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227th out of 406 books
—
1,025 voters
A Night Too Dark (Kate Shugak #17)
by
Dana Stabenow (Goodreads Author)
In Alaska, somebody disappears every day. Hunters who head into the wilderness… Fishermen who brave the great rivers…Tourists who attempt to do both. In Aleut detective Kate Shugak’s Park, people have been falling off the grid quite a bit lately. And as she and state trooper Jim Chopin are about to realize, it’s got something to do with the recent discovery of the world’s...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
February 16th 2010
by Minotaur Books
(first published 2010)
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First Sentence: Gold.
Mining has come to Kate’s corner of Alaska and changing her world forever. But death is still there. A truck is found with an apparent suicide note. What remains of a body is later found and identified as one of the workers from the Suulutaq Mine. When the man thought dead walks into Kate’s yard, they find someone disappeared at the same time and uncover a case of corporate espionage. But the death of a much-liked mine office worker has Kate determined to find out what is g...more
Mining has come to Kate’s corner of Alaska and changing her world forever. But death is still there. A truck is found with an apparent suicide note. What remains of a body is later found and identified as one of the workers from the Suulutaq Mine. When the man thought dead walks into Kate’s yard, they find someone disappeared at the same time and uncover a case of corporate espionage. But the death of a much-liked mine office worker has Kate determined to find out what is g...more
AudioFile magazine describes Marguerite Gavin's voice as "sonorous..., rich and full of emotion.... She easily delivers wry humor [and:] moves smoothly from accent to accent without hesitation, recalling multiple characters perfectly." Quite right. Her narration of A NIGHT TOO DARK is low key yet compelling as she returns to deliver another Kate Shugak thriller. Booklist writes "Gavin does justice to the complex character of Kate and those who enter her sphere...." So apropos because it may wel...more
Reading a Kate Shugak mystery is like going back home to check in with old friends. Dana Stabenow's characters come alive under her literate and beguiling prose. Each book of the series s a stand-alone, but should be read in order since they follow the progression of Kate's life with its real world ups and downs. As in real life, newcomers arrive and not all are welcome and old friends leave to be mourned and missed. While not always essential to the plot, these comings and goings are what lends...more
The new gold mine is definitely changing Kate Shugak's beloved park, and not necessarily for the best. As chairperson of the tribal organization, Kate tries to steer a middle ground between what she personally would like, and what she knows is good for the people. But it's hard when the givens of her life are changing: the Aunties are cashing in to the gold mine, George's air service is turning into a branch of Alaska air. Some things remain the same however. Death comes easily in the park when...more
I had great fun reading this. The opening scene is priceless, a barroom brawl with Kate and Holly Haynes kicking serious ass. Also, the politics of progress vs. conservation in Alaska are presented in a nuanced way that doesn't overwhelm the mystery.
A couple of the plot points were a bit weak- suicides do not type or print their notes! And there are a couple egregious errors that one would hope an editor would catch:
1) clothing does not infer money spent, though it might imply money spent
2) cro...more
A couple of the plot points were a bit weak- suicides do not type or print their notes! And there are a couple egregious errors that one would hope an editor would catch:
1) clothing does not infer money spent, though it might imply money spent
2) cro...more
I have long been a fan of the Kate Shugak series, and this installment did not disappoint. The Suulutaq Mine is still a thorn in Kate's side even though it is nowhere near operational. As chair of the Niniltna Native Association, it is Kate's job to look out for the best interest of the Park Rats, but all around her they are disappearing, selling out, or pairing up with workers from the mine. Kate's world is changing and she doesn't like it. Some things are the same, however, like the dead bodie...more
With the power out all week thanks to Hurricane Irene, I’ve had many nights that were too dark recently. This 17th novel in the Kate Shugak series starts when a pickup truck is discovered on a rarely traveled road in Alaska with a suicide note taped to the steering wheel. It could have been there an hour or over a month, so a search is organized for the missing driver. Kate, a private investigator in the small town of Niniltna, is drafted by the short-handed police force to conduct the search, b...more
If Kate is internally divided about the proposed mine in the park, with its resources no one has yet found an end to, it's to be expected that Park rats as a whole are divided about it. The turnover of mine employees is so high that it's hard to tell many how many have died. It seems somehow to involve the attempts of other companies to get their hands on the mine.
