kreuger writes with authority about the area, but also about the history and legend of the Anishinaabe Indians. At times show more the novel drifts into the realm of magical realism, but never to the point of losing its reader who must decide how much of the Windigo legend is truth, and how much is simply symbolic of the violence and greed which reside in the hearts of men.
Cork O’Connor drives the narrative – a conflicted man whose identity is torn between his Native American roots and the mostly white townspeople he has always served. He also finds himself torn between two women: his wife who seems to be ready to end the marriage, and a young Native American waitress who stirs long suppressed emotion in Cork. Not only is his marriage shattered, but his faith in justice and truth has also been shaken.
He’d learned early not to invest a lot of emotion in thinking about the truth in a crime. As a cop, he’d gathered evidence that had been used to guess at the truth, but in the end responsibility for assessing the pieces and nailing truth to the wall was in the hands of others – lawyers, judges, and juries. Truth became a democratic process, the will of twelve. He’d been burned when he cared too deeply. As a result, he’d trained himself to remain a little distant in his emotional involvement on a case. In the end, the outcome was out of his hand, and to allow himself to believe too strongly in the absoluteness of a thing he couldn’t control was useless. He felt different now. Desperate in a way. This time he had to hold the truth in his own hands like a beating heart. – from Iron Lake, page 240-241 -
Iron Lake is an engrossing, well-structured mystery that incorporates Native American culture into the plot. This is the first book in a series featuring Cork O’Connor, and I am interested to read the rest of the books. Readers who enjoy mysteries will find Iron Lake a good read.
Recommended. show less
Having seen William Kent Krueger several times at events held at my local independent bookstore, I've always intended to read his Cork O'Connor mysteries-- especially since I loved his book, Ordinary Grace. A few years have passed since I first had that intention, so it was time to pry that particular paving stone out of my personal Highway to Hades.
Iron Lake is the first Cork O'Connor mystery and introduces us primarily to Cork, his estranged wife, Jo, his girlfriend, Molly, and his mentor, Sam Winter Moon. Cork is one-quarter Native American, and I loved the way Krueger wove the Ojibwe and Anishinaabe culture and folklore into the story. The winter landscape of northern Minnesota also figured prominently, and I don't think anyone is show more ever going to be able to convince me that sweating myself silly in a sauna and then running out and jumping into a lake through a hole in the ice is a fun thing to do.
The mystery is solid, and the pacing is steady and true as Cork works his way through all the secrets that have been kept over the years by several of the townspeople. Some extremely suspenseful situations and a chase over the lake ice kept me glued to the story.
Was there anything that I didn't care for? Yes. The two women were a bit too stereotypical for me. Jo was such a "wronged woman" that I rolled my eyes so far back in my head that they almost stuck. As for Molly, she was the typical love interest of the hero. Even though I hate to admit it, I never really warmed up to Cork himself, and I'm not sure why. As much as I did like Iron Lake, I can certainly see myself reading the next book in the series to see if Mr. O'Connor improves upon acquaintance. show less
Iron Lake is the first Cork O'Connor mystery and introduces us primarily to Cork, his estranged wife, Jo, his girlfriend, Molly, and his mentor, Sam Winter Moon. Cork is one-quarter Native American, and I loved the way Krueger wove the Ojibwe and Anishinaabe culture and folklore into the story. The winter landscape of northern Minnesota also figured prominently, and I don't think anyone is show more ever going to be able to convince me that sweating myself silly in a sauna and then running out and jumping into a lake through a hole in the ice is a fun thing to do.
The mystery is solid, and the pacing is steady and true as Cork works his way through all the secrets that have been kept over the years by several of the townspeople. Some extremely suspenseful situations and a chase over the lake ice kept me glued to the story.
