Customer Reviews

White Sky, Black Ice

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a flawless gem! Born in a native village but raised in a big city, a young Alaskan State Trooper is posted to the town where he was born. He is faced with solving a puzzling series of suicides while trying to balance himself between two cultures. It's a corking good mystery and placed in a genuine Alaskan setting.

I was a Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal in Alaska during its final territorial and early statehood years. What impressed me most about this book was its absolute authenticity. The natives, the way they live, their unique speech patterns, the land they live in, and the climate they endure are all true to life. Just as realistic are the problems facing a police officer in the rural areas of Alaska.

WHITE SKY, BLACK ICE turned back the clock for me and I felt right at home, page after page. Read it. You'll learn more about the real Alaska from this book than from any guided tour!

I don't know if I've ever read a romantic novel about Eskimos. The land is savage and so are the stories. Two Eskimo men commit suicide at the beginning of "White Sky, Black Ice" and no-one seems to question the coincidence except for 'Dudley Do-Right' Alaska State Trooper Nathan Active.

Nathan Active, an Inupiat Eskimo himself, is actually called 'Dudley Do-Right' by yet another man who is about to commit suicide. This comes much later in the book. Initially Nathan is suspicious of the suicides because both men appeared to have shot themselves in their Adam's Apple. Both of the dead men also had jobs at the Gray Wolf Copper Mine, run by a Norwegian conglomerate called GeoNord.

Aha! You say. Evil Big Business ruins pristine Alaskan wilderness and destroys anyone who gets in its way.

Well, no, not quite. "White Sky, Black Ice" is much more complex than that. There are also many subplots, one involving a shaman's curse on an Inupiat family who had already lost two sons by suicide. When the third son seemingly kills himself, everyone shrugs and says, "It was Billy Karl's curse." As Nathan Active puts it, "Despair blew through Chukchi's streets like the west wind. He wondered if he could endure it long enough to get his transfer to Anchorage."

Active himself was given up for adoption by an unmarried Inupiat girl, and was raised by white parents in Anchorage. He certainly had no plans to return to Chukchi where his birth mother lives. Yet here he is, and all of the old Inupiat 'Aanas' plot to find a bride for the 'nalauqmiiyaaq' (almost white man) State Trooper, including his birth mother.

Nathan slowly sifts through the clues offered up by alcoholic Inupiats, and little old 'Aanas' who blackmail him into giving them rides to the bingo game with his Explorer's flasher on.

Author Stan Jones was born in Anchorage, and has worked as an award-winning journalist there for most of his career. He is also a bush pilot, and readers will be imbibing lots of authentic detail about Alaskans, both native and white, and about the Alaskan wilderness, along with the bones of this well-plotted mystery.

In fact, one of the characters is a rather likeable bush pilot, who we come across while trying to fix a tear in the fabric of his plane with a roll of duct tape. Unfortunately, it's too damn cold for the duct tape to stick. He takes Nathan up anyway. It's the code of the bush pilots not to get too excited about a little tear in the tail flap.

This mystery is definitely not a cozy. It is edgy, boozy, and sad. The author's style and preferred setting remind me of Peter Bowen more than than Tony Hillerman. I will definitely be looking for the sequel to "White Sky, Black Ice."

I am a certifiable 'Alaskaphile!' I love all things Alaskan. To me, the fact that the book was a mystery was an added bonus. I read it for the Alaskan setting.

What I enjoyed about Stan Jones' novel was the authenticity of the native culture in 20th century Alaska and believability and likeability of the characters. It is apparent that Mr. Jones is a student of human nature because he has used his powers of observation in crafting characters that literally leap off the page and sit down on the sofa next to you. There was nothing stereotypical of the portrayal of native Alaskan characters, situations or customs.

It is apparent that Mr. Jones has a deep knowledge of life in a small bush town. He also interjects a panoply of uniquely Alaskan ingredients....the autonomy of the native corporation and men behind it...the wide array of people who live in a bush town...alcoholism...suicide...alternative means of transportation...law enforcement in the bush.

Mr. Jones weaves the characters together in a gentle, flowing way. His story-telling is masterful. But the greatest asset of White Sky, Black Ice is Mr. Jones depiction of individuals regardless of heritage in an honoring way. For that reason, I couldn't put it down because I cared about the characters and wanted to see the outcome.

It's a great book!

