Publisher Poison Pen Press
A Cold day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
Book Description
This whodunit rides the crest of today’s styles: a female detective, a remote locale and the conflict between the traditional way of life (in this case Aleut) and modern America. Detective Kate Shugak became the top investigator for the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office. But after getting her throat cut while apprehending a child abuser, she has retired to the Park, 20 million acres of Alaskan wilderness, snow and eccentrics–yet the children’s cries keep reverberating in her head. When a park ranger–a congressman’s son–disappears, as does the investigator sent after him, the FBI and Shugak’s old boss ask for her help. In the process Shugak gets shot at twice and readers get a guided tour of the local landmarks, including Shugak’s manipulative grandmother’s house in Niniltna (pop. 800) and Bernie’s Roadhouse. (From Amazon)
Book Review
This is a murder mystery set in Alaska with a female heroine who is an Aleut Indian with a background in investigations in the district Attorneys office in Anchorage. Her character is realistic with good parts and flaws. The plot is simple and straightforward, perhaps too simple as I prefer a bit more complicated style of detection. The numerous characters however, are lively and eccentric and there is quite a lot of cynical humour and a bit of romance in the book.
The descriptions of the weather, mostly very very cold were good and atmospheric, and the local politics were interesting. Over all, the plot was thin although it was a quick read with a satisfying ending with all the ends tied in neatly.
There are a few annoying spelling errors, e.g. location 31: compleat, for complete, and not enough contractions in the direct speech which makes it read a bit stilted.
Having said all that, I did enjoy the story and would recommend it as an entertaining quick read.
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