Less than a Treason (Kate Shugak)

While a good story it was a bit of a let down from the previous novel.. I don't know if the author intended to resurrect Kate or to let her die. I am glad she chose to let her story continue. I hope the next story gets Kate back to the Park and gives us more Alaska and less generalizations..

So glad to see Kate Shugak back again. But most of the first part was trying to figure out what had happened to her. And was she EVER going to get together with Jim again? Right after recovering from a gunshot wound on her chest, she jumps right back in to a case. Without sending any message to Jim who has been waiting for her for months. It seems she could have, at least, sent him a message explaining what she was doing and hearing about how he was turning his life and career upside down. As if this were not enough, all through the story I was gnawing my fingernails wondering if Mutt was gone forever.

First of all, kudos to Dana for listening to the voices of her faithful readers and giving us back our fearless Kate. True, the medical miracle at the beginning is less than credible but it is a small price to pay to have her back. The book starts slowly - not necessarily a bad thing because the reader has to immerse himself anew in Kate's world. The plot is so-so, with hints to a sequel and a "gasp" final surprise which everyone had guessed from the first. But who cares? Can't wait for the next episode.

This was a huge disappointment. As a long time Stabenow fan, I looked forward to LTAT. The book was poorly edited, seemingly written in haste, and filled with character rehashes (same old stuff). I think Dana S and her publisher owe loyal fans something better than this.

Good to hear of them again. But too much of the book is taken by tying up loose ends from previous books. Reader may need a check off list of characters and novels. However, it's still good, sexy, bloody fun.

Dana Stabenow's latest Shugak novel follows the tough but vulnerable detective from near death to her re-emergence in the Park. Familiar characters and the author's crisp writing make the novel a quick enjoyable read. However, as I finished the novel, I had the feeling that the series had the run its course.

Kate Shugak is back! Despite a debilitating gunshot wound, Kate returns to the wild for physical and spiritual healing.
Chopper Jim--a true good guy--waits patiently at the homestead for her return. As the book ends, Kate and Jim and Mutt are restored and complete. I wonder if this is the last of the Kate Shugak series.

I have so missed Kate and Jim. I am so glad they are back and in such a well developed book. It took me a while to remember all the characters but, as I told my husband this morning, I am so glad Kate and Jim are back. I hope there will be many more sequels. Please do not make us wait so long for the next one.

I was very unhappy with the ending of book twenty. I don't think anyone deserved that ending and the extended wait for this book. Dana has more skill than to use those kinds of tricks.

The story line for this book wanders and doesn't go anywhere or resolve itself. This book seemed like it was written to answer our questions from the last book. There was an appearance of all the "necessary" characters to make this a Kate book but, aside from some delightful placement of truly Alaskan-style profanity I felt like I was reading yet another sex scene between Ayla and Jondular.

I just couldn't give a lower rating because I am a displaced Alaskan and these books always remind me of home.

I've read all Dana Stabenow's books & have loved them all! Couldn't wait for #21 -- am glad for pre-ordering option. Really appreciated the insight to sustenance living, too. Hits a bit of romance, well written mystery, and wording that puts you right there! Thanks for sharing your books! Looking forward to #22 (hope, hope!)

Thank goodness she's back! And in fine form, too. I had forgotten how self-contained, self-assured, and self-reliant Kate Shugak was. A little unrealistic, but it makes for a wonderful, aspirational heroine! One question that nags at me, though: how did Mutt survive? Wasn't she shot? Do wolves have a magic way of expelling bullets? She was shot point-blank, left bleeding out in the snow, and yet 4 months later she appears hale and hearty and ready for a romp. Maybe Stabenow will explain this in the next book.

Dana Stabenow writes a great book. Her Kate Shugak series is my favorite of all time. What I love most is there's no frilly silly girly stuff found so often in novels with female leads. Kate is a tough, smart human with flaws. Most of her fans are women but I wish men would board the train. This book is the 21st in the series.

** I have loved all of Stabenow books until this one. Nothing happened until 3/4 through the story. Then it was so snooze fest from there on out. Having paid full price for this book , I feel robbed. # 22 in not happening!!! Don't waste your money.

The best Kate Shugak ever, I lingered in the reading of this because I didn't want it to end! Danamaniacs have it right in creating a terrific fan club in honor of the remarkable author. So glad to have her on my bookshelf!

