Dead North (Audio Cassette)

Because they mix travel with mystery, Sue Henry's books tend to be relatively gentle stories in which pleasant but not deeply drawn characters provide amiable companionship for the armchair traveler. (If you want heart-pounding thrillers, read Dean Koontz.) Nor are they complex Agatha Christie - style puzzles. Oh yes, there's always a villain, sometimes a pretty cruel one, but Henry seems to be one of those people who genuinely likes most of her fellow humans, and she does not delight in giving readers a whole roomful of unsympathetic characters from which to attempt to identify the villain.

So is this book any good? That depends mostly on how interested you are in learning about the Alaskan Highway and RVing, because the reviewers below are correct in pointing out that the book is chuck-full of details that have no relevance to the plot. Nor are you going to find deep insights into human nature. Even the villain is a bit of a stock psychopath, although he does have other motivations.

The biggest flaw involves the plot machinations Henry needs to use in order for her characters to repeatedly cross paths as they move up the highway by disparate modes of transportation (RV, hitchhiking, pickup truck, bicycle, 18-wheeler) that should have them traveling at quite different paces. Also, none can be allowed to realize that anytime they want, they can separate themselves from this dangerous, traveling circus simply by holing up for a couple of nights as everyone else moves north.

Still, this is a fun read, and I'm already partway through the next book in the series. Fasten you seatbelts and enjoy the Alaskan Highway!

Patrick Cutler has to get out of Wyoming as fast as possible-his stepfather, a good ole police officer, killed his mother... and blamed her murder on him. Being a smart kid, he manages to hitch hike his way into Canada, planning to meet up with his best friend in Anchorage, by stealing rides and food to survive. Two of his friends follow him, to try to help out, while his stepfather is close behind. Not to mention Detective Loomis, who seems to have a personal stake in the whole situation.

Patrick soon meets up with Jessie and a new friend, Maxie, and Jessie becomes intertwined in his problems. Along with various other friends, Jessie encounters bodies and Patrick's stepfather as she heads towards home... but will she manage to get there in one piece?

This was my first Sue Henry mystery. I have a huge interest in Alaska, and when books by this author were suggested, I sprung at the opportunity. The characters are well written and the whole novel is saturated with details-perhaps a bit too much. The history described was exasperating and merely made me skip those paragraphs. Beyond that, I know for a fact that I'll read more by this author.