Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fans of strong female sleuths, this is for you!, 15 Jan 2003
I bought this book on a recommendation from a friend and wasn’t disappointed. I am a big fan of those capable female sleuths (you know, Kinsey Milhone and the like), and Kate Shugak lives up to all expectations you might have. Quite the strong, silent type, she’s clearly had some painful experiences as a cop before the series starts (this is the first of a dozen so far, so there’s lots more to be looking forward to!), and as a result has resigned and now lives alone with her dog in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. Apart from the crime plot, the scenery and way of life play a good part in the book, and contribute to the “lived-in” feeling – not a surprise since the author herself lives up there!
All in all, a very good book, if off the beaten track (well it’s a change from forensic pathologists!) – a good find, and I shall be reading more about her!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Award-Winning Mystery Set In Alaska's Frozen North, 19 Sep 2005
Aleut detective Kate Shugak, formerly a gifted investigator for the Anchorage D.A.'s office, moved back to Alaska's far north country after a horrible child abuse case left her scarred physically and emotionally. She now resides on a 160-acre homestead with her half-wolf, half-husky, half-breed canine, Mutt, and makes her living as a private investigator. "A Cold Day for Murder," Dana Stabenow's debut mystery in this wonderful series featuring PI Shugak won an Edgar award in 1993. A national park ranger has gone missing in the Alaskan boondocks in the middle of winter, which signifies almost certain death from exposure. It has been more than six weeks since anyone heard from him. The young man's father, a US Congressman, demands that every effort be made to find his son. When the FBI agent assigned to search for the ranger goes missing, Kate Shugak, a native of the area where the two men were last seen, and an expert in Arctic wilderness survival skills, is asked to take the case, she accepts although their trail is now colder than the weather. Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak novels are consistently good to excellent, and this first one is a real favorite of mine. The author delves into Kate's background, presents some of her family members, spins a thrilling mystery, and touches on the political issues of environmental protection and loss of native cultures that Ms. Shugak holds dear. She also explores the relationship between Jack Morgan, Kate's former boss and lover, and our sleuth heroine. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much, and many others in the series, is their Arctic setting and the details of native life and culture. The author's descriptions of the region's physical geography are wonderful. Her characters are original, complex and the dialogue is excellent - full of dark humor. Kate Shugak is super savvy, tough, prickly, and vulnerable, although she hides it well. She has a deep loyalty and abiding love for her people and the land. A terrific read and a winning sleuth series!
JANA
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Left me shivering and happy not to live in Alaska, 13 Jan 2009
On the one hand, a great whodunit placed in a fascinating setting (the far Alaska north) by a writer who really knows her stuff. (The writer, Dana Stabenow, lives in Alaska and it shows). On the other hand, the novel had such a gloom and doom atmosphere, it left me very much depressed after I had finished it. Oh well, maybe that is a sign of good writing; intentional or not, it's a darn good read anyway.
Kate Shugak, the heroine of this novel, is a traumatized ex-investigator of the Anchorage D.A.'s office, who gets - against her will, with a lot of arm-twisting - called upon to investigate the disappearance of two men because she knows the area (and its eccentric people) like the back of her hand. She also knows she's not going to like the answers to this mystery - and boy, is she right (but I'll leave that to the reader to find out).
In between, we meet up with a lot of fascinating, larger-than-life characters that seem to have stepped straight out of Northern Exposure. It does have enough humor in it to put a smile upon your face now and then (just visit the Roadhouse to see what I mean). Alaska is cold, rugged and dangerous, deadly to the unwary, so a sense of humor seems one of the required survival-traits to live there.
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by Dana Stabenow
by Dana Stabenow
by Dana Stabenow
by Dana Stabenow
by Dana Stabenow
