A Taint in the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Dana Stabenow (Author) "I'll get it," Kate said, and fetched the Crisco forthwith..." (more)
Key Phrases: coastal trail, Kate Shugak, Erland Bannister, Jim Chopin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Known for her evocative wilderness settings, Edgar-winner Stabenow heads into urban territory in her uneven 14th Kate Shugak mystery, which is set mainly in Anchorage and picks up where 2003's A Grave Denied left off. Charlotte Bannister Muravieff, of an influential Alaska family, hires Kate to prove that her imprisoned mother, Victoria, wasn't the culprit behind a 30-year-old tragedy. Convicted of setting a fire in her house that killed her sleeping son William, Victoria is now dying of cancer. Kate hires poacher Kurt Pletnikoff, who's come to Anchorage for work, to help interview everyone still alive connected with the crime, including a reluctant Victoria and her remaining son, Oliver. Fast-paced action scenes, sympathetic child characters and Kate's appealing dog, Mutt, help smooth a complex plot strewn with chunks of historical background. Those looking for bodice-ripping romance will savor the heat generated between Kate and Alaska state trooper Jim Chopin, though established fans may be dismayed by Kate's aggressive sexual behavior. First-time readers may wish that a host of supporting characters, mostly Kate's friends and relatives, were better identified.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Recently ensconced in a new cabin following the torching of her house--see A Grave Denied [BKL Ag 03]--Kate Shugak receives a visitor: Charlotte Muravieff, from Anchorage. Fashionable Muravieff is in the Alaskan bush to ask Kate to reinvestigate her mother's murder conviction. Kate does just that, and soon people connected with the 30-year-old case start dying. This fourteenth Kate Shugak mystery is among the best in a consistently strong series. Along with the series' typical appealing features--Kate's erotically charged romantic life with Trooper Jim Chopin; delightful character sketches of various residents of the Alaskan bush, including a dog named Mutt; and, of course, the vivid rendering of the Alaskan landscape--Stabenow adds a new element this time: setting the case in Anchorage allows her to portray Kate dealing with life in the city and to consider Alaskan history outside the backcountry. Even with the more urban setting and theme (political corruption drives the plot), this entry will still appeal to fans of outdoor mysteries by Nevada Barr and Sue Henry. John Rowen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312985657
• ISBN-13: 978-0312985653
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #251,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 14 in The Kate Shugak Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT WHAT YOU THINK, May 22, 2009

By	the reviewer - See all my reviews

The title is very misleading. After spending several hours pouring over this book I realized by the 8th page or so that this book doesn't discuss the dangers poor taint maintenance at all! It was Very disappointing... She didn't even mention a taint in the graphic sex scenes either. It would have been nice to see a "She fondled his taint with the vigor of a lumberjack." thrown in there. Now as for the omission of the dangers of taint maintenace I do have a solution. I am going to start giving motivational/awareness speeches across the country giving an instructional discourse on proper taint maintenance. Keep a lookout at your local schools, businesses and town halls for more details.

Thanks,

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stabenow's Kate Shugak series remains fresh and engaging, January 13, 2005

By	Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Taint in the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best yet!!!, April 2, 2005

By	Dr. Clive F. Jacks "A Former College Teacher" (the southeastern U.S.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Taint in the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Mysteries) (Hardcover)

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!