From Publishers Weekly
This whodunit rides the crest of today's styles: a female detective, a remote locale and the conflict between the traditional way of life (in this case Aleut) and modern America. Detective Kate Shugak became the top investigator for the Anchorage District Attorney's Office. But after getting her throat cut while apprehending a child abuser, she has retired to the Park, 20 million acres of Alaskan wilderness, snow and eccentrics--yet the children's cries keep reverberating in her head. When a park ranger--a congressman's son--disappears, as does the investigator sent after him, the FBI and Shugak's old boss ask for her help. In the process Shugak gets shot at twice and readers get a guided tour of the local landmarks, including Shugak's manipulative grandmother's house in Niniltna (pop. 800) and Bernie's Roadhouse, site of a hilarious showdown between two drunken pipeline workers with a stolen 30-ton excavating machine and a helicopter-flying state trooper. Stabenow's ( Second Star ) tale lacks tension, and Shugak's unfocused anger at the world seems a bit forced, but overall this is an enjoyable and well-written yarn.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
From School Library Journal
YA-- Up in the cold Alaskan countryside, a young National Park Ranger disappears. When the investigator on the case also vanishes, it's time for detective Kate Shugak to start hunting for answers. For those who like murder mysteries, female sleuths, and books set in Alaska, this is the one.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
Review
"[A]n enjoyable and well-written yarn."--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
I was born in Anchorage, Alaska on March 27, 1952, and raised on a 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska.She received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Alaska. After graduation she spent one more summer knee-deep in humpies and blew everything she earned on a four-month backpacking trip to Europe. There, she discovered English pubs, German beer and Irish men.
She enrolled UAA’s MFA program and wrote her published her first novel. Her Kate Shugak series won the Edgar Award for Best New Mystery in 1993. Her 18th book in the series is due out in Feb 2011.
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From AudioFile
Fans of the Kate Shugak mysteries will welcome this audio rendition of the first in the series. Marguerite Gavin has found a voice for Kate that captures--without being grating--a voice frazzled and nearly silenced in the violent struggle that caused Kate to leave her job as an investigator for the Anchorage D.A.'s office. This story finds her living in near isolation in her Aleut homeland, where she is asked to once again use her skills as an investigator when a park ranger disappears. In Gavin's care, the listener can imagine the somewhat eccentric characters. Gavin's characterization reflects their motivations and personalities as they do little to help Kate unravel this gnarly puzzle. One hopes that this is just the first of the series to be presented on tape. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
