Book on CD narrated by Marguerite Gavin.

Book number two in the mystery series featuring Aleut private investigator Kate Shugack. This one starts with a bang, as a deranged serial killer goes on a rampage killing people at random. Kate (along with her trusty wolf-Husky mix, Mutt) stops the guy. Case solved. Or is it?

Stabenow writes a great thriller/mystery. I love the setting in a very rural part of Alaska, and the way she incorporates some Aleut culture into the mix. Kate is a very strong woman and a marvelous lead character. She’s intelligent, resourceful, determined, observant, and kind, but she does not hold back when toughness is required. It’s no wonder she’s earned the trust of not only the authorities, but also the village residents and tribal elders. And I just love Mutt!

Marguerite Gavin does a great job of performing the audiobook. Her diction is clear and she sets a good pace. ( )

(1992) Kate must try to figure out who the murderer of Lisa Getty was in the middle of a serial killer's spree. Turns out that her sister Lottie is the one and is tracked down to a trek up a mountain. In an unusual end, the killer is brought to justice by nature rather than our hero. Fitting end for the area the novel is set in.Publishers WeeklyStabenow's ( A Cold Day for Murder ) writing has matured in her second effort featuring native Alaskan sleuth Kate Shugak. The Alaskan terrain and native culture add texture--the narrative includes both a potlatch celebration and an avalanche. Spring brings not only a thaw to the Alaskan wilderness, but a mass murderer. Roger McAniff cracks along with the ice on the first day of spring and goes on a killing spree, murdering nine and wounding two others. Or so it seems until ballistics tests prove that one of the victims, Lisa Getty, was killed by a different rifle. Shugak's investigation reconstructs Getty's life, uncovering her promiscuity, drug-dealing and endangered species-poaching, but all those leads prove false. The investigation reintroduces readers to some of the most intriguing characters from Shugak's previous mystery, including wheelchair-bound black veteran Bobby Clark and Shugak's manipulative grandmother, Ekaterina. Meanwhile, the tension level rises when a park ranger is killed and Shugak herself is wounded by a sniper's rifle, and Stabenow succuessfully sustains the tension until the killer is found.

http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2022-03.html#stabenow ( )

Kate Shugak is tapped to investigate a murder, when it is determined that one of the victims of a killing spree was killed by someone else. The victim was a promiscuous woman, who grew/sold marijuana, so there are many suspects. Good Alaskan cultural insight. ( )

⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars - I liked it.

While I had a great time following Kate on another one of her investigative bouts, I found myself wanting for a bit more mystery in this second installment. ( )