Helpful Score: 4
A quick and enjoyable read. Dana Stabenow creates very visual images of her characters and their surroundings, and the plot twists and turns nicely.
Helpful Score: 4
There are too many characters in this book, so the first 100 pages are hard to follow, but the last 100 pages are "killers," i.e. excellent
Barbara S. (barbsis) -
Helpful Score: 3
I just love this series! Kate Shugak is a tell-it-like-it-is heroine. No beating around the bush for this gal. I find this very refreshing and enjoyable. It surprises me that all the men are after her since she isn't described as a raving beauty. She's only 5 feet tall and the guy she's hooked on (Jack Morgan) is a big bear of a man at almost 7 feet. I just can't picture them together.
I've always been fascinated by Alaska and a story with a native Alaskan heroine is a bonus. The mysteries always have me stumped since this is a close-knit community and the clues just aren't there until Kate figures it out and starts to share. Even so, it's interesting to hear how day-to-day is lived in the bush.
I've always been fascinated by Alaska and a story with a native Alaskan heroine is a bonus. The mysteries always have me stumped since this is a close-knit community and the clues just aren't there until Kate figures it out and starts to share. Even so, it's interesting to hear how day-to-day is lived in the bush.
Helpful Score: 2
I love the author's descriptions about the Native Alaskan and their living envinronment, in addition to great plot. It's easy to support her heroine, Kate Shugak, for she is tough but caring, smart, efficient, and many unyieding principals. This first book in the series is not the best but it's very good read nonetheless.
Heather A. (imabookfanatic) reviewed A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak, Bk 1) on + 48 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
First in the Kate Shugak series. I enjoyed the mystery and all the details about Alaska.
Helpful Score: 1
She's a savy investigator with the cool toughness of Sam Spade - and a smile that could melt a blockof ice. Once the star of the Anchorage D.A.'s office, she's gone back to her roots in the far Alaska north. But Kate's taken her talent for detection along ... and trouble knows where to find her. When a young National Park Ranger disappears during the long Alaskan winter, everyone assumes the cold got him. But when an investigator goes in after him, and never comes out, the weather may not be all that's killing. Or so thinks Kate Shugak. With her Husky-breed Mutt as an ally, she's hunting for answers among the pipeliners, Aleuts, and hardy eccentrics of the rugged American north. But she's heading for thin ice between lies and loyalties ... between justice served and the cold face of murder.
Helpful Score: 1
Stabenow's series is a quick and enjoyable read - not a lot of deep thought, but stories move quickly and the information about Alaskan culture is my favorite feature of this series.
I enjoyed reading "A Cold Day for Murder". The narrative held my attention without being too graphic. And, since I'm planning to travel to Alaska in the near future, I found the descriptions of the customs of the Aleut people, as well as the many geographical references to be particularly interesting.
Helpful Score: 1
An OK book, not sure I want to read any more in the series.
Helpful Score: 1
Good murder mystery.Enjoyable read. Love the heroine.
The first of the Kate Shugak series.
Kate and her wolf dog, "Mutt" investigate the disappearance of a National Park Ranger, during the harsh Alaskan Winter, and find a lot more than they bargained for.
Kate and her wolf dog, "Mutt" investigate the disappearance of a National Park Ranger, during the harsh Alaskan Winter, and find a lot more than they bargained for.
This is the first in the series. I really enjoyed this book and will continue with the series!
Winner of the Edgar Award for best paperback original
Short but really different and enjoyable mystery. The "whodunit" part is fairly easy to figure out, but the characters are so interesting it didn't bother me.
For being her first Kate Shugak novel, she did a stellar job. I felt like I was in Alaska with her. The cast of characters is terrific. She creates real people in an incredible setting. Four stars.
This first book in a new series features a strong female protagonist and a fascinating setting.
Learn about Alaska along with a mystery.This time 2 people have diaasppeared.
First in the long-running series. I last read it when it came out, so I had long forgotten the plot. If you've read a lot of mysteries the murderer is pretty obvious. Stabenow doesn't give us many clues but experience will tell you who it is when there is such a limited cast of characters. Nice pacing, excellent sense of place, good snarky dialogue, good cast of quirky characters. Shugak's Aleut heritage and her interactons with her grandmother add some interesting touches. It's short by today's standards, not a bad thing, and I finished it in a couple hours.
A good book.