I waited for 3 years for this book. It started with a notice of being 3 yrs ago. But the story was almost the same. Nothing particularly of note.
There may not be anything more to say until the author takes a risk.

I've been a fan of the Kate Shugak series and have patiently waited for this book to learn the fate of Kate and Mutt. To all others who've waited and wondered, and without revealing details, let me just say read this book.

Add me to the list of readers who have read every book the author has written. I have been with Kate for 21 books now and this one was a huge disappointment to me. The book was about selfishness, about self above others, and about choosing to hurt others with no regard. Kate made those choices when she walked away from the loved ones who had built her a home, supported every strange choice she made, and yet were not valued enough to share her own vulnerability with them. Instead, she chose to build herself a new retreat and leave abandoned Jim and Bobby and all the rest. Why? It made sense she would need to get to know herself when she was attacked as a younger woman. But, now she is a mature partner and friend, who only cared about her solitude for months, leaving everyone else behind to worry and conjecture. When she does surface it is about doing a job for strangers and not about her own community or loved ones. The plot itself is the weakest of any of this series. In fact, it is disconnected and choppy throughout. In the end, spoiler alert, Kate comes home. Sort of. And Mutt? Of course she gave up on Kate to make her own life, I would have also. It feels as if the author has tired of this series. I can understand that and wish her much excitement with a new storyline. Kate has burned me out.

This book had a good story that was true to Kate's life narrative. However, the writing felt rushed. I found typoes and grammatical errors on every other Kindle page. The errors really drew me out of what was otherwise an excellent story.

UNFORTUNATELY, I read this through in one sitting . . . .of course, I sat for several hours to do that!! But, as usual, I find it difficult to put one of Dana's books down once I have started it.

Reading this Kate book was like going back home for a visit. All familiar, many memories, and over way too soon. Since I have the whole series (plus the Silk and Song series, plus the Liam series) on my Kindle, I just may have to start over and read them all from the beginning to hold me over until the next book in any one of those series shows up.

Keep writing Dana. Since I'm 80 years old, you don't have too many years to keep me entertained . . . . but don't let that keep you up at night!!

This was the book I'd waited for. I didn't care who died as long as Mutt made it. Stabenow drags this answer out until almost the end of the book. Sadly, to achieve this she requires us to suspend reason. One isn't get shot in the chest, lose large amounts of blood, suffer trauma and then checks out the next day. Neither would Kate run off without finding what happened to Mutt. Most of the book is classic Kate and moves the major story of the series along. However, the beginning almost caused me to stop reading.

Sloppy, amateurish writing. Unbelievable events, e.g. the actions of Mutt. Characters poorly drawn and differentiated. I have read, and reread all Shugak novels, so I know Stabenow can write if she makes an effort; this novel is an embarrassment.

I have loved every one of the Kate Shugak stories and this latest one does not disappoint. She is getting older and perhaps more careful, but still is a good strong woman. I look forward to more stories of her life and of ordinary life in Alaska.

This reads like it was written by a committee - not a consistent voice or style. Were the chapters just contracted out and then cut and pasted together? No feeling to this book, not to mention the weak "plot" - previous books were so full of friendship and community. Plus, trying to wade through all this disconnected mishmash with a central "character" absent and almost unmentioned??? There were more details about the plane and hangar than there were about the (too many) characters, who mostly seemed like walk-ons. Disappointed.

I don't think Dana wrote this. I have read all of her Alaska adventures, and this was a disappointment.
If you removed all of her F**** bombs from this book, it would be twenty pages shorter. Did
she learn a new word while in Hawaii? This was not her style...

After waiting years for this book, I was disappointed. It was an ok story, but so disheartening to have Kate be back in her Runaway From Her Life mode again. And leaving the hospital so soon after being shot, no medical attention, yet she built cabin and stayed alone and away for so long? She didn't care where Mutt was or what happened too her? Leaving Jim alone? She has lost some of her luster for me The other characters were also sub-par for me. Ms Stabenow has done much better.

I've read the entire Kate Shugak series, the Liam Campbell books, and the two books set in the Coast Guard. I have enjoyed these books but was seriously put off at the ending of her last book; especially since she left her loyal fans hanging nearly four years while she wrote the "Silk and Song" Trilogy. I think Stabenow is getting burned out with this series and "Less than a Treason" seemed to me like a half-hearted attempt to satisfy her fans. The plot is disjointed and requires a suspension of disbelief.

