10/24/2022
Mary Higgins Clark finalist Shelton’s captivating fourth Alaska Wild mystery (after 2021’s Dark Night) finds thriller writer Beth Rivers, who moved a few years earlier from Missouri to remote Benedict, Alaska, after a traumatic incident, still getting used to local customs, such as the annual Death Walk. Each year, with the approach of spring, all citizens living in or near the town are asked to report in, so that local law enforcement teams can make sure everyone survived the winter. (A search is mounted for those who don’t turn up.)This year, searchers are scouring the area for quiet, unassuming Kaye Miller, a dog-walking companion of Beth’s, whose body turns up by the creek behind the community center, her head bashed in with a rock. Beth is shaken by the woman’s death and sets out to discover why Kaye was targeted for murder. The rugged Alaska landscape lends atmosphere, and while this entry can be enjoyed as a standalone, there’s great pleasure in reading the series from the beginning and observing Beth, a wonderfully complex character, growing stronger and more confident with each book. Hopefully, she’ll have a long run. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Dec.)
"An excellent adventure tale set against the stunning backdrop of Alaska." —Kirkus
"Captivating...The rugged Alaska landscape lends atmosphere, and while this entry can be enjoyed as a standalone, there’s great pleasure in reading the series from the beginning and observing Beth, a wonderfully complex character, growing stronger and more confident with each book. Hopefully, she’ll have a long run."
—Publishers Weekly
"Meaty plot lines, combined with the beautifully described rugged setting and the crisp depiction of the characters' individualistic lifestyles, add up to a satisfying mystery." —Booklist
"Distinctive...descriptive and beautiful as always." —Library Journal
"Gripping." —National Examiner
Praise for Dark Night:
"Splendid....With the tension of the thriller and the clues of a whodunit....Shelton's talent sizzles."
—Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Atmospheric and dark...The isolated town of Benedict, with its eccentric characters, is the true star of this engrossing mystery." —Library Journal
"Twistier than a path through the dark Alaska woods....Suspicions shift and suspense builds in this novel of discovery, growth, relationship building and investigatory hijinks....Captivating." —Shelf Awareness
Praise for Thin Ice:
"[A] riveting story with an unusual setting and cast of characters." —Library Journal (Starred, Pick of the Month)
"A page-turner with an unusual location." —Kirkus
"Readers are left wondering up to the last exciting page what the answers are, and will eagerly await the second in this new Alaska mysteries series from the author of the Scottish Bookshop mysteries." —Booklist
"[With] murder, mayhem and heroics...[and] an intriguing cast of characters." —Anchorage Daily News
"Riveting. Suspenseful and intriguing...Shelton's fans are sure to enjoy this compelling departure from her typical writing style." —Shelf Awareness
11/01/2022
It's been almost a year since author Elizabeth Fairchild fled from her kidnapper, moving to Benedict, AK, hiding as Beth Rivers. She's made some friends, including Kaye Miller, who's been walking with Beth some mornings. But at Benedict's annual Death Walk, when Gril, the police chief, takes the head count to see if everyone survived the winter, Beth doesn't see Kaye or her husband. The rest of the Millers are there, along with their feuding neighbors, the Oliphants. Beth's concerns are set aside when she and Orin, the local librarian, find a 94-year-old neighbor who's barely hanging on, but when Orin heads for help, he doesn't return. Instead, Gril shows up and reports Orin disappeared on one of his secret government assignments. Beth worries about Orin, only to have bigger concerns when Kaye's body is discovered. She forces her way into the middle of feuding families, each blaming the other for Kaye's death, but she only wants to find out who killed Kaye and why. VERDICT Distinctive, interesting characters populate the fourth "Alaska Wild" mystery (following Dark Night), which is as descriptive and beautiful as always. Series readers will be happy for the resolution to several overarching storylines.—Lesa Holstine
2022-10-27
A remote Alaskan town is a good place to hide, but no place is safe forever.
After being attacked and kidnapped by a deranged fan, novelist Beth Rivers is sheltering in Benedict, where only a few people know her real identity. While waiting for the St. Louis police to catch her assailant, Beth has put down roots. She runs the local paper and has helped the local law solve several murders. During the town’s annual springtime Death Walk, designed to check up on everyone in the area at the end of the long winter, she and her friend Orin discover an elderly man in dire straits whom they get to the doctor in town. Beth lives in a halfway house usually reserved for women with nonviolent felony convictions and run by Viola, a source of knowledge on all things Benedict. The only other person living there now, however, is Chaz, a cocky male embezzler with prodigious cooking skills and little interest in reforming. Beth’s dog-walking companion, Kaye Miller, comes from a family whose long-simmering feud with another local family, the Oliphants, occasionally spirals into violence. Kaye’s husband, Warren, hasn’t been seen for a while, so when Kaye’s found murdered, he’s a leading suspect. In addition, Beth is worried about Orin, who’s gone missing, perhaps for reasons concerning his hush-hush government job. She’s also concerned about her mother, who’s busy tracking her abductor, and her father, who never returns her calls. Could Kaye have been romantically involved with an Oliphant? Beth, who won’t rest till she discovers her friend’s killer, puts herself in grave danger.
An excellent adventure tale set against the stunning backdrop of Alaska.
