Skeleton Lake (Berkley Prime Crime Mysteries) [Paperback]

Mike Doogan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Berkley Prime Crime Mysteries | Publication Date: August 4, 2009

Wounded during an investigation and still grieving the loss of his son, Anchorage private detective Nik Kane returns to his first big case, one that he's never been able to close. Danny Shirtleff was an undercover cop gunned down on a muddy road next to Skeleton Lake. But even in Alaska, cold cases have a habit of heating up. And Nik Kane is about to get burned.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Three different stories separated by decades propel Doogan's stellar third Alaska police procedural (after 2007's Capitol Offense): PI Nik Kane's poverty-stricken, fatherless youth in Anchorage during the early 1960s; Nik's first murder case at age 36, the unsolved homicide of fellow cop Danny Shirtleff in 1985; and the aftermath of a shooting in 2007 in which Nik's son, Dylan, took a fatal hit from a stray bullet from Nik's own gun. Nik's sister, Cee Cee, a nun, helps his body and soul recuperate in the wake of Dylan's accidental death. The jarring shifts of perspective, fine-tuned to Nik's lifelong search for his father, intensify as the novel crescendos toward its devastating conclusion. All the characters spring from the page as intense as today's violent crime headlines and as convincing as a .38 slug to the belly. Doogan, a former reporter and now Alaska state legislator, doesn't miss a searing beat in this three-movement symphony of loss, guilt and revenge. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Writing with as much style and authority as ever, he's crafted a plot worthy of his prose."
-KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)

"Doogan does not disappoint... a slam-dunk ending."
-LIBRARY JOURNAL

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425229092
• ISBN-13: 978-0425229095
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strong character driven tale, August 17, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skeleton Lake (Hardcover)

Nik Kane was an Anchorage police detective until he was convicted of a crime and spent seven years in prison. When he was exonerated he took a job as a security firm investigator. On his latest case, he was shot and almost died; his son, who was pursuing the same murderer, did die. Nik's wife wants nothing to do with him; so his sister the nun allows him to stay with her while he recuperates.

While healing, Nik flashes back to his youth. In 1967 his father walked out and never came back; his mother never told him why. He thinks of 1985 when he was a rookie and someone assassinated tough police officer Danny Shirtleff with two bullets to his head near Skeleton Lake. Nik and his partner Jackie Dee never learned why Danny was uncover by a make out place; the case went cold without the slightest suspect surfacing. To pass time while recovering, Nik goes over the files he has from the Shirtleff murder.

The story line skips around between the three dates with each representing something critical that happened to Nik; these actually represent three storylines that merge brilliantly though it is somewhat confusing into a strong character driven tale. Readers will learn more about Nik's past that motivates him in the present as Mike Doogan provides a strong shrewd tale that his fans will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Third Entry in Series, September 24, 2008

By 

L. Burns "Bigdog Mom" (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Skeleton Lake (Hardcover)

This is the third book in the Nik Kane/Alaska series and I was not disappointed. Nik is not your stereotypical private eye - he is often hard to like and his relationships with his wife and children are complex and interesting. The depiction of life as a police officer and the impact that has on a marriage rings very true (personal experience speaking here). If you are a 'Spencer' fan then I think this series will appeal to you. Would recommend that you start with the first book 'Lost Angel'. WARNING: This book jumps around quite a bit from Nick's childhood to present day to his early days as a police detective. I thought the author did a good job of keeping the reader from being confused, but I know some people absolutely hate when a story skips back and forth in time.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, February 3, 2009

By 

Dave-in-PA (Fogelsville, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skeleton Lake (Hardcover)

Mike Doogan is fantastic. Seems like he takes you right there. Too bad he is so busy keeping S.P. in line. He should devote more time to writing. (not that the prevoius job doesn't need doing.)