Two stars for resolution of the end of the previous book but I didn't feel the warmth and caring for Alaska and its people as I have in previous books. The plethora of f-bombs was distracting, unnecessary and gratuitous as were the political comments weaved throughout that added absolutely nothing to the story and no doubt offended many, including this Baby Boomer. Why would you want to do that? I felt throughout that Ms. Stabenow is bored with this series. There were too many characters and those who were familiar from previous outings seemed somehow shallow and unlikable in this book and the new ones mostly hateful. The plot line bored me and I grew weary of all the drooling and tail wagging by every man in Alaska who came face to face with the eternally lovely Kate. And the fact that my favorite character in this series didn't make an appearance until the very end was disappointing beyond words. I hope Ms. Stabenow comes off the Silk Road long enough to put some heart back into this series, assuming she continues it at all. I absolutely loved her previous Kate Shugak books but this one left me somehow sad and confused, as though it were written by a different author.

In this 21st book in the 'Kate Shugak' series, the Alaskan private investigator searches for a missing man. The book can be read as a standalone, though familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****

As the story opens, Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak is in a hospital in Niniltna, recovering from a bullet wound - and her injured half-wolf/half-husky Mutt is missing, perhaps dead. Kate can't abide appearing weak, so - against medical advice - she checks out of the hospital and disappears.....leaving no word for anyone, not even her boyfriend Jim Chopin.

For his part, Jim Chopin - a flyboy Alaska State Trooper - blames himself for not protecting Kate.....and for abandoning a bleeding Mutt when he rushed Kate to the hospital. ? Distraught, the Trooper quits his job and - to distract himself - builds a runway for the plane he hopes to buy with his recent inheritance. Knowing Kate needs her privacy, Jim doesn't try to contact her, but the situation is tearing him up.

After four months in her remote cabin in the Quilak Mountains - during which time Kate rebuilds the entire structure - the Aleut PI is healed and considering her next move. Kate's hand is forced, however, when a passing orienteer discovers a pile of human bones near Kate's cabin. Knowing the body has to be identified, Kate photographs and packs the bones, then heads back to Niniltna.

Kate delivers the disjointed skeleton to the authorities, then bunks down in Auntie Vi's boarding house. There Kate meets Sylvia McDonald, who's in town looking for her husband Fergus. Fergus - a geologist at the local Suluutaq Mine - went exploring on his day off.....and disappeared. Sylvia hires Kate to search for Fergus, and gives the sleuth a substantial retainer.

The next day Sylvia is found dead in a ditch, the victim of foul play. Kate is certain that Sylvia's death is related to Fergus's disappearance, and continues searching for the vanished geologist in the National Park surrounding Niniltna. During Kate's investigation another death occurs, and - while traveling 'outside' (away from the park) - Kate gets some valuable information.

Meanwhile, other troubling things are happening in the region. Kate's cousin Martin Shugak - a bootlegger and petty criminal - has vanished; two thugs from Chicago are hanging around, asking questions about Martin; and elderly grasping billionaire Erland Bannister has been visiting the area frequently...for no good purpose, in Kate's opinion.

While Kate searches for Fergus, ex-Trooper Jim searches for Martin - hoping this will help him reconnect with his girlfriend. Jim's hunt leads him into some dangerous situations, one of which - against all odds - is quite amusing. ?

The reason for all the mayhem in the park is revealed, bit by bit, and it's a whopper! ?

Many of the series' regular characters appear in the story, including: Bobby - the wheelchair-bound radio station host (there's a nice surprise here); Bobby's wife Dinah; Aunties Joy, Viola, and Balasha - who like to quilt and gossip; Bernie the skirt-chasing barkeep; and more. There are also some kooky antics connected with a new reality show starring Howie, the disheveled town rapscallion.

As always in this series, the descriptions of Alaska's geography, vegetation, and wildlife are lovely and evocative. On the downside, I'm disappointed that the story had no potlach (ceremonial feast) since the food and dancing are fun to read about.....but Auntie Vi does make delicious chocolate chip cookies. ?

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to mystery fans.

