ISBN: 0425158497 Order from: Amazon.com
An enjoyable, fast-paced mystery with a tough and likable protagonist amid exotic environment of the Alaskan North Slope.
Reviewed by David on May 13, 2002
Genre: Mystery (Private Investigator, Alaska)
Synopsis: Kate Shugak, once of the Anchorage District Attorney's office, is now a private investigator. When an oil company executive cannot stop a flow of drugs into the camp using internal security, he hires Kate, to go in undercover.
Kate, an Aleut deeply concerned about her land, has to cope with the hostility of internal security, hard work, deadly environment outside and the ruthless drug distributors. But the deadliest danger may be seduction of easy money—the money flowing into the camp which buys luxury and allays moral pangs.
Full Review: This is a good, fast-moving mystery describing another corner of Alaska. The protagonist has an excellent combination of toughness and partly hidden vulnerability, and her deep if undestated affection for the people and things she holds dear makes her appealing. The description of the harsh environment outside the camp, along with the almost surreal luxury inside is both pleasant and disturbing.
The plot is relatively straightforward, and comes to a suitable dramatic conslusion. This is a fast, somewhat short installment in this pleasant series.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6; Style: 6; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1994, Baen, April 1995, Mass market paperback
ISBN: 0425158497 Order from: Amazon.com