Customer Reviews

Cold Company: An Alaska Mystery

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dog musher Jessie Arnold has not had an easy time of it lately. Four months ago, she broke up with her significant other, State Trooper Alex when he moved to Idaho and she didn't want to leave Alaska nor commit to a marriage when she guarded her independence. Three months ago, a serial arsonist burnt down her log cabin located in a remote area eight miles from the small town of Wasilla in Matunuska Valley.

Now that the long days of summer are nearly here, work is getting underway to build Jessie a bigger and better log cabin complete with a basement. When they excavate the hole that will house the foundation, Jessie finds a skeleton buried in one of the dirt walls. The police also find a gold butterfly pendant near the remains, which belong to the victim of one of Alaska's most violent serial killers. The pendant links up to a copycat killing that are going on today and Jessie finds herself once again in deadly danger.

Sue Henry brings to life the beauty and the camaraderie of living in Alaska to such a degree that readers will want to hop a plane to visit our forty-ninth state. The protagonist embodies the spirit of Alaska, a person who is fiercely independent, wants her way, and will bend but not break. The mystery itself is a well-drawn puzzle, impossible to fathom until all the pieces click neatly into place. Readers of COLD COMPANY will enjoy the latest installment in this long running series.

Harriet Klausner

Jessie Arnold, intrepid Alaskan female musher, has been without a permanent home since her cabin was burned by an arsonist the previous year. Now she watches in delight as a construction crew digs a hole for the basement of her new home. In the process, however, Jesse discovers the skeleton of someone who was buried on her homesite many years ago. As the forensic experts attempt to discover the identity of the body, new bodies of women more recently killed begin to show up in the vicinity. Also Jessie begins to receive roses from an anonymous person, which parallels the modus operandi of a serial killer who operated in the area some 20 years ago. The investigation of the murders proceeds as Jessie's house is rebuilt and the mystery grows until the climatic moment when the killer's identity is revealed and Jessie's life is endangered. A new romance, and a new cabin for Jessie infuse some interesting elements into this enjoyable series.

Jessie Arnold is building a new cabin on her property to replace the one that was burned to the ground by an arsonist a few months ago (Beneath The Ashes). During the excavation for her basement, a skeleton is unearthed. Meanwhile, women are being found to have been murdered in a way that recalls a serial murderer of twenty years ago. Sue Henry weaves a wonderful plot in which several characters could be the perpetrator. The reader worries Jessie will trust the wrong person while suspecting another. As always, Henry's landscape and wildlife descriptions are so well done, it's almost like being there. I read Sleeping Lady several years ago and I don't remember the story, but I remember the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness. These books let the reader reside in the wilderness for a little while with all the perks and none of the hardships.

This is the latest in the Sue Henry Alaskan Mystery Series. In this one Jessie is finally rebuilding her cabin, which was devastated 2 books ago. She has a group of people who are helping her make this go much quicker than the first one. But, things come to a screeching halt as soon as a dead body is found on her property as part of the excavation. This leads to the mystery of who this person is and how they got there. Then there is also something that is found on the body that might tie the skeleton to another unsolved murder.

As part of this story you will again see some of the characters from the past books. You will feel for Jessie as she and 2 others crash into a glacier (not telling who) and one of them dies. You will also be taken on a wild emotional ride at the climax.

Sue Henry continues to paint a wonderful picture in my mind about this part of Alaska and what things are not taken for granted that the rest of us do. As usual there is just a little bit about sled dog racing in this one. I hope there is more in the next.

If you enjoy a mystery story full of red herrings, stalwart characters, an exotic Alaskan setting coupled with enough twists and turns to titillate the most ardent armchair sleuth, COLD COMPANY by Sue Henry is just the ticket.

Jessie Arnold is a well-known "dog musher" who was the target of a serial arsonist who destroyed her home in Henry's earlier book, BENEATH THE ASHES. Now with work under way to rebuild her lost log cabin, she finds a skeleton in the dig. Along with the male bones, investigators find a butterfly necklace purported to belong to a young woman who disappeared more than 20 years ago. Could her bones be buried near this body? Could Jessie's land be another burial site used by serial killer Robert Hansen, who was convicted of 17 murders and is now spending his waning days in prison?