After a four year wait it is so thrilling to have Kate back! I am hoping we don't have another lengthy wait for the next book in the series. Read this book in one day on release day! I have to say I was a bit put off by the four year wait for another book given how book 20 ended so I went in with a bit of trepidation. This book is a little different from previous books but I enjoyed it all the same.

This 21st book in the Kate Shugak series details the recovery and re-emergence of Kate. Another interesting and sneakily twisty story of murder and intrigue in the wilds of Alaska. As usual the beautiful descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness are vivid and detailed, making the topography a character itself in the story.

I love the story arc with Jim's character. Who wouldn't want a man like that in their life?! Kate is Kate and that is awesome! The writing is as usual crisp, intelligent, high quality and well edited. There were a couple of scenes that made me laugh, a couple that made me angry, a couple that made me happy and one awesome one that made me gasp (no spoilers). The timely political commentary was spot on without being preachy.

The only drawback, and it really doesn't have much to do with this book, is that I felt like there were references I should have understood...that I was missing catching things I should have caught. This is probably due to the amount of time that has transpired since I last read a Shugak book. If you have the luxury I'd suggest a re-read of as many books as possible before reading this one. It is certainly not necessary as this book was great on its own but for those, like me, who are Series readers and want to be spot on it may enhance your enjoyment of the book.

Highly recommend this book, and all books by this author.

4 stars
I started reading this series after a trip to Alaska in 1995 with my wife. She noticed the guide was reading a paperback and asked her about it. When we got home my wife purchased book 1 in the series, A Cold Day For Murder and we have been enjoying the series since. I strongly recommend that you read them in order, as some major characters die during the series.
Kate Shugak is recovering from a gunshot wound at the opening of this book. She has left her lover, Alaska trooper Jim Chopin, who is so distraught by his not keeping her safe that he has quit his job. He is however, independently wealthy, thanks to an inheritance.
Kate agrees to take a case, looking for the missing husband of Sylvia McDonald. There are a lot of ins and outs to the case and it intersects with Trooper Jim's looking for another missing man. They do solve the cases. Many of the familiar characters that I have grown to know and love are featured throughout the book.
There is a hilarious bar conversation about the merits of opera. Opening sentence by Ernie Ivanoff:
"Opera is not some g%##++n mystical redemptive force. It's fat people singing really loud in French or Italian or Russian or some other language that ain't English."
For the record, I don't like opera or the Beatles. I do like jazz, Preservation Hall Jazz band, country, Johnny Cash, pop, Roy Orbison, Indian, Ravi Shankar, and classical, Beethoven among others.
This library book had an included ribbon bookmark and no turned page corners.

Oh my, where do I start! Okay, so if anyone has read these books you know how Dana put us through the freaking ringer. It took me a couple of years to continue reading after what she did to Jack (I was sobbing in that book) and when I read #20 and how it ended, I threw the book across the room. Based on the author's note at the back, I believe we only have her agent or editor to thank for this book and all I can say is Thank You! I'm not sure if there will be any more books (I'm leaning towards no), but at least I could live with this ending. In true Dana form, she still kept us wondering for about half the book, but she gave us the happy ending that I (we?) needed finally. I really don't want to give any details, so if you read the books before and got really pissed like I did, it's okay to go back and read this one.

The author assumes you have a spread sheet in front of you to keep track of the myriad characters whom have shown up in previous books. The author also seemed to have put the story second, behind her political views. At one point she says " Really, at this point the best favor the Baby Boomer generation could do for the nation was to die off as rapidly as possible". As a baby boomer myself, I find it very sad and somewhat alarming that someone who does not know me - wishes me dead! This was my last Kate Shugak book and I suspect it was the author's also because the whole thing just seemed like it was slapped together, almost like she was mad about having to write it. The improbability of the good fortune of many of the characters at the end was just silly. And it looked like the author was saying - here's the last Kate Shugak book and here's a better ending than the last book - so there! (Picture her sticking out her tongue and giving everyone the raspberry).

