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)

Entertaining and well written

Krueger writes a book with a very flawed protagonist and realistic people. I will enjoy his other works because I feel he is a very good writer with a very original presentation.

I'm hooked!

this was my first cork O'Connor book. I'm hooked and can't wait to start the next book! it is narrated by David Chandler, who did the Joe Pickett books. he just sucks you in!

Same Book Different Author

If this was the first time I had read this book it would have been more than just good. The problem is I have read the same book by the same author.

Too long, too many beatings, too many dead

If you get tired of hearing about the hero’s repeated beatings — he’s a VERY slow learner — and think a basically predictable plot may have a few too many twists and turns, this mystery novel may not be for you.

A pretty good narrator, though.

Almost quit

About the time I got to the third or fourth chapter I almost quit, thinking I knew the direction the story was going. I was wrong and am very glad I stuck with it and might try the next book in the series.

Totally enjoyable

Story was gripping. Characters believable and engaging. History and social commentary te Indians interesting. Performance fine.

Haunting Story, amateur narration.

It took me a little time to get into the story, I was getting a lackluster feel of the book. After a couple chapters, I realized the story was wonderful and well written, the problem was with the narration. The narrator did fine with overall story telling, but his characters were difficult to follow, as there was not a lot of distinction between individuals at times, even between genders.
The real problem was the acting choices. This narrator has a habit in books where I’ve heard him saying dialog in a snarky tone. There is a limited place for this at times, but he does it with every character so that no matter how well written the dialog, or no matter how likable or pleasant the character, I can tend to dislike that character because of the amateur theatre performance.
It’s really a shame that there is no direction for the narrator within the studio by a producer or director. No matter the profession and accomplishment of an individual, there is always room for growth and improvement. This same narrator is the voice for the C.J.Box novels, and he clearly has not grown as an actor.
In an audible book, the narrator has the power to make or break the hard work of an author. It’s a shame when an author’s work can be diminished this way.
I still recommend the book. The storyline, characters, locale, and haunting descriptors make for an enjoyable escape. I will search for more titles by the author, but may read instead of listen if its the same narrator.

Lacks wisdom and depth

I listened to Manitou Canyon first and loved it. While Iron Lake was still a good, gripping listen, it felt a lot less mature and it's obvious that the author wrote this one earlier in his career. There are several love making scenes which feel cheap and B-movie-esque. Could do without those. Certain characters feel like bland stereotypes of people, especially Molly. Cork is too Indiana Jones somehow, too. The novel is entertaining but in a more superficial sort of way.

Good writing redeems occasionally ridiculous plot.

I decided I wanted to check this author out because two of the raves on his books are from two authors I really love. His writing is really very good, evocative, and clear, and suspenseful. However, sometimes a character behaves like a complete idiot, in a way that would have you screaming at the screen before grabbing the remote to change channels, if you were seeing it on TV. Similarly, the injuries sustained in various brawls are sometimes miraculously disregarded an hour or two later. I’m willing to give him a second chance, but I get enough bad storytelling in the films and TV I watch. We’ll see how I feel after the next book in the series.

A Great Start To A Great Series!

If you could sum up Iron Lake in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, Story, Characters

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of them were very unique

Which character – as performed by David Chandler – was your favorite?

He did an excellent job on all of them

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This was a great beginning to a series. Highly recommend you read the books in succession so you don't get lost.