Iron Lake

Iron Lake
by William Kent Krueger

When the Just Desserts mystery group selected this author for one of its monthly book discussions, I was quite pleased -- I'd been meaning to try Krueger for some time, since he'd regularly come to Lincoln for signings at the former Lee Booksellers any time he had a new book out, and friends had recommended his thrillers very highly. I was not disappointed! I enjoyed Iron Lake, the first book in Krueger's Cork O'Connor series, tremendously. O'Connor is a damaged character -- a forcibly retired Sheriff in the small, northern Minnesota town of Aurora, dealing with broken relationships and an uncertain career path. A panicked request from a friend to look into her teenaged son's disappearance while delivery papers during a blizzard launches Cork into a dangerous situation that ultimately involves multiple murders, an Indian casino, an anti-government militia, a motorcycle-riding minister, and the up-and-coming politician who's been seeing Cork's wife on the side. The characters, while not necessarily all likeable, are well-drawn, and Krueger does a great job of creating his snow-packed Minnesota setting. When the characters get trapped in the snow, you start shivering. The mystery is solid, if somewhat predictable, but the atmosphere more than makes up for any predictability. I highly recommended this one...it has led to 9 volumes in the series (as of 2010). -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official William Kent Krueger web site ]

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