Everything in the Park seems to be changing, and Kate hates it. But she is Chairman of the Niniltna Native Association, and she can s...more
Everything in the Park seems to be changing, and Kate hates it. But she is Chairman of the Niniltna Native Association, and she can s...more
Conspiracies and too many villains make for a twisty mystery. My favorite part is when Kate leads a group to recover a body most likely eaten by a bear and out of the bush comes Old Sam, he just happened to be in the neighborhood translated moose hunting out of season. He is lingering after the body retrieval and Kate just wants to get out of there and then comes the crashing through the bushes of an extremely big bear not appreciative of them messing with his meal. I love when Kate has to sight...more
The opening of the Suulutaq Mine is changing a lot of things about the Park, and Kate struggles with her own biases even as she sees the benefit of jobs and money. The mystery du jour involves a chewed-up corpse found in a grizzly bear cache, that Kate and Jim trace back to a mine employee, but as usual, they turn up a whole lot more. Less gripping than some of the Kate Shugak books, but Stabenow's lively, funny, often irreverent storytelling is always a treat, and this far into the game, one re...more
This is my first Dana Stabenow book. I enjoyed her descriptive portrayal of Alaska, and her many characters are full of local color. I am sure that if I continue to follow her "Kate Shugak" series that these characters will take on even more life. I also enjoyed moments of good sharp dialogue that felt authentic. On the negative side I felt that there were too many details about the mine operation, that the native association board meeting was dragged on too long, and that there were a few trans...more
You know that I don't usually start with the first mystery in a series but this is #17! It didn't make any difference, though. I am sure that some things referred to other books but this book stands on its own. Kate Shugak is Native Alaskan and ends up solving mysteries. If you were a Northern Exposure fan, this is an Alaska you may recognize but it is not played for laughs. Interesting and wholly believable characters abound and a Native can be redhead and fair (although Kate is dark). The myst...more
This latest in the Kate Shugak mystery series is not up to Stabenow’s best. The topic is industrial espionage and as always, Stabenow presents a lot of well-researched information. Readers need to read these books in sequence,unlike many series, as a lot of the characters reoccur from book to book. Speaking of characters, Stabenow populates this book with way too many. One of her strengths has been the inclusion of entertaining vignettes of the Alaskan Park rats; but over time these have become...more
The Kate Shugak series was recommended to me, & this was an interesting start. Unique setting: a small village in Alaska. Distinctive characters: natives, Park rats, tourists, ambitious gold-mine operators & employees. I was never bored, but I was never riveted: a bit too much colorful background & not enough mystery. But then starting a series at #17 has the disadvantage of feeling like you've walked into a party full of someone else's friends, who've all known each other for ages &...more
Un excellent 17ème tome des aventures de Kate Shugak. Le développement de la mine d'or se poursuit, toujours à la phase d'exploration mais se précisant de plus en plus clairement.
Un arrière plan complexe pour une intrigue à multiples entrées: Exploitation des ressources à profit commercial, protection des intérêts des habitants du Park, protection environnementale, développement pas forcément positif de région et un mode de vie très particulier, et une certaine nostalgie, déjà, avant même que to...more
Un arrière plan complexe pour une intrigue à multiples entrées: Exploitation des ressources à profit commercial, protection des intérêts des habitants du Park, protection environnementale, développement pas forcément positif de région et un mode de vie très particulier, et une certaine nostalgie, déjà, avant même que to...more
A Night Too Dark by Dana Stabenow
Things in the Park are changing, and not always necessarily for the better. Gold in huge quantities has been found as we know from the book,”Whisper to the Blood” I just don’t think anyone knew or ever will know exactly how huge a discovery this is. However, for now it’s enough.
Now people are missing, disappearing but that’s not to say that people don’t go missing from Alaska every day. We know from our reading that this happens more than some Alaskans would like...more
Things in the Park are changing, and not always necessarily for the better. Gold in huge quantities has been found as we know from the book,”Whisper to the Blood” I just don’t think anyone knew or ever will know exactly how huge a discovery this is. However, for now it’s enough.
Now people are missing, disappearing but that’s not to say that people don’t go missing from Alaska every day. We know from our reading that this happens more than some Alaskans would like...more
Dana Stabenow respects her readers. She expects them to "get it" and to bring a bit of knowledge to the read. It took me a while to catch up since this is the first Kate Shugak book I've read. But I ended up dog-earing pages I wanted to return to. Dana's language is earthy, true, and often struck a cord with me. Her characters are earthy, true, and all too human. Her plot could not be set anywhere but Alaska, as the setting is an integral part of the story. None of her words are wasted. Each one...more
Kate Shugak 17th adventure in Alaska is another nail-biter. It's easy to disappear in Alaska, just walk into the wilderness and nature will take care of the remains. However, if you want to remain dead, you better hope Kate Shugak is not on the case. Kate's Uncle Sam finds a dismembered body, obviously a victim of a bear attack. She traces the body back to a missing worker at the new Suulutaq gold mine and thinks she has solved the case. But a month later, a deranged person crashes out of the wi...more
I've been somewhat uncomfortable with this series since Hunter's Moon, but Stabenow has brought me all the way back into the fold now. Obviously I wasn't too far gone, as I'm still reading the series at book 17 (HM was book 9, I believe?) but Kate finally feels happy again, and that's important to me when I'm reading a series.