Very disappointed. This book just did not have the humor, humanity, or sense of community that most of Stabenow's previous Kate and Mutt books have. Moreover, the crack about the baby boomers not contributing or creating or inventing anything worthwhile was uncalled for, unnecessary, and out of place in the book. Finally, this contained too many flaws regarding past storylines to ignore. Stabenow has said before that she has tweaked details to create a story, but her inattention to the details regarding Erland Bannister and his family was too glaring to ignore, especially since a previous book (A Taint in the Blood) was completely dedicated to outlining the Bannister family relationships (the plot lines depended on this). Tweaking details to add to or enhance a story is fine with me, but to totally ignore what she laid out in previous books made the book that much less enjoyable for me. If Stabenow is truly bored or sick of writing about Kate and Mutt, she should just acknowledge that and perhaps write a final installment worthy of the series that includes the humor, humanity, and sense of community of her earlier books.

Perhaps it's been too long since the last Kate Shugak book, but I enjoyed this read immensely, and if it's not my favorite of the series, it's very high up there. (Disclosure: I like romance, relationship, and character development in my books and I don't like my murder mysteries too dark or gruesome.) I'm not sure how readers new to Kate Shugak will like this, as there were many references to situations and characters from past books (A Cold Day for Murder and Hunter's Moon come to mind but there are many more). I think that's one of the reasons why I liked this one so much - it was like revisiting old friends while reading about new ones. I can't wait for the next book, but I can't imagine liking it more than this one.

I too have read every single one of Dana Stabenow's books and, for the most part, have enjoyed them. This book was a huge let down not only in story line, which was dull and unimaginative, but also for the characters. I started skimming the book about half way through just to find out what happened to Mutt. I had no concern at all about the main characters, including Kate and Jim. The idea that someone, Kate, checks herself out of the hospital after a serious gun shot wound to the abdomen and then spends 4 months in the Alaska wilderness rebuilding a cabin without help is preposterous at best. Jim spends 4 months searching every inch of the homestead and can't find Mutt and doesn't find Kate? Doesn't check on her medical status? And then to top it off there really is no mystery here. Oh, there's a dead person or two, and there's a missing person, but where's the mystery about what happened? This book, without a bunch of the unnecessary fluff, should have been the ending of Bad Blood. To me this is an example of an author who has lost her enjoyment for writing this series and now is "churn them out as fast as I can" mode.

I loved this book. I disagree with people who feel that it's a weak entry in the Kate Shugak series. By book 21, most authors have stopped writing readable books - for example, John Grisham, Stuart Woods, Janet Evanovich - authors whose early books I have loved over the years & who now seem to phone it in with each new novel. But I love these characters - Kate, Jim & Mutt - and seeing them together made me happy. Was it great literature? Maybe not but it made me happy & nowadays, with all the reading I do, if a book makes me happy then I think it's a darn good book & worth reading. I honestly don't think I will ever get tired of these characters, they & all of the "regulars" in the series, are like real people to me. So please keep on writing, Dana - you've got a real forever fan in me!

Definitely not a cozy mystery, Kate is one tough cookie. Her script for recovering from the bullet wound received in her last case is to tear down and rebuild her wilderness cabin. Her attraction for stray corpses yields one, long dead and mostly eaten by her habitat neighbors. Returning to her more civilized environs gains her a new job: to find a missing geologist.
For a while, she and Chopper Jim keep missing each other but their ultimate connection is prolonged, vigorous, and mutually enjoyable. The Park denizens do their thing, villains are thwarted and another enjoyable "Shugak of the North" story is told..

As others have said, there are some gratuitous current political rants but Stabenow's storytelling is intact. I enjoy her descriptions of the landscape and the colorful people in the Park. Always educational when Native Alaskans are portrayed with one foot in their ancient cultures, the other in the Klondike. If you enjoy quick-read crime novels a la John McDonald, John Sanford or Clive Cussler, you'll be happy with this latest Stabenow work.

To support an Alaskan author I purchased the signed hardback copy with the silk bookmark attached. It is a pretty book. While crime is not my reading or writing genre, I have found the books I've read of Dana's are interesting. She supposes you know some things that a lot of people do not know so when you can figure out what she means by it, a smile creeps over your face and occasionally a chuckle. I got a little confused at the end but it cleared up and I closed the book having enjoyed the read. Dana is prolific and awarded and a great person. Enjoy the book. I did.

Out of her 21 books- this one I was put off by Political. showbiz people, Jim quitting, Jim and his airplane and the fact that Kate came into the story halfway thru and Mutt, literally the last page of this book. I will confess that I started flipping thru this book after it went on about the showbiz people and pretty much after that. This is definely not a book to buy. I still will buy her books but this one should be rented and if U like it buy it for your collection but take heed.

