Description:

Kate finds herself involved in a murder investigation after a body is found near her homestead and, through the guidance of her Aleut grandmother's spirit, she assumes the role of clan leader and takes on major responsibilities to help her people."

From Library Journal

The Alaskan spring brings problems and new hope for Kate Shugak. She must investigate a murder near home even as she takes over the role of clan leader from her Aleut grandmother. A wonderful series.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

"Breakup" is what Alaskans call their brief spring, when the state "melts into a 586,412-square-mile pile of slush." The seasonal change unhinges Alaskans just as Santa Ana winds unhinge Los Angelenos in Raymond Chandler's mysteries. Kate Shugak lives in the bush with Mutt, a wonderful husky-wolf mix, and is facing a terrible breakup. Her taxes are intractable; she has three encounters with grizzlies, two near misses with airplanes, and ends up in a handful of gunfights--and a corpse turns up near her homestead. This sixth entry in Stabenow's lively, entertaining series offers a tough, insightful heroine; a set of intriguing, slightly eccentric supporting characters; and a healthy dose of Alaskan atmosphere. Although the mystery element isn't even introduced until well into the story, Stabenow more than compensates with a detailed look at how Shugak and company deal with the effects of breakup: verve is important, but it helps to have Jimmy Buffet playing in the background. John Rowen