"Iron Lake is where it all began, when Cork O’Connor walked off the page, tough, vulnerable, hardened and shattered, and into our lives. His creation is a brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate. With this novel, Kent Krueger elevated the crime fiction genre into something very special."

– Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Glass Houses

“There’s a feel that you get from a master craftsman, a saddle that sits right, a fly rod that casts with its own agility, or a series of books written with a grace and precision so stunning that you’d swear the stories were your own—Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner novels fit that bill.”

– Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series

“Among thoughtful readers, William Kent Krueger holds a very special place in the pantheon. Upon introducing Cork O’Connor in IRON LAKE twenty years ago, Kent showed the mystery reading world that a protagonist need not be a chain-smoking loner with lots of emotional baggage but he could be an honest and admirable family man doing his best for all the right reasons.”

– C.J. Box, #1 NYT Bestselling Author of The Disappeared

"For readers new to William Kent Krueger, this 20th anniversary edition of Iron Lake will be an eye-opening discovery. For those of us who have been reading his wonderful Cork O'Connor novels since their beginning, this volume will be a welcome pilgrimage to the birthplace of one of our favorite characters, a journey down Krueger's icy, mysterious and singular memory lane."

– T. Jefferson Parker, Edgar Award winning author of Swift Vengeance

"In August 1998, the same month my own first book came out, I heard about this other debut novel called Iron Lake. I can still remember the night I stayed up late finishing it. When I closed the book, I thought two things: This is the best mystery I've read all year. And how in hell am I ever gonna keep up with this guy? Twenty years later, I'm still trying."

– Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award winning author of the Alex McKnight series

“Iron Lake is an explosive brew: one part James Ellroy, one part Stephen King, one part Jack London, and all parts terrific… A truly remarkable first novel.”

– David Housewright, Edgar Award-winning author of Penance

“If you don’t know Cork O’Connor, get to know him now.”

– Booklist

“I can’t remember reading a better first novel than this one.”

– The Drood Review

“Minnesotan Krueger has a sense of place he’s plainly honed firsthand in below-zero prairie. His characters, too, sport charm and dimension… This first-timer’s stamina and self-assurance suggest that O’Connor’s got staying power.”

– Kirkus Reviews