Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger Narrator: David Chandler
Series: Cork O'Connor #1
Published by Recorded Books on May 21, 2010
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Length: 11 hours, 47 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble
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.
Read It, Rate It and Record
A short review to update challenges
I am positive I discovered this series through Jonetta at the Blue Mood Cafe; she was my cohort at The Book Nympho and really I want to read / listen to everything she does. Seriously. My TBR overflows. Plus this is set in Minnesota where I lived for about 30 years.
I enjoyed the setting of a small town in Minnesota. There is the added dimension of the Indian people, the reservation and casino. The main character Cork is an ex-sheriff and was raised in the area. He is a sort of in the middle between the groups of people in the area.
I enjoyed the layers of plot with the world-building and character development needed in every first book in a series, the law enforcement aspects, the small town quirks, the Indian stories, the personal life and changes of Cork, and the mystery / suspense of the action. There was plenty to enjoy in Iron Lake.
I do think there was also plenty of corruption and affairs for a relatively small town. I am not sure how realistic it is for the ex-sheriff to get so involved in missing people, murders, and corruption when it is no longer his job. He does need to support himself and it takes up most all of his time.
I’ve already gone right on to the next audio in the Cork O’Connor series, Boundary Waters. I thought I was going to have to request them at the library but one of my libraries has a connection to One Click Digital and these are from Recorded Books, so it looks like I can get them all there!
Narration:
I listened at my usual 1.25x speed and enjoyed the story and clear voice. The Minnesota locations and Indian words I knew were pronounced as I expected. I liked the vocal performance of both male and female voices and it added to my listening pleasure.
Listen to a clip:
About William Kent Krueger
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 an 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.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
|
| Characters |
 |
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter @LAPainter @lynnpainter8.bsky.social@BerkleyRomance @berkleyromance.bsky.social - January 25, 2025
- 🎧The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang #YouYeong-Gwang #RosaEscoda @AceBooksPub @acebookspub.bsky.social @penguinaudio.bsky.social @PRHAudio #LoveAudiobooks - January 23, 2025
- 🎧 Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis @JillShalvis @andi_arndt @WmMorrowBooks @avonbooks @HarperAudio #LOVEAUDIOBOOKS - January 21, 2025
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2018 Audiobook Challenge
- 2018 Library-Love Challenge
Oh, Anne, I am SO happy you enjoyed this first book. I’m confident you’ll be just as hooked as I am on this series. Excellent review but of course I’m biased?
Thanks I would say I am biased now too.
Yay for loving it. The setting would definitely be a draw if you lived in the state for a while. I’m definitely intrigued. Glad you could get access to the whole series. Aren’t these your series challenge, too? Woohoo!
Sadly they were not my series challenge and I listened to these in October. But I want to get back to these. I think there are like 14 of them, great for a binge.
I always enjoy stories where the setting is one I’m familiar with. My birth state is Michigan and I’m listening to some dark urban horror books by Bill Schweigart that are seriously creeping me out. LOL
Yes it’s fascinating if it’s a place you lived or spent quite a bit of time. I’ve lived in Iowa, Minnesota and now North Carolina. Thanks to the Harley there are some new places I feel I know. I’ve been to Michigan several times. It’s actually the first place I met Charlie Hunnam at a rally in Fowlerville.
This sounds like a series that I would like. I haven’t read William Kent Krueger yet but I think I have a few of his books on my tbr pile. It is always fun to find a series set in a location that you are familiar with. Glad you enjoyed this one.
Yes it’s a great series and I want to dive in and not stop until I’m finished but I have ARCs waiting too. Some excellent ones luckily.
Hey I didn’t have to approve your comment – is it fixed? Did your comment post right away?!?!
It does look like my comments are posting right away now. I think you have it fixed 🙂