Helpful Score: 2
This is my first read of this author and I wasn't impressed. It was supposed to be a mystery, but it wasn't much of one. She tried to throw in a little romance, but it was forced, and the main romantic interest barely made it into the plot. The multitude of ridiculous occurrences was amusing, but the plot was hollow and I never came to care about any of the characters.
Helpful Score: 1
I have read and reread this book. The story line is good, the characters all are well defined as are the rest of the Shugak series, but I find the book too funny for words. I dig this out when things are particularly bad (or I'm in a bad mood) and spend the next few hours laughing. This is one of my all-time favorites!
Helpful Score: 1
Number 7 in the series. This one was really fun -- lots of humor -- a bit different from the rest. I am still hooked on this series of light mysteries, with its interesting characters and great descriptions.
Stabenow manages to capture perfectly the chaotic feel of Alaska life. I worked up there several summers and it felt like I was back in one of the frontier towns that I remember fondly. This is pretty far into the Shugak series, but a librarian recommended that I start with this book. I found that I did not need to read any of Stabenow's other books in order to fall in love with Shugak and the series. Since then I have pretty much read them all and I would say that none of them quite matches this one. So if you have not read any Shugak mysteries yet, this might be a good place to start.
What's so unusal about this book while comparing it to both others in the series as well as other mysteries, is that it pretty much doesnt have a mystery. Instead what makes this such a fun read is that you are lead on an excursion into the life of the protagonist that is well worth following along upon.
What's so unusal about this book while comparing it to both others in the series as well as other mysteries, is that it pretty much doesnt have a mystery. Instead what makes this such a fun read is that you are lead on an excursion into the life of the protagonist that is well worth following along upon.
Breakup in Alaska is the period of spring thaw when everyone seems to go a little crazy.It is also the time bears are coming out of hibernation and so something falling out of the sky fits right in.It is Murphy's Law in action.
Spring breakup is a "weird" time, anyway, it is for Kate Shugak this year. Along with her taxes, she must deal with a jet engine crashing into her yard, rampaging bears, family feuds, dead bodies, and of course, murder.
Great! Unique.
chaos reigns after the spring thaw in kate's life. a good read
pretty good read
Liked this book. Not quite a cozy and occasional language or adult themes but it was a quick and good read. Set in Alaska at ice and snow break up time when people start to go a little crazy.
This is my favorite book in the Kate Shugak series. I laughed when I read this book. Some of the books have a more serious tone, but they are all good.
This was my first time reading this author and I was very impressed. Loved the story, one that has plenty of action and plan on reading the rest of the series as I can aquire them.
So many improbable events in this book, one right after another, that I just figured Stabenow was having a good time coming up with bizarre events. I did like the bear attack murder, although I'd have liked to see it end differently, but you could imagine reading about that in the news. The bar shootout(s) - I really had a hard time imagining two different LEOs, whose characters have already been fixed as straight arrows, just idly standing by watching a gunfight where innocent people are being hurt. And afterwards just shrugging off any idea of arresting the participants. Must be something I missed there. Anyway, it moves along briskly and Stabenow paints a good picture, however unlikely it might be.
Either Stabenow was tipsy when she wrote this, or she deliberately set out to have fun and create a Warner Brothers cartoon. Reading suspiciously like several episodes of Northern Exposure rolled together (which one inspired the other, I wonder?), this book is a departure from her usual straight style with its (not-so) tongue in cheek humor wrapped around a mystery. Its madcap atmosphere is perfectly in tune with the story's setting, which is Alaska in the beginning of spring, called "breakup", a time when residents are going stir crazy as they anxiously await the end of winter. Kate's troubles begin when she encounters a bear on her homestead and narrowly escapes being its first spring meal, followed by a jet engine falling from the sky onto her truck in her yard, and then the discovery of a dead body under the ice. And that's just the beginning. This one is a rollicking good romp, though mystery purists be warned - this is another installment of the series where the murderer gets away with it.
Excellent read, it was the best in the series so far and they've all been good. break up is a crazy time in Alaska
This was a really funny and action-packed story. The author makes it easy to visualize the beautiful and lonely terrain in the far reaches of Alaska. Kate Shugak is a terrific protagonist. She is smart, independent, and super tough. I read this book first even though it was #7 in the series, and had no trouble getting right into the characters and story. Now I'm reading Book #1 and will work my way through the series.
