Cork O'Connor loses his job as sheriff of a small Minnesota town after a confrontation between whites and Native Americans on the nearby reservation causes him to shoot a local white resort owner. The loss of his job also led to the loss of his marriage.
Even though he's begun a new relationship with Molly Nurmi, he hasn't lost hope of rebuilding his marriage-- primarily because of his children.
When a judge commits suicide and a local boy goes missing, Cork finds himself drawn to investigate regardless of the fact that there's a new sheriff in town. The long-buried secrets he's going to find are going to ignite a powder keg.
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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 0mysteries-- 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 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.
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
Narrated by David Chandler
ASIN: B003NGXOQ0
Recorded Books © 2010
Audiobook. 11 hours, 57 minutes.
Law Enforcement, #1 Cork O'Connor mystery
Rating: B
Source: Purchased from Audible.
