11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Weakest of the series, 8 Jun 2001
By Patrick Flanagan - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Beneath the Ashes:: An Alaska Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Regular readers of Sue Henry's books will doubtless want to read Beneath the Ashes, if only to keep up with the activities of the protaganist, Jessie Arnold. But be warned, this is not up to her usual standards. Like earlier books, the best thing about Ashes is the descriptions of Alaska and sled dog racing but, while the description of the process of training young dogs is interesting, on the whole there less of this type of material than usual. In her other books, Henry's typical plot device is "spot the loonie", that is, figure out which of these seemingly normal people is actually a homicidal nut case. She has real problems figuring out how to deal with the situation in this book where the question is: "which of these nut cases is the killer?" As a result, by the time all is revealed you really don't care very much.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not one of her best, 22 April 2004
By Barbara B. - Published on Amazon.com
I've read many of Sue Henry's books and enjoyed most of them (they've also have turned me into an Iditarod and Yukon Quest fan). But this one is not up to her usual standards. Not only don't you care for any of the characters, but the denouement is so convoluted and implausible that I was left thinking "HUH????"
I feel rather disloyal saying all this, since she's one of my favorite authors, but I wouldn't want anyone reading this and judging her series by this one volume. Try "Murder on the Iditarod Trail," "Murder on the Yukon Quest," or "Termination Dust" (one of my favorites) before giving up on her.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
MORE FRIGID ADVENTURES, 5 Oct 2005
By Michael Butts - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Beneath the Ashes:: An Alaska Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Sue Henry's Jessie Arnold series is wonderful in evincing a feel of the Alaskan wilderness and life in the "slow" lane. Unfortunately, Henry's books while generally entertaining are a little too laid back in their delivery, and Arnold comes across as a less effective heroine than she should be. In BENEATH THE ASHES, Arnold is approached by an old acquaintance to help her dig up something in a cabin where she lived ten years prior, having Arnold as her neighbor. We immediately dislike this friend, Anne, and it isn't too long before several arsons immerse Jessie in a complex plot in which she becomes a main suspect. Henry isn't a master of suspenseful plotting, but her images of the wilderness and her love for the sledding life is evidenced and entertaining.