Iron Lake

From Goodreads:

 Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian, Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor is the former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota. Embittered by his "former" status, and the marital meltdown that has separated him from his children, Cork gets by on heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and guilt. Once a cop on Chicago's South Side, there's not much that can shock him. But when the town's judge is brutally murdered, and a young Eagle Scout is reported missing, Cork takes on a mind-jolting case of conspiracy, corruption, and scandal.

As a lakeside blizzard buries Aurora, Cork must dig out the truth among town officials who seem dead-set on stopping his investigation in its tracks. But even Cork freezes up when faced with the harshest enemy of all: a small-town secret that hits painfully close to home.

 

From Me:

I'll just say it straight out--I really loved this book.

I have a soft spot for series mysteries with  good characters, complex characters, interesting characters.

A cozy mystery is good sometimes, but I much prefer some grittier suspense and this one fit the bill!

Cork was a very complex main character.

I want to know more about him, so of course, I'll continue on with the series.  

I must know and understand his life!

 

Do you want to know what I also love?

The setting.

Sounds weird, I know--most people love a good plot, but no,  give me some great, multi-layered characters and a setting which the author LOVES, that comes thru in their writing and in turn makes me love their place of choice, and I'm a happy camper!

I love falling in love with the region of a series mystery!  In this case it's Minnesota.

 

When an author can make me love a place AND a character--they kind of have me hooked.

4 stars out of 5!