This theory is ruled out almost immediately when the bodies of two recently murdered women are found in close proximity to the construction site. Everyone involved in the investigation agrees that a copycat killer is on the loose...but who and why? After all, in the small, claustrophobic towns of rural Alaska, neighbors and workers are friends who know each other. Or do they?

If these unnerving events aren't enough to jangle the nerves of ever independent Jessie Arnold, she also begins to receive anonymous gifts in the form of a single rose left first on her doorstep and then in her kitchen. At first, she thinks they may be a surprise from her former lover but then realizes that their break, while painful, was permanent. So, who is trespassing on her property and invading her most private space?

As all of the book's events unfold, the Alaskan summer solstice slowly melts away toward winter; Jessie and her friends are convinced that they are on the trail of a different serial murderer. They wend their way along wilderness trails that lead deep into heavy forest cover to emerge slipping and sliding over the icy glacial terrain that surrounds their part of the world.

Sue Henry is an adept storyteller. In Jessie Arnold she has created a prototype of a single, independent, self-supporting and intelligent but stubborn woman, who always wants things her way. But Jessie is not hard or cold hearted. She is has the courage to reexamine and reevaluate her opinions, behaviors, strengths, and vulnerabilities without compromising her integrity. These characteristics save Henry's protagonist from being a stereotype and rescue her tales from banality.

COLD COMPANY is a fast paced read, perfect for a hot summer day.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

I have just recently read this book and found it good. The only problem was i suspected who did it from the start. There was also one other thing that bothered me. In the story it said Becker started talking about the girl he was dating, but in Murder On The Iditarod Trail there was something about the wedding-ring status of Cas and Becker. I don't know if i missed something about if he got divorced or Henry forgot about that. I also do like that someone more permanent in Jessie life though I would have liked to see Alex and Jessie back together. I also would like to see in Alex in her next book like one about things in Idaho.

Sue Henry's knowledge of Alaska adds so much authencity to her writing. Her Alaska mystery series using Jessie Arnold, girl musher, as heroine, are interesting, full of vivid detail, and have enough "male" (stuff/point of view) in them to make a good read for men as well. I especially like her attention to detail of the Alaskan scenery and way of life. She must research like crazy! Cold Company is another book worth reading in this series. I look forward to reading all of them. I always "guess wrong" who the offender is, and Sue Henry keeps you guessing to the very end! She also makes one dream of making the trip to see her Alaska for themselves!

I didn't find this book nearly as good as the previous books, something was definitely missing. I miss the Alex Jensen mysteries which started the series. Hope she brings him back soon.

When I ordered COLD COMFORT,I meant to put it at the bottom of my stack of new books, but naturally had to pull it out and start immediately. Definitely worth it! I was as glad as Jessie to see her new cabin finished and herself moved into it. It was interesting, too, to learn about building the log cabin.
The only reason I rated it "4" (should have said 4-3/4) is that my favorite Henry book is still TERMINATION DUST, the first of hers that I read (have since read it twice more). Every new one has to be measured against that (although the one about the race from Dawson or Whitehorse to Fairbanks was excellent, too).
COLD COMPANY gives people unfamiliar with the area a good look at south central Alaska, and to those who have been there and maybe even been up the road along the Knik River (as I have), it is especially fascinating since we know what it looks like.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ms Henry at a book signing last summer, and she is just as nice as I imagine Jessie to be, if maybe a little more ladylike. Thank you, Sue, for another fine read ... please write faster!!

Cold Company, a Sue Henry Alaskan mystery, is a great read! It's fast-
paced,interesting....a good "who done it?". As in all of her books, Ms.
Henry's wonderful descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and lifestyle
are sure to make one want to visit the state. What I especially enjoy,
reading each of her books, is the brilliant way she weaves in references
to events and people from her previous mystery books. So, for example
if you are reading a "Jessie Arnold" mystery, it's fun to start with
the first one; however her books are great "stand alone" stories too.
I first fell in love with her books when we vacationed in Alaska, and
was impressed also with the accuracy of her descriptions of the state,
cities, roads, topography, and history. I only wish more people in the
"lower 48" were familliar with her works. But I digress..."Cold Company"
is a true KEEPER.