This long-running series, which began in 1992 with the Edgar Award–winning A Cold Day for Murder, shows small signs of weariness in the eighteenth installment. The story begins with a man going missing and, later, his body being found. Then, later still, the dead man turns up alive, leading Kate Shugak and Alaskan state trooper Jim Chopin to wonder: Just who did that body belong to, anyway? While the characters are as engaging as always, and Stabenow’s writing just as sprightly, the book feels a bit lethargic. There are large chunks where nothing much happens—for example, the body isn’t discovered until nearly a third of the way through the book, and it’s a good while before the “missing” man turns up alive. A leisurely pace is one thing, but some readers might find that this one meanders a little too much. On the other hand, fans of Murder, She Wrote–style mysteries (lengthy introductions of character and plot setup, relatively speedy resolution) will have no problems, and longtime fans will be pleased to spend more time with the always appealing Shugak. --David Pitt
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Stabenow deftly explores the environmental and economic impact of gold mining in her sizzling 17th novel to feature Alaska PI Kate Shugak (after 2009's Whisper to the Blood). Global Harvest Resources is intent on opening the Suulutaq Mine, where substantial deposits of gold, copper, and molybdenum have been found on state leases in the middle of the Iqaluk Wildlife Refuge, 50 miles from Niniltna. When Kate, chair of the board of directors of the Niniltna Native Association, and state trooper Jim Chopin find bear-eaten human remains near the truck of Global Harvest roustabout Dewayne A. Gammons, they assume the remains are Gammons's. After all, there was a suicide note in Gammons's truck. Weeks later, a wounded and nearly catatonic Gammons emerges from the woods near Kate's homestead. More puzzles—and murder—follow. An uneasy resolution to the crimes suggests further drama ahead for Kate and her fellow Park rats. Author tour. (Feb.)
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From Booklist
This long-running series, which began in 1992 with the Edgar Award–winning A Cold Day for Murder, shows small signs of weariness in the eighteenth installment. The story begins with a man going missing and, later, his body being found. Then, later still, the dead man turns up alive, leading Kate Shugak and Alaskan state trooper Jim Chopin to wonder: Just who did that body belong to, anyway? While the characters are as engaging as always, and Stabenow’s writing just as sprightly, the book feels a bit lethargic. There are large chunks where nothing much happens—for example, the body isn’t discovered until nearly a third of the way through the book, and it’s a good while before the “missing” man turns up alive. A leisurely pace is one thing, but some readers might find that this one meanders a little too much. On the other hand, fans of Murder, She Wrote–style mysteries (lengthy introductions of character and plot setup, relatively speedy resolution) will have no problems, and longtime fans will be pleased to spend more time with the always appealing Shugak. --David Pitt