Customer Reviews

Termination Dust (Alex Jensen & Jessie Arnold)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sue Henry's second book is every bit as good as Murder on the Iditarod Trail. Set this time in the Yukon, she weaves the story of an unfortunate gold prospector of 1898 into a modern murder mystery. While history doesn't exactly repeat itself, it certainly won't let the modern characters escape from what happened way back then.

Ms. Henry intersperses today's mystery with passages from the journal of Addison Harley Riser, whose journal and bones were found by Jim Hampton, an outdoorsman on his dream vacation. The vacation turns into a nightmare when he's suspected of killing a controversial ex-senator. Alaskan State Trooper Alex Jensen, detailed to assist RCMP Inspector Charles Delafosse, is not convinced of Hampton's guilt, and soon is also fascinated by Riser's journal. The crimes are awfully similar.

You will not be able to put this book down, so just get comfortable. It's another keeper.

Sue Henry came as a fresh Arctic wind into my Old Kentucky Home. Three times I have visited Alaska, and on two of those occasions, I hit the Yukon Territory. This book is especially meaningful for anyone who has been to Dawson City. She has caputured the spirit of that small isolated town so rich in history. And no one writes as well about the dangers of an Arctic winter. This book led me to all her other novels, and I enjoyed them equally as much. I never thought I would find anyone to equal Robert Service in conveying the feel for the frozen North, but Henry has come very close. Perhaps this work will make more of us in the lower forty-eight realize that the Yukon is a place apart from Alaska, with exciting tales and rich culture all its own. Certainly it demonstrates that crime knows no national boundaries, and Henry writes about it equally well on both sides of the line. Mush on Sue.

Sue Henry writes another winner in "Termination Dust", the second book of her Alex Jensen Mystery Series. Canoeist Jim Hampton is on a trip down the Yukon River when he discovers the bones and the journal of a prospecter, Addison Riser from the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. While pondering the question of what may have caused Riser's death, Hampton is attacked and left for dead himself. He escapes and is discovered by Detective Alex Jensen and Inspector Charles Delafosse who are investigating a stolen car ring and the murder of a prominent man. There is evidence to suggest that Hampton committed the murder and the two lawmen investigate that possibility. The story continues with the constant weaving of Riser's story from the 1800's with that of modern-day Hampton. The story includes lost treasure and a further murder. Henry makes the story rich and complex, yet manages to convincingly tie up all of the loose ends at the end. The reader is also treated to the rich background of the Yukon and a history lesson about the Gold Rush.

I couldnt put this book down. 2nd in Sue Henry's series set in Alaska. A canoeist finds a journal set 100 years in the past of a journey to find gold. He is set upon by the bad guys and the book takes off from there. Alex Jensen and a Canadian Mountie are called in to investigate and work hand in hand to solve this intricate but fascinating plot.

Sue Henry writes one good mystery with a little romance thrown in to the mix. I read this thru a New England snow storm and enjoyed it immensely.(The book; now the snow storm :))

I particularly enjoyed this book, I think because of the interesting contrast between the present and the past. The author skillfully switches between the two stories, and she is adept at conveying both a sense of time and place. I've already finished Death Takes Passage, another one containing lots of interesting historical information, and I'm looking forward to more by Sue Henry. Thanks for taking me away!

Sue Henry knows how to put a good mystery together. Puzzles within puzzles with a very satisfying conclusion. The characters who people her stories are so well developed they seem real. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

Story:
Jim Hampton is enjoying his vacation in the Yukon wilderness when he comes across a eerie relic from the past. He finds what appears to be the remains of human being buried in the bank of the river he is canoeing down. Upon further examination Jim discovers the journal of the dead man in a boot he finds. It turns out that the man was a gold seeker named Addison Rider during the 1897 gold rush. Having no idea why the man was out in the middle of what was definitely rugged and inhospitable wilderness back in 1897, Jim takes the journal and a more surprising find of several gold nuggets intending to investigate further when he gets back to town. Before he can do so he is ambushed by two men who attack him and take most of his belongings, leaving him only with a damaged canoe and his emergency supplies. Jim is shaken but decides to make a emergency camp and hike back to town in the morning. Unfortunately when Jim wakes up in the morning he has more to worry about than a splitting headache. He has two very curious policeman wanting to know why he was camped next to a corpse that was shot with the shotgun lying next to him...
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This is definitely not a light mystery where the whodunit can be guessed halfway through the book. The list of suspects is long and gets longer as the book goes on and it does seem that just about every body had something to with the killings except the poor guy that got stuck with the smoking gun. I will say that the ending was a bit typical but the lead up was great. The author does a good job of weaving two stories together at the same time and it kept me turning the pages. Interestingly (and unusual) the author puts the whole second story together in a kind of appendix at the end of the book which I thought was neat. Also this is apparently a series and I haven't read the rest of them so I can't say how this one fits in as far as a overall story. On it's own though this book definitely kept me turning the pages. If you like your mysteries to take awhile get around to the who in the whodunit and like some history thrown in for good measure I would definitely recommend this book. M.a.c

I liked this book better than the first one. The characters are much more interesting and keeping the names straight is easier. I enjoyed the location and the bit of gold rush history. I thought the writing was so much better in this book. And I know it continues to improve through the series. I accidentally started reading the 6th book instead of this one and noticed immediately that her writing style was so much better than the first. There aren't as many dead bodies in this one, but that's okay with me. A very absorbing plot. Definitely a winner!

I really enjoyed this book and have found a new favorite author. I liked Henry's first novel, Murder on the Iditarod Trail. Some authors have one book in them, and some learn their craft as they go. If Termination Dust is any indication, Sue Henry is in the second classification. I thought Termination Dust better than Murder on the Iditarod Trail (and I really liked Murder..), found it moved faster and was more exciting. I read a lot, and am pleased to have found a new (at least to me), thrilling author and look forward to reading more of the Alex Jensen Mysteries. I have only two very minor complaints - there were times I was lost in the tight dialogue passages and had to go back to figure out who was saying what - a few more hints would have been nice. And there was an occasion where a new fact was introduced that wasn't explained until later in the book - so I went back to see where I missed it only to find it explained later. But these were very minor and I will definitely read more of Henry's Alaska mysteries.

I find it easy to see why Sue Henry has consistently earned five star ratings for Termination Dust. As a mystery writer I loved the interweaving of two stories a century apart and the parallels between some of the characters then and now. I also appreciated the maps at the beginning of the book. Not having been in that part of the world, I found them helpful anchoring the action to the place.

I particularly liked Henry's thorough character development, not only of Alex Jensen and Jim Hampton, but also of the less central characters. I fell in love with Jessie Arnold, Jensen's significant other and even felt a little sympathy for Charlie, the grubby city kid who couldn't seem to do anything right.

To sum up, while I found myself sad to have finished Termination Dust, as I always am finishing a good book, I was also glad to discover Sue Henry has ten more books out to explore. Highly recommended.