ISBN: 0-312-30683-0 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
An enjoyable investigation, with an appealing, earthy heroine and several repeat characters.
Reviewed by David on December 12, 2004
Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural)
Synopsis: Kate Shugak, is a loner. So when her burned home was replaced by her neighbors from all over the Park, Kate was at a loss. Gratitude is not something she was used at—or good at. So when a case presented—even a case that has her going to the densely populated Anchorage—she takes it.
The case has a few other problems with it—like the fact that it's trying to challenge a conviction thiry years old. And the convict—still in jail for the heinous murder—doesn't want the case challenged.
Still, Kate's initial conviction of the uselessness of the investigation is shaken when somebody tries to stop her with deadly force. But if there is something Kate does worse than gratitude it's giving in.
Full Review: Kate is back to true form. In addition to her tenacious pursuit of the case, she embraces hedonism with a bit more intensity than before. Part of her new determination of living the life to the fullest is her choice of new partner in life, even if said partner has a different opinion.
For once, the short but competent Kate avoids depending on Jim Chopin to save her life—but not but avoiding danger.
The investigation is enjoyable, even more so is the development of Kate and her friends and neighbors, all set in the midst of increasingly familiar but still intriguing Alaskan life.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 2004, St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Minotaur), September 2004, Cloth, 305 pages
ISBN: 0-312-30683-0 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com