Death Trap: An Alaska Mystery (Alaska Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sue Henry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Alaska Mysteries | Publication Date: April 27, 2004

Up north,
the summers are brief --
and winter, like death,
is cold and long . . .

Recovering from knee surgery that will cause her to miss the upcoming dogsled racing season, champion "musher" Jessie Arnold feels empty and bored -- so she grabs an opportunity to fill her days manning the Iditarod booth at the Alaska State Fair. But murder becomes an attraction here as well -- an especially brutal one -- when the corpse of a small-time hoodlum slain by a double-blade axe blow to the skull turns up on the fairgrounds. Jessie shouldn't get involved, having already seen too much violent death in her lifetime. But strange connections are linking the killing with a child's kidnapping . . . and with the sudden disappearance of her own beloved lead sled dog. Soon friends old and new will be pulled in as well when the unthinkable occurs: Jessie herself vanishes without a trace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anthony and Macavity Award winner Henry underutilizes her trademark Alaskan setting in her 10th Jessie Arnold mystery (after 2002's Cold Company). Told in flashbacks by the famed musher and a number of her friends and allies, the novel rarely achieves her usual level of suspense. Sitting around Jessie's cabin, the group recalls and recounts where they were, what they did and what they knew as this story of murder, dognapping and kidnapping unfolds against the backdrop of the Alaska State Fair. Despite the absence of the author's customary depiction of the magnificent and treacherous Alaskan environment, readers will welcome the return of a former suitor and the introduction of 10-year-old Danny Tabor and 82-year-old Frank Monroe. The spunky youngster and the verbose octogenarian form an unlikely but appealing alliance as they each confront the limitations placed on them by age. They also have to match wits with their pursuers when they unwittingly become possessors of important information. For Jessie, still recovering from knee surgery, this adventure tests her strength of will as she fights to find and rescue her lead dog and boon companion, Tank. Established fans should enjoy this tale, but others should start with another book in the series.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Sidelined from sled-dog racing this season because of a knee injury, musher Jessie Arnold agrees to help out a friend by working the Iditarod booth at the Alaska State Fair. The fun of the fair ends abruptly for Jessie when a man is found dead in a pond on the grounds, and her beloved lead dog, Tank, mysteriously disappears from the booth. Heartsick, Jessie searches for Tank, placing herself in great danger because the dog's disappearance appears to tie in with the murder. The story is told as a series of flashbacks as the principals involved in the case rehash events at Jessie's cabin, attempting to assemble the pieces of the puzzle. Well-drawn characters, especially 10-year-old Danny and senior-citizen Frank Monroe, charm the reader. The flashback technique seems choppy at first but begins to gel as the pacing picks up. Interesting developments in Jessie's personal life will please fans of this long-running series, now in its tenth installment. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avon (April 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380816865
• ISBN-13: 978-0380816866
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The return of an old friend, July 10, 2003

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Trap: An Alaska Mystery (Alaska Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Musher Jessie Arnold is laid up with a bad knee and is unable to train or participate in the Iditerod race which has been the focus of much of her life in recent years. Her sled dogs are farmed out to a friend for training and the only dog she has kept with her is her lead dog, Tank. Feeling very bored, Jessie receives an invitation to help out with a booth at the Alaska State Fair. She agrees, and soon she and Tank are in the middle of things at this busy event. A death occurs, and people become concerned about their safety. Meanwhile a young boy and a senior citizen steal away from their respective homes and join forces to elude their captors. Most of the story is told by flashbacks which definitely detract from the suspense since the reader already knows that the characters are safe. Author Henry brings back a former lover of Jessie's but somehow, her instant acceptance of him, despite a long absence, does not ring true. Having just returned from a trip to Alaska, I was looking forward to the author's usual wonderful descriptions of this area, but I was disappointed that this particular book was lacking in that respect. I gave the book 3 stars because it lacks the suspense and the vivid descriptions of others in the series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Ultimate Cozy, July 1, 2003

By 

Casey B. Rucker (Dryfork, WV, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Trap: An Alaska Mystery (Alaska Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Sue Henry has provided her faithful readers with an ultimately cozy mystery. In the first two pages of the book, we learn not only that heroine and Iditarod-musher Jessie Arnold's beloved lead dog, Tank, is going to get dog-napped, but also that everything turns out all right in the end. In these days when reading the newspaper provides all the unpleasant suspense a reader could ask for, I felt very grateful to Ms. Henry for eliminating my worries about Tank, and allowing me to read with pure pleasure.

Tank is already one of the most well-rounded characters in the Jessie Arnold series, and the depth of characterization (without undue anthropomorphism) of this quadruped and his relation to Jessie distinguish this series. Readers who value those talents of Ms. Henry will not be disappointed by this novel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, light mystery..., October 27, 2005

By 

K. L Sadler "Dr. Karen L. Sadler" (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Trap: An Alaska Mystery (Alaska Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I bet some people are going to say, "What is a light mystery?" I guess for me it's a book that is not gruesome or heavy on the gore, and though it's a good read, the writing is not the best. I'd never read one of Henry's books before, and I enjoyed learning more about Alaska. The writing is a bit confusing because the author is writing from the point of view that all the 'good' people involved in the mystery are sitting around a fire and explaining what their part in the mystery was. So it jumps back and forth between this scenario and each of the characters (besides the main character). I don't think I've seen this type of setup before, or not since Agatha Christie or I think one of the Sherlock Holmes stories used this way of presenting the plot...

Henry is obviously a dog lover, as I am, and the abuse any dogs makes me angry. I would hope no one would ever pull a stunt on a dog or a person similar to the one done by the sadistic predator in this story. Henry's books are good enough, that if I come upon them again, I will most probably pick it up and read it. But with all the serious reading I do, the biographies and histories and science I want to get to and the mystery writers who I really think are good writers...I won't go looking for Ms. Henry's books.

Karen Sadler