A Cold Blooded Business [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Dana Stabenow (Author), Marguerite Gavin (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 1999

Alaskan private detective Kate Shugak goes undercover to expose the illicit drug trade along the TransAlaska pipeline, but the case is threatened when her cover is blown. By the author of Dead in the Water.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stabenow's hardcover debut marks the fourth outing for Kate Shugak (last seen in Dead in the Water ), a native Aleut who is building a solid reputation as a tough freelance investigator. Although Kate has no love for the oil companies drilling in Alaska, she accepts a commission from Royal Petroleum Co. to find out who is bringing drugs into the Prudhoe Bay work site where there have been several overdoses and one death. Over the objections of RPetCo's security chief, Lou Childress, Kate goes in as an employee, getting a good look at her surroundings as a driver for Toni Hartzler, who gives PR tours to visiting dignitaries. She gains an instant "in" with the locals when she encounters Jerry McIsaac, an old acquaintance who works there as a medic. Kate spots plenty of drugs at her first party but doesn't observe anyone dealing. Of equal interest to her are the Native American artifacts being unearthed by archeologists at a local dig. While Kate is getting caught up in artifacts, she fails to notice that the dealers themselves are playing sleuth, putting her in danger. Throughout, Stabenow makes effective use of the regional setting, culture and Kate's personal heritage to add depth and color to this brisk and thoughtful tale. Mystery Guild alternate.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-This title finds Kate Shugak investigating apparent drug trafficking among the oil workers of the Royal Petroleum Corporation in the Arctic Circle. She has been recommended for the job for several reasons-her Aleutian roots, her past experience in the Anchorage District Attorney's office, and her outstanding record. Readers will not be overly surprised by the unraveling of the case, but they will find the several story lines to be enjoyable. As Kate locates the source of the illegal drugs, so are the subplots revealed, producing a unified, engaging read.
Diane Goheen, Topeka West High School
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Books on Tape, Inc. (December 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736648615
• ISBN-13: 978-0736648615
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,220,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dana Stabenow was born in Anchorage and raised on 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska.  She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere and found it in writing. 

Her first science fiction novel, Second Star, sank without a trace (but has since been resurrected as an e-book), her first crime fiction novel, A Cold Day for Murder, won an Edgar award, her first thriller, Blindfold Game, hit the New York Times bestseller list, and her twenty-eighth novel and nineteenth Kate Shugak novel, Restless in the Grave, comes out February 14, 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful Alaskan mystery, August 13, 2000

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Cold-Blooded Business (Kate Shugak Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an exciting, suspenseful and atmospheric mystery set in Alaska. Aleut investigator Kate Shugak goes undercover working on the pipeline for an oil company to find out who's supplying cocaine to its employees. I could have done with a little less detail on the processes involved in oil extraction, but there's a lot to enjoy here. Much of Kate's first day at the base camp is quite funny, and there are enough colorful, eccentric people to satisfy anyone. I enjoyed the interlude in Anchorage with Kate and her wolf-Siberian husky mix, Mutt, one of those dogs you find in mysteries who obviously have more sense than some of the human characters. The identity of one of the drug dealers really surprised me. Not only is this a good, entertaining story; it's also true to life in showing, as Kate points out, how drugs can make smart people stupid and greedy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kate Works the Pipeline, April 6, 2004

By 

Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cold-Blooded Business (Kate Shugak Mystery) (Hardcover)

It is such a pleasure to read these early entries in the wonderful Kate Shugak series, and to get to know our main character book by book.

In this fourth book in the series, Kate, working undercover to find the source of a mighty cocaine habit among workers on the Pipeline (unnamed, but obviously a conglomerate of existing pipeline behemoths), hires on as a roustabout in Alaska's Far North. Knowing that her very presence at the oil company's home base will offend her formidable grandmother for all time, Kate nevertheless quickly gets used to the work, the comraderie--and most of all, the nonstop food, akin to a cruise ship. Between gorging herself on luscious steaks, homemade fries and all-you-can-eat ice cream sundaes, Kate begins to sense the evil and dangerous drug busines that lurks beneath the surface.

With some much-needed "down time" with lover Jack and wonder dog Mutt (half huskie, half wolf) to clear her head, Kate uncovers a plot that threatens to undermine not only the giant oil company, but her very life as well.

Fun, fast read...absolutely delightful.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, thrilling, captivating, and lots of fun., February 26, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Cold-Blooded Business (Kate Shugak Mystery) (Hardcover)

When I grow up I want to be Kate Shugak. I want to be fiercely independant, pretty, strong and intelligent. I want to work for money when I need it at the jobs I choose. I want to be able to live off the land and live in the middle of nowhere. I want a beautiful fierce dog at my side. I want the relationships in my life to be by their own rules. I want to live an unboring life of excitement, whether it's dangerous or peaceful. Never mind that Kate is two years younger than I am now, I want to be her when I grow up!