Season's Revenge: A Christmas Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Henry Kisor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2004

T'is the weeks before Christmas in Upper Peninsula, Michigan, but some big events indeed are stirring for Lakota deputy sheriff Steve Martinez. The normally sleepy woodland town is uncharacteristically alive with activity after the body of one of its most respected residents, Paul Passoja, is found at a forest campsite, the victim of what looks to be a bear attack.
From the moment he arrives on the crime scene, things just don't add up for Steve Martinez. Why would Passoja, a skilled camper and hunter, be careless enough to scatter bacon grease near his tent? Lead by curiosity, Steve begins an unofficial investigation of the mishap, only to discover that the "random" animal attack might not be so random after all. It seems that quite a few people in town had reason to do in Paul Passoja, but the evidence isn't pointing to anyone in particular.

The more Steve investigates, the deeper he sinks into a mystery as old as the town itself. The seemingly peaceful forest haven was once a hotbed of treachery, and ill will only ripens with age. As he gets closer to the murderer, Steve learns the hard way that whoever killed Paul Passoja is more than willing to do it again.

But Steve Martinez's Native American ancestors were never ones to fold, and neither is he.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Paul Passoja has lived on Michigan's Upper Peninsula all of his 70-plus years and would never invite a bear attack with bacon grease around his tent--which is why Native American Deputy Sheriff Steve Martinez refuses to accept Passoja's death as a tragic accident. Plus, as he begins to question Passoja's family and associates, Martinez notices that there are too many grieving tears not being shed over the death. The history of the area also becomes a factor. The peacefulness of this forested haven is an illusion: Passoja was at the center of a history of treachery that extends back decades. Kisor, the longtime literary editor and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, has surely read a lot of mysteries through the years. He has cherry-picked the best elements and woven them into a satisfying mystery with a clever plot, engaging protagonist, and believable dialogue. And Kisor doesn't stop there. He adds a nice love story and even tosses in a little homespun Christmas cheer. An impressive debut. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Compelling . . . A crackerjack mystery story." ---Andrew M. Greeley on Season's Revenge

"There are many pleasures on display in this excellent new mystery by Henry Kisor."---Chicago Tribune on Season's Revenge

"An impressive debut."---Booklist on Season's Revenge

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765345870
• ISBN-13: 978-0765345875
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,885,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Henry Kisor is the retired book editor of the Chicago Sun-Times as well as the author of three nonfiction books and three mystery novels. He is also the co-author of one children's book.

He is the author of a series of mystery novels set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Season's Revenge (2003), A Venture into Murder (2005) and Cache of Corpses (2007). A fourth novel, Hang Fire, is forthcoming.

His nonfiction works are What's That Pig Outdoors?: A Memoir of Deafness (1990 and 2010), Zephyr: Tracking a Dream Across America (1994) and Flight of the Gin Fizz: Midlife at 4,500 Feet (1997).

His books have been published abroad in German, Dutch and United Kingdom editions.

He writes two blogs, The Reluctant Blogger and The Whodunit Photographer.
He was the book editor of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1978 to his retirement in 2006, after five years in the same position with the old Chicago Daily News.

His reviews and articles have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and on MSNBC.com. Between 1977 and 1982 he was an adjunct instructor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. From 1983 to 1986 he wrote a weekly syndicated column on personal computers that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Orlando Sentinel, Seattle Times and other newspapers.

He was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1981. The Friends of Literature awarded him the first James Friend Memorial Critic Award in 1988 and the Chicago Foundation for Literature Award for Nonfiction in 1991 for What's That Pig Outdoors? In 1991 Trinity College awarded him a honorary Doctor of Letters degree. In 2001 he was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame.

Educated at Trinity College (B.A., 1962) in Hartford, Conn., and at Northwestern University (M.S.J., 1964) in Evanston, Ill., Kisor began his newspaper career in 1964 with the Evening Journal in Wilmington, Del.