I am on a search for an author who writes somewhat similar to William Kent Krueger, with a well written story, strong/bold characters, and lots of twists in a well written mystery. I have now tried Stabenow and Hillerman and find Stabenow closer to the task, but not quite. I did enjoy the book and it was a nice weekend read, the characters good and well developed, the story readable, but somewhat predictable, unlike the bends and curves I find in Krueger's writing. Still I found myself enjoying it enough that I will buy the next in the series. I liked her main character Kate Shugak a native Aluet (similar to Krueger's main character in his books, Cork who is part Ojibwe Indian). The character Kate was well developed and introduced to you so you come to know her and like her as she takes on an investigation, and finds herself going back to her roots in the far Alaska north. The book gives you a vivid image of the hard life and the beautiful scenery found in the Alaska wilderness, and this was the insight I was looking for and did enjoy the window that Stabenow gave me. Thanks for the adventure and plan to take another tour of Alaska in the next book of the series!
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
First Line: They came out of the south late that morning on a black-and-silver Ski-doo LT.
Somewhere in the endless acres of "The Park" a ranger has gone missing. No one puts up much of a fuss about it, figuring his body will be uncovered in time for the ground to thaw so he can be buried. But when a detective sent in to look for the missing ranger disappears as well, something has to be done. The Anchorage, Alaska District Attorney's Office sends two men out, hats in hand, to their former investigator, Kate Shugak. Shugak knows The Park because she was born there. She's an Aleut who left her home village in pursuit of education and a career. In reluctantly agreeing to search for the missing men, Kate finds herself being pulled out of her self-imposed exile back to the life she'd left behind.
This slim little volume is a quick read that introduces the reader to two prime objects: the Alaskan wilderness and the prickly character of Kate Shugak. In many ways, I think my reading experience was tempered by the fact that I'd already read Stan Jones' mystery series set in Alaska that also features a Native American main character. If I'd come to Stabenow's book totally fresh, I would have been much more in awe of what I was reading.
Alaska is shown to be the beautiful, wild place that it is; Shugak is the strong, silent type of female that we're still not quite accustomed to; and although the story line didn't hold many surprises for me, I'll be back for more. This is the first book in a very popular series, and Stabenow not only marks her territory, she populates it with a woman I just have to know more about.
Somewhere in the endless acres of "The Park" a ranger has gone missing. No one puts up much of a fuss about it, figuring his body will be uncovered in time for the ground to thaw so he can be buried. But when a detective sent in to look for the missing ranger disappears as well, something has to be done. The Anchorage, Alaska District Attorney's Office sends two men out, hats in hand, to their former investigator, Kate Shugak. Shugak knows The Park because she was born there. She's an Aleut who left her home village in pursuit of education and a career. In reluctantly agreeing to search for the missing men, Kate finds herself being pulled out of her self-imposed exile back to the life she'd left behind.
This slim little volume is a quick read that introduces the reader to two prime objects: the Alaskan wilderness and the prickly character of Kate Shugak. In many ways, I think my reading experience was tempered by the fact that I'd already read Stan Jones' mystery series set in Alaska that also features a Native American main character. If I'd come to Stabenow's book totally fresh, I would have been much more in awe of what I was reading.
Alaska is shown to be the beautiful, wild place that it is; Shugak is the strong, silent type of female that we're still not quite accustomed to; and although the story line didn't hold many surprises for me, I'll be back for more. This is the first book in a very popular series, and Stabenow not only marks her territory, she populates it with a woman I just have to know more about.
I felt like this was the middle of series instead of the start. It was hard to follow the relationships between characters and it always felt like I was missing important background information. The characters were unlikable and I found that by the end, I didn't care who committed the murder. I will not continue reading the rest of the series.
Interesting setting, but filled with extraneous characters, and very little action. Difficult to read all the way to the end because it singularly lacked suspense.
A Kate Shugak Mystery
Book 1 Kate Shugak Mystery
When a young national park ranger disappears during the long Alaskan winter, everyone assumes the cold got him. But when an investigator goes in after him, and never comes out, the weather may not be all thats killing. Or so thinks Kate Shugak. With her husky, Mutt as an ally shes hunting for answeres among the pipeliners, Aleuts and hardy eccentrics of the rugged American North. But shes heading for thin ice between lies and loyalities..between justics served and the cold face of murder.....
When a young national park ranger disappears during the long Alaskan winter, everyone assumes the cold got him. But when an investigator goes in after him, and never comes out, the weather may not be all thats killing. Or so thinks Kate Shugak. With her husky, Mutt as an ally shes hunting for answeres among the pipeliners, Aleuts and hardy eccentrics of the rugged American North. But shes heading for thin ice between lies and loyalities..between justics served and the cold face of murder.....
