Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stabenow's Kate Shugak series remains fresh and engaging, January 13, 2005
The latest Kate Shugak mystery begins on a humorous note, as an overzealous Kate, eager to repay her friends for favors performed in 2003's A Grave Denied, becomes an annoyance to everyone she knows. Thus, her friends breathe a sigh of relief when she becomes preoccupied with a new client, Charlotte Bannister Muravieff. A member of a wealthy Alaskan family, Muravieff wants Kate to gather evidence to help clear her mother, Victoria, who was imprisoned for the murder of her son William some thirty years prior. Unable to turn down the large fee the woman offers, Kate begins her investigation of what she quickly realizes is no ordinary cold case.
Fourteen installments in, Stabenow's Kate Shugak series remains fresh and engaging. Shugak is an impressive leading lady, an aggressive, capable, tough as nails heroine who somehow also manages to endear herself to most everyone she encounters. Stabenow has also created an impressive supporting cast for Kate to interact with, from her sage uncle Old Sam, to her lovable dog Mutt, to her romantic conquest, the increasingly enamored lawman Jim Chopin. All bring out different sides of Stabenow's multifaceted protagonist, as well as providing frequent comic relief.
It's a winning mix, one that's only enhanced by the intriguing mysteries Stabenow has concocted for Kate over the years. If you haven't experienced the charms of this series as yet, A Taint in the Blood is as good a place as any to start.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly the best yet!!!, April 1, 2005
Don't believe any of the carping or nit-picking by reviewers who were put off by the "graphic sex scenes," which were a delight in fact. What a romp the whole book was, so much so that I sat up late to-night to finish it, well past my usual bed-time. It was great fun and for the sex, that was just funnier than heck. Be assured that any reader who doesn't think so is either a prude or inhibited or lacks a sense of humor, since at the end of every last one of these scenes I was not left aroused but laughing ... and if you want to know why, then give yourself the pleasure of reading the whole thing - full of the expected quirky characters and convoluted plot that kept me guessing almost to the end as well as the strong "sense of place," not to mention giving the reader a strong sense of Alaska - its history, environment, people, traditions ... warts and all!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for a winter afternoon, December 19, 2004
As a long-time fan of Dana Stabenow and her heroine, Kate Shugak, I was happy to go along on another adventure. Stabenow has added a lighter touch, opening with some snapshots of Kate's excessive helpfulness. And it was fun to follow Kate around Anchorage, which the author knows well. Alaska is magnificent in summer and the author captures the feeling well.
The plot isn't bad. A wealthy woman pays Kate a huge (unspecified) sum of money to get her mother out of jail after 30 years. The mother needs medical treatment and the daughter is afraid she'll die in prison. Kate investigates systematically, calling in favors from all over, and soon realizes several parts of the story are unexplained.
There are a few odd steps in her detection, such as her decision to have dinner with an influential wealthy suspect. The solution seems plausible but not obvious and the cover-up and the explanation seems a little more tangled than it might be. The obligatory climax with real physical danger seems a little forced but easy to read and enjoyable to follow.
However, I have to agree with other reviewers. Stabenow gives us too many steamy (or pseudo-steamy) sex scenes, where she moves to the viewpoint of Chopper Jim. Some of his reactions seem more appropriate to an inexperienced teenager, not a middle-aged ladies' man. We can already guess that Kate would be fantastic as a sex partner because she's so athletic and in touch with her body. We don't need the details, down to her underwear. Given that Kate is a dignified woman who commands more respect than liking, I feel that we're invading her privacy.
And because the tale has been set in Anchorage, we don't get to revisit Johnny and the Park rats. That's understandable: in any series, the author has to move us away so we won't get bored with the same old scenes.
Finally, I lived in Alaska in 1989-1991. Every year Alaska gets more and more like "Outside," so I can see where Stabenow has to stretch to give us a sense of place. But I hope she does. Kate's home must be very different than when the series started. I'd like to learn more.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
