Iron Lake

Cork O'Connor, Book 1

By: William Kent Krueger

Narrated by: David Chandler

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Solve another case with Cork O'Connor.

©1998 William Kent Krueger (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Krueger makes Cork a real person beneath his genre garments, mostly by showing him dealing with the needs of his two very different teenage daughters. And the author's deft eye for the details of everyday life brings the town and its peculiar problems to vivid life." ( Publishers Weekly)

Good new series. Great narrator. Many plot stops.

I thought overall, Iron Lake was a good book. It has one of the best narrators for this type of book/genre (Western Mystery). David Chandler did CJ Box's Joe Pickett series, which I absolutely love. The only other narrator that can narrate these types of books this well is George Guidall.

As far as the book, I thought it was good, with a lot of action, and a good story. The part I didn't care for was that I felt like it could've ended halfway through. I know that wasn't the intent, but the way there was a 'close' to the story, made it feel like the plot line would grind to a halt. Granted, Krueger was able to get the momentum back, but it happened a few times where I feel like there were plenty of times throughout the novel, that the book could have ended. I will read more books in the series because of the rave reviews I've read and seen, but I have a feeling that this one won't rank as one of my favorite books in the series.

Pretty Good

It was a good mystery but I had a hard time sticking with this one.  The main character is so down on his luck that it is a little depressing.  It was not bad just a little slow and some parts seemed to wonder away from the story.  The ending really saved this book for me. 

The narrator did an good job.  Nice and smooth but no differences in the voices. From what the reviewers say this series gets better, I will probably read one of his later books that has a different narrator. 

So, so book and story

I could have done without all the profanity in the story. I started with another book in this series and thought I would start a the beginning if the series. If I had listened to this one first, I'm not sure I would have continued in the series.

Krueger is always good

If you can apply the German term strung and draung to a tale of rural Minnesota then apply it here. The story is tightly drawn but there are too many possibilities for you to figure out the ending until you get there.

excellent mystery!

Excellent mystery! Thoroughly enjoyed the locale, the Native American influence and the thought provoking characters. Looking forward to book 2!

A Good Story

Just stumbled across this series while looking for a good mystery. I gave it a try and really enjoyed it. The narration was done well. He did sound like John Wayne to me a couple of times. It kept my attention, and I plan to listen to the next one. The main character, Cork, was believable and someone that was easy to like.

I'm hooked

What did you love best about Iron Lake?

I love James Lee Burke, that is what first got my attention. I am also a big fan of series in books. Great story with a great performance. I am also from Minnesota with family in Duluth, so that is another "hook". Well worth the credit.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Kept my interest through out the whole book

What does David Chandler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voice's, brought the book to life

Capitavating story

Would you consider the audio edition of Iron Lake to be better than the print version?

For me, the audio allowed me to do my work and keep up with the story that was full of surprises.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Molly, she had given up on life and still believed in possibilities.

Have you listened to any of David Chandler’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is my first time listening to David. He certainly portrayed an angry Cork well, and did a good job on the other characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction. I just kept being thrown off balance by the twists the story took. It was well thought through. It had more to it than an ordinary mystery. It kept me guessing until the end.

excellent

really enjoyed, great story. great narrative and performance. kept me captivated entire book. great mystery, crime drama.

Couldn't Keep Focused on this one

The story kind of rambled along and it was hard to focus. The narration was decent, but the story lacked bite, it did not keep me hooked. Overall, I have a tough time recommending this book and think some will like it and some won't.