Breakup (Kate Shugak Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Dana Stabenow (Author) "Kate surveyed the yard in front of her cabin and uttered one word..." (more)
Key Phrases: Auntie Vi, Old Sam, Mark Stewart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
The Alaskan spring brings problems and new hope for Kate Shugak. She must investigate a murder near home even as she takes over the role of clan leader from her Aleut grandmother. A wonderful series.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
"Breakup" is what Alaskans call their brief spring, when the state "melts into a 586,412-square-mile pile of slush." The seasonal change unhinges Alaskans just as Santa Ana winds unhinge Los Angelenos in Raymond Chandler's mysteries. Kate Shugak lives in the bush with Mutt, a wonderful husky-wolf mix, and is facing a terrible breakup. Her taxes are intractable; she has three encounters with grizzlies, two near misses with airplanes, and ends up in a handful of gunfights--and a corpse turns up near her homestead. This sixth entry in Stabenow's lively, entertaining series offers a tough, insightful heroine; a set of intriguing, slightly eccentric supporting characters; and a healthy dose of Alaskan atmosphere. Although the mystery element isn't even introduced until well into the story, Stabenow more than compensates with a detailed look at how Shugak and company deal with the effects of breakup: verve is important, but it helps to have Jimmy Buffet playing in the background. John Rowen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425162613
• ISBN-13: 978-0425162613
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 7 in The Kate Shugak Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alaskan winter breaks up but Kate Shugak comes together., June 6, 1999

By A Customer

I've enjoyed all the Kate Shugak books but this one rates as the best. Kate faces charging bears, tourists from Beacon Hill, falling jet engines, the Alaskan version of the Hatfields and McCoys and the obligatory murder. And in the process the real Kate Shugak suddenly comes together and shows us the person we always knew was there. She once again demonstrates that Kate is not a person to be messed with (the more descriptive expression is not one I will write where anyone of any age can read it). But in all the daring do, in all the life and death experiences she goes through, those of us that love her know that the hardest for her to face, the one that takes the most courage is when Kate stands at a meeting of the tribal elders and acts as an advisory. She has begun to accept the heritage left to her by her grandmother. The only 'bad' thing about this book is that if you haven't followed Kate through her other books, you can't see what a victory this is for her. Thank you Dana Stabenow for giving us not just a female sleuth but a well-rounded person we can enjoy reading about and admire.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Kate Shugak novel with humor, June 14, 2000

By	Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It seems that Dana Stabenow touches on a different aspect of Alaskan life in each book of this wonderful series. In Breakup, we are entertained with descriptions of springtime, when the ice and snow are breaking up and all sorts of weird things happen. Kate seems philosophical through it all--from airplanes falling from nowhere to grizzlies appearing in her path. She attributes every situation to the time of year. This book has all the attributes of the previous novels in this series--great descriptions of the scenery and lifestyle of Alaska,and an intriguing murder, but it also includes side-splitting humor. I recommend it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love breakup!, February 12, 2001

By	V Vermooten (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Having read one Kate Shugak mystery some years ago (which I enjoyed), I decided to try more recently. I'm enjoying them all, but have seldom laughed as hard over anything as I did over BREAKUP. I'm guessing that Stabenow collected all the wildest tales she'd heard about breakup mishaps and adventures and rolled them together into this marvellous story. There is a mystery, and Kate does work it through most capably, but don't try to read this volume in a situation that requires quiet. This is definitely a laugh-out-loud book, or even a shriek-out-loud one. (Obviously) I loved it.