After reading the novel before this one and feeling devastated, I am smiling and happy with this one. Again and again, Ms. Stabenow has given her readers a marvelous story and great thrilling ride through the lives of her Park rats!

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?
_Robert Frost, “Reluctance”

When we last saw Kate Shugak, she and her beloved Mutt, a wolf-huskie mix, had both been critically wounded by
gunfire. Sergeant “Chopper” Jim Chopin shot and killed the gunman. Kate was rushed to the hospital. What became of Mutt? That remains a mystery for most of the book.

Less Than a Treason opens about where Bad Blood left off, except that the author doesn’t do much to remind us of
what has happened to Kate. Eventually, she gives us bits and pieces, but I felt quite confused and discombobulated
for the first several chapters. It’s been four years between books, and it was hard to just pick up the names and places again. Things just felt out of kilter. Maybe that was on purpose? After all, Kate disappeared to heal. She builds a cabin in a remote area of the Park and lives a solitary life for four months. Once she reappears, friends, family, and acquaintances echo the same refrain, “I heard you were dead.” Kate being Kate, she offers no explanation, no apology. It seems none was expected.

A petite 40-something-year-old Inuit woman, she has had a close brush with death before. That doesn’t stop her from doing what she does, which is investigate crimes as a PI. She has always been an independent, strong woman. While Kate has been gone, her live-in love interest, Jim, has quit his job and busied himself building an airstrip and hangar. Once Kate comes down from her self-imposed exile, everyone wonders when the two will hook up again.

In the meantime, Kate has a case land in her lap. While still at her cabin, a woman who is part of an orienteering group trips over human remains. Then she's hired to find a missing geologist. The next day...well, things get complicated. Kate uses her connections to dig into the background of all the parties. There are no real surprises, just solid detective work of finding the pieces to the puzzle and putting them together in a way that makes sense. Is there greed, danger, death, romance, sex? Yes, of course. Since this is Kate Shugak ‘s world and it is Alaska, we also get lots of colorful characters like the aunties, Bobby, and all the folks at the bar, along with images of the northern wilderness.

Because I have read and loved this series for so long, I really, really wanted to love this book. However, the beginning was quite frustrating to read. Despite the fact that the story did come together and hold some of the flavor of the older books, it lacked the cohesiveness that I expected. I felt a certain disconnect with the characters, and that was disappointing. In the end, I did enjoy the story; it simply was not as wonderful as most of the previous books in the series.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this series of books but was disappointed in the lag time between books 20 and 21. I think most of the story lines were wrapped up in this book. Happy the main characters are together. Loved the last page.

I waited patiently for this book to come out, and read it in one sitting. After I finished, I had the distinct impression that I had just witnessed a curtain call. In somewhat the same manner as the closing of The Quiet Man, all the major and most of the minor characters got their brief shot, just to reassure us that all was well with them. The plot seemed contrived to tie up a lot of loose ends -- the mine is shut down, the ogre has been vanquished, and Jim and Kate seem poised to retire to their cabin in the woods, independently wealthy and able to pretty much ignore the outside world.

I found this book at the library by accident! After the last book I had sworn off Dana Stabenow, being very angry about how it ended, and the uninteresting story line. This was getting back to the writing that has brought her so many fans. Looking forward to the next one.

I've waited for years for a new Kate Shugak book, and this did not disappoint me. Within pages I was right back into the world of the indomitable Kate and her quirky friends and relatives. As usual, the setting of Alaska plays a central part in the story. Oh,how I've missed you all!

This book was a puzzle to me....and after reading the reviews, I feel like I am not alone. I wondered for the first 100 pages who had written the book, but I felt towards the end it got back on track with the authors normal style of writing and normal situations and narrative for the characters. If this had been the first book of the series...I wouldn't have read the rest of them...but since I have read all of them and loved them...(with this one being questionable) I will read the next one...if there is one.

As usual Dana Stabenow's latest Kate Shugak novel is excellent. This is the 21st Kate, and the stories are still fresh and vital. If anything, both Kate and Dana are aging with poise and a sharpening wit.

