Rating: 
Summary: Why am I the first to say...
Review: ...that this book is absolutely wonderful? 'Cause it is. Krueger's ability to marry true edge-of-your-seat mystery and suspense with lyrical and literary style and sensibility is outstanding. Iron Lake succeeds famously both as a tale of murder and mystery and as a rich and vivid portrait of an unusual town and it's divided citizens.When a prominent and infamous man-about-town is found dead and a local Native American boy turns up missing, suspects, alibis, and racial tensions pile up as high as snow banks. Cork probably shouldn't get involved. The last time he stepped in the middle, people got hurt. Himself included. And now he's lost his badge and his wife and maybe his way. But whether he likes it or not, he's caught again, like his blood, like his past, half in the white man's world, half on the reservation. Now a man is dead and a boy is missing and it's snowing real hard out there. And Cork's sense of duty and justice didn't disappear with his badge. Read this book. It's fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Qualified praise
Review: Although a bit slow to get going, this novel develops into a fairly well-plotted mystery which, as the Kirkus review above concludes, fizzles at the end, degenerating into a somewhat implausible confrontation scene. Also the author seems to have run out of ideas as to how to punish the culprit. Mr Krueger has descriptive talent, but there's only so much to say about a winter landscape in Minnesota, and he says more than enough for me (how many times does he tell us about the tamarack?). The dialogue is very well handled, however, but the fact is that our hero has barely a clue as to what's been going on until all is revealed to him by various other characters - a 'detective' he is not. Ever since Ross Macdonald, who tempered his affection for it as he matured as a writer, the simile has been a favorite of crime writers. Mr Krueger indulges fairly heartily, but almost invariably superfluously. Only one simile in the entire book is a beauty. Of an Indian woman, he describes her "long black hair parted in the middle so that it lay against her head like the folded wings of a raven". This is truly evocative - the other similes reveal a more threadbare imagination. Three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, menacing, resonant tale-small town torn by greed
Review: An absorbing, menacing, resonant tale of a small town torn by the greed of some of its leading citizens. As the novel opens, a rough Minnesota blizzard tears through small Aurora, Minnesota just before Christmas, leaving a dead judge, a missing boy and a threatened Cork O'Connor, the ex-sheriff of Aurora. I found this a truly frightening, but beautifully told story filled with fully-drawn characters and an absolutely unforgettable place. I was pulled into the book by both the intrigue of the mystery and by characters I could care very much about. Force yourself to read it slowly!
Rating: 
Summary: Cold hearts and callous acts
Review: An ex-sheriff weighs choices concerning lovers and children, while investigating misdeeds and murders. A good read for an obvious series beginning. Interesting characters, location and information.
Rating:
Summary: On the edge of my seat!
Review: Bravo! I am not normally a mystery/suspense reader, but this was well-written, intelligent, and most importantly, SCARY! I can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Good read for a hot summer day
Review: Ex-sheriff Cork and his perfectly wonderful illicit love, Molly, have an affair following Cork's separation from his lawyer-wife. Cork's half-Irish, half-Anishinaabe Indian, which makes his election to local office hard to believe. But even after he is voted out in a nasty recall election, he can't stop sleuthing. A series of unlikely deaths, some steamy saunas, and I was hooked. I sort of knew who the bad guy was, but I kept reading anyway. Its been 24 hours and I'm still cold. Like Nevada Barr's A Superior Death, this novel makes you wonder about those long winters on that deep lake. People get into all sorts of trouble up there. Brrrr!!!! I'm looking forward to Cork's next adventure.
Rating:
Summary: A read that will please a wide range of fiction readers
Review: Former Chicago police officer Cork O'Connor and his spouse Jo an attorney , return to his hometown of Aurora, Minnesota to improve their lifestyle. However, the return to the north does not work the way Cork expected. Life falls apart for Cork, starting with a deadly argument between Native Americans and whites over fishing rights. This leads to Cork losing his bid to be re-elected sheriff. Finally, Jo leaves him, accompanied by their three children, to become a champion of Native American rights. Currently, the former big city cop is managing a restaurant. However, Cork has not reached rock bottom yet. When a murder occurs and an Indian child disappears, Cork unsuccessfully tries to reconcile with his spouse, but ends up in disputes with many of Aurora's leading citizens including the new sheriff. As a blizzard attacks the town, an elderly Indian informs Cork that the Windigo, a nasty spirit, has arrived to wreck havoc on the townsfolk. A disbelieving Cork apparently is the last hope to stop this legend from succeeding. Highly regarded short fiction writer William Kent Kreuger's debut novel, IRON LAKE, will provide him a warm welcome from mystery fans. The intriguing story line provides two levels of enjoyment: a straight up Native American-otherworldly mystery and an allegorical comparison between evil spirits and evil souls. Under Mr. Kreuger's tutelage, the philosophical bent is interesting and will keep readers thinking long after the book is shelved. Also adding fervor to the story is the sub-plot involving the interrelationships between the members of the O'Connor family that turns the sleuth into a very human character. Mystery fans will want more fiction starring the O'Connor brood. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Good start in an obviously projected series.
Review: Good characters, especially the hero Cork O'Connor. Plot moves along quickly with a few surprises, though pretty much a predictable solution. A great change of pace to have a setting for a crime novel in an area other than NYC or LA.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: Growing up in rural Minnesota may have given me insights into this book that I would have not otherwise had but nonetheless I am recommending this book to everyone. The characters are excellent - the setting incredible. I loved this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: Growing up in rural Minnesota may have given me insights into this book that I would have not otherwise had but nonetheless I am recommending this book to everyone. The characters are excellent - the setting incredible. I loved this book.
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