I love regional mysteries, especially when they're regions I'm unlikely ever to visit. The Nathan Active series takes place in a remote village in Alaska, far from the glamour and tourism of the big cities. It is here, in Chukchi, that Inupiaq trooper Nathan Active is assigned. Raised by a white couple in the metropolis of Anchorage, Nathan tries to find his native roots while solving mysteries closely related to the Inupiat culture. The novel is entertaining as a mystery, but it is the vivid narrative about place and culture that gives the book its real punch. Enjoy!

What a pleasant surprise! I read all the Alaska mysteries, and generally find them lacking in depth. Mr. Jones has a wonderful protagonist in Nathan Active. A full- blooded Inupiak native adopted by white people at birth,he returns to his home village as a trooper. He then finds that he fits in neither world, that of his birth mother's native people, or the white one he leaves behind in Anchorage. Soon, he is embroiled in more intrigue than he can handle, as he tries to solve suicides that only he feels are murders. You will think you have the book figured out several times, only to find out you are wrong. Mr. Jones is very good at evoking mood, and making us understand his native Alaska. He lives his character daily.This is an excellent read! Keep them coming, Mr.Jones!

There are times when you stumble across a book you weren't looking for, get hooked on the first page, then savor it all the way through, feeling reluctant to finish but unable even to guess the ending. Stan Jones' WHITE SKY, BLACK ICE was this book for me. A mystery set in far-away(for me, a Florida resident) Alaska about strange goings-on in an Inupiaq town and surrounding area, the book fleshed out what it feels like to be a modern day native North American, it understands bug business, even flying a small plane. In keeping with the environment, perhaps, the prose is sparse yet amply descriptive, and the characters are richly imagined - they evoke ways of life and thought I'd like to know more about. I've often started with an author's latest book and worked backwards - it's a challenge to detect the development of an author's skill, albeit in reverse. It will be a treat to follow Stan Jones' development, having read his first book, in the other direction.

The Nathan Active police procedurals are a welcome read to those who enjoy their mysteries with a healthy dose of character development and cultural exploration. Alaskan State Police Trooper Nathan Active was given up at birth by his Inuit mother and raised by a white couple in Anchorage. His first posting is to the village where he was born. He returns as an outsider, more white than Inuit. Therein lies the interesting conflict. Eager to achieve and get promoted quickly out of this post, Active finds himself slowly and perhaps painfully putting down roots. The mysteries/crimes are secondary in my opinion to the fascinating character conflict. I look forward to reading more on this series.

"White Sky, Black Ice" came highly recommended to me by a friend, and I am glad I picked it up.
It's a mystery/police drama set in Alaska. While reading I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my all time dramatic/comedy shows, "Northern Exposure". That made me like this book all the more.
Also, I thought the character of Nathan Active, the state trooper who becomes suspicious of two deaths and investigates them much further, was one of the best character's I read. Trooper Activ is born to a Native Alaskan woamn, but raised by a white couple. He is a single man, probably in his late 30's early 40's, cynical, witty in a dry off putting way, and just an amazingly well written character. I totally appreciated everything he said and I could easily see that character being brought to life on film because he is so vivid.
Once he hears of some strange and illegal goings on at the mine called "The Grey Wolf", he is moreso even more leery. He does everything in his power to find out what has really happened and why.
I got put off of mysteries after attempting to read the terrible writings of Sue Grafton, but my friend, Diana, gave Stan Jones such high regard, I knew I had to try it. I am very happy I did. I've always been a fan of the genre, and this book was unique and very well written. It has very interesting characters, and paints a beautiful picture of Alaska.
In the beginning of the book there is a page of terms used by the Native folk. Thank you for this Mr. Jones. I have not only read a wonderful book, but I have been educated. How often do mysteries do that?
Awesome job, and I await the next "Nathan Active" mystery!

I loved this book - great characters, interesting plot, well-written and informative. Offers real insight into life in the great state of Alaska. The author indicates that he's working on other Nathan Active stories - a very good thing since Active is much too interesting for only one appearance. For anyone who likes Dana Stabenow's mysteries, also set in Alaska, you'll love Stan Jones's work.

White Sky Black Ice gives insight into the nature and problems facing Native peoples in a clash with the modern American culture. In the context of depression and despair, truth takes on a different cast, losing its absolute power in an attempt to restore dignity to individuals. Nathan Active, the snowshoe gumshoe, must wrestle with this issue in order to reach a settlement that will serve the larger good. The unromantized view of life in the far North will awaken the lower 48's to a better appreciation of a way of life that is drastically difficult- where the biologist must go out and shot at least 10 caribou to feed her dogs during the winter! Not quite a trip to the local A & P! Easy to read, suspenseful, and pertinent to issues we all face regarding the environment and our abuse of it!