I gave this book 3 stars because it is set in Alaska and, having lived there for a couple decades, I always love a book set there. If it was set anywhere else it would of rated 2 stars - maybe only 1. The series up to this book was a solid collection of mysteries with wonderfully Alaskan characters. The main character, Kate, was completely unraveled in this story and re-knit into a shallow, selfish, and self-absorbed person that is hard to reconcile with the Kate from before. I agree with many other reviews that believe Stabenow is bored with this series and that this is probably the last story for Kate. The actual mystery is a rework of a previous one - which was better than this version - and wasn't very compelling. I was also amused by the author's "baby boomer" & conservative voter bashing. It was completely out of context and added absolutely nothing whatsoever to the story - it does insult "boomers" who buy her books (like me) and a large section of her home, the State of Alaska, that is a traditionally conservative state. That was a risky move for a mediocre book. I'm sorry if the series ends this way - it used to be so very good!

I am really giving this two stars because I loved her earlier books and it is familiar territory. This seems to have been written by another person. It has only been a couple of years since I read one of her novels and yet the character were confusing. Perhaps no editor?

Hard to say much without giving away surprises, but this book redeemed the series for me, almost enough to forgive the cliffhanger ending of the previous one. There is much healing, and much to solve and resolve, all in a fast-paced page-turner. The reader is also rewarded by insights into literature, movies, nature, and skijoring (who knew?)
"One man (or job) away from welfare" from Sharyn McCrumb and even a Buffy reference.
I detect a little thread that might lead to the next book, but was relieved that everyone was properly safe and happy for the nonce.
Recommended whole-heartedly for your enjoyment. <3

I'm so disappointed. I've loved Kate and Mutt and the Park crew for years, but this book leaves me cold. Instead of a well-plotted, suspenseful story with colorful characters it feels like a string of anecdotes, one-liners, pop culture references, and name dropping. The pace feels off, like Stabenow is trying too hard. And worst of all, our beloved characters have turned into caricatures. What's up, Dana?

I was one of those who thought kate #20. bad Blood, was poorly done - lack of character development, etc., I really didn't like the book - hard on a up to then Stabenow fan - the first kate book i didn't buy.

Dana, you almost made up for it, this one reads with the style I had come to expect, I could nitpick but I won't and knowing what had to come in the final chapter, as it did, all is forgiven.
So where is Kate #22?

ps I paused reading Silk and Song #2 to read it...

For those of you who read Stabenow's previous book, you know Kate was shot point-blank with a 30-30 round. In this book Shugak's back after a long recovery, having been shot with a small caliber full metal jacket bullet, as described in this sequel. Well, we know it was .30 caliber from the previous novel. Next, no hunter in the Alaska outback would ever use a fmj bullet in his rifle or carbine. This is a serious technical error on the part of the author. The fmj round was mandated for military and police ammo. In the military, you want to wound, not kill an enemy, because it requires support staff to keep the person alive, so expanding bullets were banned for a very practical reason. Cops aren't supposed to use expanding or frangible bullets, but they do... Hunters would never ever use fmj ammo. One would be hunting for meat, and would want a sure kill. No one, repeat no one, would use a fmj round, for hunting. At 50 yards, a 30-30 bullet will bring down a moose. A 30-30 hunting round when expanded reaches nearly half an inch or more in diameter,and, assuming it didn't hit a bone and further fragment, the amount of hydrostatic damage is enormous at point blank range. Now you may still believe in Santa Claus, but if you think Kate could survive this gunshot, you're deluded. It seems Stabenow has gone back to writing science-fiction.

The wait was difficult, but it was worth it. I love Stabemow's Kate Shugak series, and I was not disappointed in this book.
Kate is recovering from being shot. She has rebuilt a remote shack, and worked hard to rebuild her own strength. When she finally re-emerges, it is with the news of bones several years old, and a more recent missing person case falls in her lap.
While dealing with those, she must also decide how and whether to reconnect with Jim.
The writing is lyrical, the setting as impressive as ever, and the characters simultaneously alarming and amusing. I will look forward to rereading this book.

I can't really review a book I haven't read, but the reviews and comments I have read reminds me of the characters in Stephen King's book 'Misery'. In that book, of course, a 'number one fan' loses it when a writer kills off the main character in a beloved series in order to end a genre he is famous for and expand his writing style. It did not go well. ?