He winters in Evanston, Illinois, and summers in Ontonagon, Michigan, with his wife, Deborah Abbott. They have two grown sons, Colin, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice (m. Melody Pershyn), and Conan, a corporate communications editor and writer for the Boeing Company (m. Annie Tully). They also have two grandsons, William Henry Kisor and Conan Emmet Kisor; two granddaughters, Elizabeth Maria Kisor and Alice Flynn Kisor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Suprising and Gratifying New Mystery, October 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Season's Revenge: A Christmas Mystery (Hardcover)

I discovered Henry Kisor some years ago, and a pleasant experience it has been indeed. I started with his book, "Flight of the Gin Fizz," a tremendously appealing tale of a solo flight across America in a small plane, and of the fascinating people he encountered, not least himself. That lead me to his other works, which I also enjoyed, leaving me waiting his next.

A new Kisor book has just been published, "Season's Revenge". To my surprise, the book is a crime novel, a most excellent one, and unlike anything else Kisor has done. Still, Kisor, outside of his own writings, is perhaps best known as a book critic of mystery novels.

The book proved a gratifying read. Being a long time fan - as is obvious - of Kisor's work, none the less "Seasons' Revenge" is a treat. Let me be honest. I read few mysteries, save Tony Hillerman, which really are rather what I am told are considered police procedurals rather than mysteries of the classic Agatha Christie style.

Kisor's hero, Deputy Steve Martinez, is a recently hired Lakota Sioux sheriff's deputy in Da UP, Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula to those not from the Midwest. Martinez, raised in upstate New York, is escaping a failed romance and trying to start a new life.

The novel opens with the discovery of a grisly death scene of a local stalwart of the community, killed in a vicious bear attack. Though the death seems to clearly be nothing more than a tragedy of events, Martinez is dissatisfied. Things just don't quite add up. Yet, he really has nothing to go on, nothing to point at.

Keeping his dissatisfaction to himself, Martinez keeps his ears and eyes open as the UP eases from Fall into Winter, largely becoming cut off from the outside world. A developing romance with the local historian proves both satisfying to Martinez (and the reader) as well as filling Martinez in on the background of the community and the players of the story.

The local community, largely Finnish, have still not entirely managed to put the Great Depression and a major community conflict behind them. Kisor brings a fascinating bit of history to light here largely unknown outside the UP. It seems that during the 30's a significant number of UP residents of Finnish descent were invited to emigrate to the then Soviet Republic of Karelia, bringing the technology of modern lumbering with them. A number of men accepted, and in doing so created a considerable amount of rancor among the UP Finns, some supporting them as being men looking for a better life and others reviling them as Communist stooges. The aftermath of this failed gambit leaves people in the UP unreconciled to this day.

The plot is a clever mix of old wounds and modern passions that Martinez uncovers and sorts out in his unofficial and indeed rogue detective work. At the same time, his personal life gets more and more entwined with plot developments. All are deftly wrapped up at the conclusion, leaving the reader well satisfied. Kisor does the reader the favor of actually continuing the book several chapters after the denouement, sorting out the personal details of the protagonists to the reader's considerable pleasure. A nice touch indeed, compared to the usual practice of dumping of the reader prematurely.

I sincerely hope this appealing book is the first of a long series.

4.0 out of 5 stars Upper P Mystery, November 23, 2010

By 

Amy "Brave Warrior" (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Season's Revenge: A Christmas Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Nothing like a good murder mystery in the Upper P to start the season off. The only thing I really did not like was that the paperback I had, had very small print.

5.0 out of 5 stars From my new favorite author!, October 3, 2010

By 

M. Bretscher "Mother B loves mystery" (Darien, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Season's Revenge: A Christmas Mystery (Hardcover)

When I hear about a mystery writer that I had never read, I always start at the beginning of the series and read until I don't like them any more. Now, after the three I have read so far, I am waiting impatiently for the next great book.