Was there anything that I didn't care for? Yes. The two women were a bit too stereotypical for me. Jo was such a "wronged woman" that I rolled my eyes so far back in my head that they almost stuck. As for Molly, she was the typical love interest of the hero. Even though I hate to admit it, I never really warmed up to Cork himself, and I'm not sure why. As much as I did like Iron Lake, I can certainly see myself reading the next book in the series to see if Mr. O'Connor improves upon acquaintance. show less
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William Kent Krueger grew up in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. A former logger, construction worker, freelance journalist, & researcher in childhood development, he is the author of two other acclaimed Cork O'Connor novels, "Iron Lake" & "Boundary Waters". (Publisher Provided) William Kent Krueger was born in Torrington, Wyoming on November 16, show more 1950. He attended Stanford University for one year before losing his academic scholarship for participation in a takeover of the president's office in protest of what he saw as the University's complicity in weapons production during the Vietnam War. He wrote short stories and sketches for many years. His first novel, Iron Lake, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Barry Award for Best First Novel, the Minnesota Book Award, and the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award. He writes the Cork O'Connor series. In 2005 and 2006, he won back-to-back Anthony Awards for best novel. Ordinary Grace won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2014. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Iron Lake
- Original publication date
- 1998
- People/Characters
- Cork O'Connor; Molly Nurmi; Sandy Parrant; Tom Griffin; Wally Schanno; Jo O'Connor (show all 11); Henry Meloux; Sam Winter Moon; Tom Griffin (Saint Kawasaki); Helm Hanover; Aunt Rose (Thorn)
- Important places
- Aurora, Minnesota, USA (fictional); Minnesota, USA
- Dedication
- This one was always for Diana.
Because she always believed. - First words
- Cork O'Connor first heard the story of the Windigo in the fall of 1965 when he hunted the big bear with Sam Winter Moon.
- Quotations
- In a way, he was afraid that to let go of the grieving would be to let go of his father forever. (Prologue)
"A Windigo's a giant, an ogre with a heart of ice. A cannibal, a cold and hungry thing. It comes out of the woods to eat the flesh of men and women. Children, too. It doesn't care." (Prologue)
Traditionally the Anishinaabe were a quiet people. Before the whites came, they lived in the silence of the great woods and more often than not, the voices they heard were not human. The wind spoke. The water sang. All sou... (show all)nd had a purpose. When an Anishinaabe approached the wigwam of another, he respectfully made noise to announce his coming. Thunder, therefor, was the respectful way of the storm iin announcing its approach. Spirit and purpose in all things. For all creation, respect. (Chapter 7)
"Law is in the books," Cork told them. Justice is a point of view. I can't enforce a point of view." (Chapter 10)
Sam Winter Moon had cautioned him long ago that it was best to believe in all possibilities, that there were more mysteries in the world than a man could ever hope to understand. (Chapter 12)
"The things that ask the most of us are the things most worth having." (Chapter 13)
"I think we expect too much. Simple as that. And the only thing that let's us down is our own expectation. I used to pray to god for an easy life. Now I pray to be a strong person. (Chapter 28)
The bottom line was that people who leaned too heavily on someone else were setting themselves up for a terrible fall, and they had no one to blame in the end but themselves for the hurt they suffered. (Chapter 30)
Sam Winter Moon used to say that sometimes the only way a man learns the true spirit of a rock is to stub his toe on it. (Chapter 30)
On the ice, a safe distance from the open water, Henry Meloux waited. The wind blew snow off the cliff so that it drifted down around him like sparkling magic powder. In the moonlight, he cast a huge shadow on the ice. Cor... (show all)k saw the old man suddenly in a kind of vision, as if beholding in the long black shadow the real Meloux, a great hunter spirit, silent and powerful. (Chapter 48)
A man was never just a man. A man was endless possibility waiting to become. (Chapter 48)
He closed his eyes and began to sing, words Cork didn't understand. But he knew what it was about. The song of the dead. Henry Meloux was singing his fallen enemy onto the Path of Souls. (Chapter 48) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)As snow gathered on the branches of the Christmas tree and in the loops of the paper chain and settled lightly on the shoulders of the angel he'd made, Cork turned and walked away.
- Blurbers
- Penny, Louise
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