Sleeping Lady: An Alex Jensen Mystery (Alex Jensen Alaska Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sue Henry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Alex Jensen Alaska Mysteries | Publication Date: May 1, 1997

When the ice breaks up on a nameless Alaskan lake, one mystery is solved and another arises. Six months after Norm Lewis disappeared while flying out of Anchorage, his fractured Cessna is discovered half submerged in the frigid waters of this isolated lake hundreds of miles from his intended destination. But the only body in the plane is strapped in the passenger's seat - an unidentified woman apparently killed by the same bullets that punctured the fuselage. Who shot down the plane? Where is Norm? But most important, will Alex and Norm's wife, Rochelle, who feels she too must look for Norm, be able to solve the mystery before someone else dies? The splendors of Alaska's wilderness provide the backdrop for an investigation that ends up being as dangerous as a cornered grizzly. On a glacial plateau beyond the mountain ridges of Alaska's famous Sleeping Lady, Jensen and Rochelle pursue the solution in situations where one mistake can mean your life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Love of the Alaska wilderness, a hallmark of Henry's previous books (Termination Dust), shines throughout this hymn to black bears and bush pilots. Rochelle Lewis is told that her missing husband's plane has been located during the spring thaw near Mt. Susitna, known as The Sleeping Lady. Her relief is soured when she learns that his whereabouts are still unaccounted for, but that a woman's body was found in the cockpit. Chelle flies immediately to the site only to find Alaska State Trooper Jensen investigating what is clearly a matter of foul play: the plane had been shot down and the unidentified woman had been fatally beaten before the crash. Where had Norm Lewis been taking this woman? And why hadn't he told his wife about the unscheduled charter flight? As Jensen, the medical examiner and other officials try to identify the woman and track the shooter, Chelle begins to wake from her winterlong paralysis occasioned by her husband's disappearance. But after she discovers clues to his fateful trip, she is stalked by those who want Norm's purpose hidden. While the thin plot may disappoint some mystery traditionalists, Henry's textured characterization, her attentive depiction of the wilderness area and a brown bear's spring awakening and her indignation at hunting violations will engage most armchair travelers in the lower 48.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Melting spring snow uncovers the smashed remains of a small aircraft with a corpse in the passenger seat. Alex Jensen, the Alaska state trooper introduced in Murder on the Iditarod Trail (LJ 4/1/91), seeks out the missing pilot. Solid.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Avon (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380724073
• ISBN-13: 978-0380724079
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And from the bear's viewpoint..., May 26, 2000

By 

R. K. Smith (Texas Hill Country, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Sleeping Lady: An Alex Jensen Mystery (Alex Jensen Alaska Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Not only does Sue Henry make the Alaskan landscape come alive, but she puts us right into the mind of a grizzly bear. One winds up rooting for the bear...

This time, Ms. Henry has an ending that I literally did not see coming. Wow.

The gruesome discovery of Norm Lewis' missing plane, after six months under water and ice, is only the beginning of Alex Jensen's problems. Rochelle Lewis insists on "helping" the police, as they try to identify the mysterious woman found in the passenger seat and look for Norm, who wasn't in the plane but hasn't been seen since that fateful day. Poachers, stolen planes, a stubborn pilot looking for her pilot husband, and Aklak the grizzly bear all contribute to a trying wilderness trek, as Alex looks for answers.

In each book, one learns a little more about State Trooper Alex Jensen and musher Jessie Arnold, and soon begins to think of them as close friends, instead of fictional characters. But Alaska is the star here. Whether or not you ever plan to visit, you must read these books. Sue Henry will take you to the real Alaska.

Another fine keeper from a truly talented writer. Enjoy it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT book with VERY unusual ending!, October 10, 1999

By 

Jennifer J. Martin "Jenny, book lover" (Montgomery, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sleeping Lady: An Alex Jensen Mystery (Alex Jensen Alaska Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Anyone who likes mysteries with a twist will go nuts over this one! I sent it to my daughter with a note on the last page to call me when she finished it. I thought maybe I wasn't reading it right, but she agreed with me. I won't say more, I don't want to spoil it for others. A must read! Sue Henry needs to get busy and write faster! Like a trip to Alaska, plus a super story!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snookered!, January 4, 2003

By 

"[e-mail]" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeping Lady: An Alex Jensen Mystery (Alex Jensen Alaska Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Yes, I was snookered by the ending of this book. Never saw it coming. And I liked the fact that I didnt.

Norm Lewis is missing and a woman is found shot dead in his plane bogged down in water. His wife, Alex Jensen and a few others plod into the wilderness after their plane is grounded in an effort to find Norm and instead, find trouble in several forms.

The opening chapter is marvelous. After being to Alaska and seeing a few grizzlies in the wild, you never want to see any animal become extinct. They work on instinct and have no intention of going after us unless we are in their way.

What a book! An exciting read. The ending is cheating but what the heck! I like to be snookered once in a while...in a good way. On to the next. :D