Ever since I was a kid, summer has been a time to focus on "fun" reads—the type of books you can open up and lose yourself in for an afternoon on the porch. And in recent years, those fun reads have gravitated toward mystery novels. And one of my favorites is the long-running Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger, which is not about 20 books deep. So where is the best place to start? At the beginning, with Iron Lake.

This is ⁠Iron Lake⁠, and it might just be your next favorite book.