Whisper to the Blood: A Novel (Kate Shugak Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Dana Stabenow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009 | Series: Kate Shugak Mysteries

Inside Alaska’s biggest national park, around the town of Niniltna, a gold mining company has started buying up land. The residents of the Park are uneasy. “But gold is up to nine hundred dollars an ounce” is the refrain of Talia Macleod, the popular Alaskan skiing champ hired by the company to improve relations with the locals, and pave the way for the mine’s expansion…

Then, just as Talia is ready to present her case at town meetings and village breakfasts, there are two brutal murders, including that of a long-standing mine opponent. The investigation falls to Trooper Jim Chopin and, as usual, he could use some help from newly elected Niniltna Native Association chairman and part-time P.I. Kate Shugak. But Kate already has her hands full with a series of attacks on snowmobilers up the Kanuyaq River and the homicide of Park villain Louis Deem. With both cases on the verge of going cold, can Kate take the heat?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Will Alaska’s current notoriety, courtesy of a certain vice-presidential candidate, give a bump to this mystery, the latest in Stabenow’s Kate Shugak series? It’s doubtful if Kate would approve, but any residual interest would be well deserved. While limning a vital part of Alaskan landscape and culture virtually ignored by the recent media splurge, the novel is also one of the best in a series that now numbers 16 installments. A Canadian mining company has discovered a rich mineral deposit in Alaska’s enormous Iqaluk Wildlife Refuge. Politicos see dollar signs for the state, but Ninilta residents, who live near the proposed site, are split: Will outsiders take the jobs? Will the wildlife be harmed by pollution? Will roads disintegrate . . . tourists invade? As the new chairperson of Ninilta’s Native Association, a job she never wanted, Kate is embarassingly ill-equipped to handle the questions. Nor is she prepared when two individuals associated with the company turn up dead. State trooper Jim Chopin; Kate’s adopted son, Johnny; and the powerful four aunties are on hand again, in full, rich character—their entwining agendas playing integral parts in the investigation. New cases are solved here; so is an old one. A dynamite combination of atmosphere, action, and character. --Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Alaska’s answer to Tony Hillerman. If you haven’t discovered Stabenow yet, start here.
Grade: A.”—Rocky Mountain News

“Excellent… No one writes more vividly about the hardships and rewards of living in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness and the hardy but frequently flawed characters who choose to call it home. This is a richly rewarding regional series that continues to grow in power as it grows in length.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“One of the best… A dynamite combination of atmosphere, action, and character.”—Booklist (starred review)  

“There are now 15 Kate Shugak novels in this excellent series set in backwoods Alaska, and rather than losing steam, Stabenow is building it. Whisper to the Blood is the best Shugak so far…Stabenow is terrific at building a story, and keeping the suspense tight and the story moving. I love her descriptions of local life, the cast of eccentric but believable characters, and the glimpses of this stunningly beautiful part of the world.”—The Globe and Mail  

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312944071
• ISBN-13: 978-0312944070
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dana Stabenow was born in Anchorage and raised on 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska.  She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere and found it in writing. 

Her first science fiction novel, Second Star, sank without a trace (but has since been resurrected as an e-book), her first crime fiction novel, A Cold Day for Murder, won an Edgar award, her first thriller, Blindfold Game, hit the New York Times bestseller list, and her twenty-eighth novel and nineteenth Kate Shugak novel, Restless in the Grave, comes out February 14, 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Delighted Kate is back but this isn't her best, May 6, 2009

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whisper to the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Mysteries) (Hardcover)

First Sentence: "Grin bought out Mac Devlin."

PI Kate Shugak, without her knowledge, as been made chairman of the board of the Niniltna Native Association. Gold, copper and molybdenum have been discovered in Alaska's Iqaluk Wildlife Refuge by Global Harvest Resources Inc., known to the park residents as Grin. The residents are not happy about the prospect of a large mine so the company has hired very attractive Talia Macleod to smooth the way by promoting jobs.

With the brutal murders of two residents, one an opponent to the mine, Kate is asked by Trooper Jim Chopin to help find the killers. There is also the unsolved homicide of park villain Louis Deem and attacks by residents by snowmobilers to be resolved.

It is so good to have Kate Shugak back again. These books include some of my favorite characters, not the least being Mutt, Kate's part-wolf dog. Stabenow brings her characters to life, making them fully dimensional and having them grow and deal with personal issues as the series progresses. There is wonderful interaction between the characters which builds the story.

Stabenow shows us Alaska and its people, good and bad, and now different life there is from the rest of the country. Her observations on Alaskan life, politics and people are fascinating. She is also a wonderfully descriptive writer, from being out on a snowmobile to Kate's cooking, the descriptions of which made me hungry.

Her dialogue is excellent, her use of humor is well placed as is her ability to convey emotion. There were a lot of characters and the history of each. It was important to keep them straight but did make the story seem slow. And there was a fair amount of redundancy.

This is a series I recommend reading in order as I found this book, in particular, called upon events happening in previous books. I felt she explained those events well, but feel someone who had not read the actual books might feel a bit lost.

You can bet I'll be reading the next Shugak book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A SPINE-TINGLING PLEASURE, February 23, 2009

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whisper to the Blood (Kate Shugak Mysteries) (Audio CD)

There's something especially rewarding about following a regional mystery series - you're not only familiar with the characters but with the terrain. Often you've been introduced to unfamiliar territory, and are eager to learn more during a return visit. Such is the case with Dana Stabenow's sterling Kate Shugak series.

With this, the sixteenth in the series, we're reacquainted with Kate, a heroine with grit to spare, a 16-year-old foster son, and an Alaska state trooper boyfriend, Jim Chopin. We're also treated to one more narration by the splendid voice performer Marguerite Gavin who has recorded over 200 audiobooks including the first Kate Shugak and others in this series.

Check out Dana Stabenow's blog and you'll find that she, too, is thrilled with Gavin's work, saying" Good news for audio book fans......Marguerite Gavin is BACK as narrator!" How true! The voice Gavin has found for Kate captures not only her fierce independence but her strength. The sound is strong, sonorous, yet at times verges on a studied hoarseness that reflects tension or a frightening situation.

With Whisper To The Blood we find a Canadian gold mining company, Global Harvest Resources Inc., that has been buying up land inside Alaska's largest national park, simply known as "the Park." Residents don't care for this at all and remain unconvinced that it will be beneficial to them despite the efforts of a well liked ski champion Global Harvest has hired to bolster its pr. She's out there reminding everyone that gold is now selling for $900 an ounce, and the Company will be providing jobs for many.

However, it doesn't help a pr campaign any when murder is involved - one of the dead had been vocally opposed to the mine. No surprise that Jim Chopin is called on to solve the killings and that Kate will be by his side. Muddying the waters even further are attacks on snowmobilers. As usual Kate and Jim have more on their plates than most find in several lifetimes, and it's spine-tingling pleasure to find out what they can do about it.

Bestselling author and Edgar Award winner Stabenow demonstrates once again that she's tops in her field, springing surprises at every turn along with painterly descriptions of Alaska.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this series!, March 5, 2009

By 

M. D. Mulhern (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whisper to the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I love Stabenow's Kate Shugak series. If this is your first introduction to her work, definitely go back and start from the beginning, "A Cold Day for Murder." Stabenow's characters remain distinct and vivid and I love the details about life in Alaska. My only complaint is that this story very much followed the events from her previous book. It had been so long since I had read it that it sometimes took me a few minutes to remember what had happened and how this effected the current book. I guess I wish it had been a little more stand alone. I have to say that Stabenow has maintained a really high standard for this series- after over ten books, this is impressive. Many times I find that favorite authors of a long time series, such as Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone books, peter out and become formulaic. That's not the case here.