The mystery really was a mystery, too. There was no obvious answer, no telegraphing of the villain, motive or means. Stabenow kept me guessing, without making me feel cheat...more
The mystery really was a mystery, too. There was no obvious answer, no telegraphing of the villain, motive or means. Stabenow kept me guessing, without making me feel cheat...more
One of my favorite authors but this book seemed like a pause. The mystery didn't intrigue me--possibly because the theme has been done to death. What I did like was the care with which Dana introduced the secondary characters. Yes, I knew most of the names but the central characters, including Kate's wise and powerful grandmother, seemed to take up all the air in previous books. Enjoyable though learning more about the Aunties and other Park Rats may have been, I'm ready for Kate to get tough ag...more
This is my first book by this author. I realize that it is the 17th in the series but I don't think it mattered. I don't feel that I was lost without reading the others. Sure there were a couple parts where I didn't know what the author was talking about but then she explained what had happened in a past book so I understood it. Saying that I truly loved this book so much I'm thinking of going back to the beginning to see how great they were and find ever juicy bit I missed : )
Another Kate Shugak solved. MOst enjoyable. Stabenow writes with a quick, interest-holding hand. Have enjoyed all of novels about Kate, first met the character on a very hot summer day in 2005. These novels usually cool the blood.
The subject of this one corresponds with the natural gas drilling currently happening in northeast Pa - large companies coming in, offering money and jobs to locals, etc.; all at risk of our beautiful environment, so I found that interesting.
The subject of this one corresponds with the natural gas drilling currently happening in northeast Pa - large companies coming in, offering money and jobs to locals, etc.; all at risk of our beautiful environment, so I found that interesting.
Apr 21, 2010
Vannessagrace Vannessagrace
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dana-stabenow
Dana Stabenow is, so far, the only author whom I can forgive for making me love a character then killing off that character, and Kate Shugak is, one of my top female private investigators. Kate is smart, tough, in charge, and won’t back down from anyone. In this installment. Kate is investigating a killing of a young man whom everyone believes to have committed suicide when the evidence points to murder. A Night Too Dark didn’t wow me but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Another exciting novel about the Alaskan private eye. However, I do not understand the title because the action takes place in summer when the days are a lot longer and little if any incidents occur at night. With a mining company trying to win over the inhabitants of the park to allow them to put the mine they are exploring into production, co-opting several of her relatives and friends, Kate mind has to work in several different directions to solve the cases.
Another excellent entry in the Kate Shugak series--couldn't put it down. Changes are occurring in the Park, mostly due to the gold mine that is doing its exploratory beginning work and hiring Park residents. In addition, the mine is bringing in outsiders, and the combination is combustible. The ending is a cliffhanger, and I hope that Stabenow's next book is a Kate Shugak book and not at standalone--I don't want to wait more than a year to find out what happens next!
This book is the 17th in a mystery series taking place in and around Denali National Park, Alaska. The private investigator is an Aleut woman, Kate Shugat who is smart and sexy. This is an intense, gritty story, full of murder, corporate crime, moose and bear attacks. I enjoyed renewing acquaintance with Kate, her half wolf/dog, Mutt, and the quirky characters like some of the elders of the Niniltna Native Association. If you have travel experience in Alaska--or interest in it--this book will be...more
It was difficult to not want to gobble up this book- I love the Kate Shugak series and reading this was like going to a party with old friends that I want to catch up with. Author Dana Stabenow gives true voices to characters old and new, as the plot progressed there were delightful twists and wonderful pictures of life in a state that I've only visited once, briefly. Yes, I read it too fast, and yes, I've been rereading sections and savoring.
Chapter Two is a roller coaster. Oh my.
Another great entry in this great series. The Park is in transition in a big way this time out. While I figured a good bit of it out a step ahead of Kate, that doesn't really bother me. The journey is more important than the destination. Be warned though: in mysteries, characters die, and in good mysteries, sometimes they are characters the reader cares about. That said, this is not as dark as some others in the series. Can't wait for the next one, but I ha...more
Another great entry in this great series. The Park is in transition in a big way this time out. While I figured a good bit of it out a step ahead of Kate, that doesn't really bother me. The journey is more important than the destination. Be warned though: in mysteries, characters die, and in good mysteries, sometimes they are characters the reader cares about. That said, this is not as dark as some others in the series. Can't wait for the next one, but I ha...more
Another enjoyable novel by Dana Stabenow.
The mystery kept me involved, and the few laugh out loud moments (the riot at the Candy Store alone is worth the price of the book) are nicely balanced with the rest of the story. I didn't figure out the actually final whodunnit before Kate did, which is a plus (although that may speak more to my obliviousness than anything else)
The struggle between resource mining and environmental preservation is real, and Kate's ambivalence to the whole thing - jobs fo...more
The mystery kept me involved, and the few laugh out loud moments (the riot at the Candy Store alone is worth the price of the book) are nicely balanced with the rest of the story. I didn't figure out the actually final whodunnit before Kate did, which is a plus (although that may speak more to my obliviousness than anything else)
The struggle between resource mining and environmental preservation is real, and Kate's ambivalence to the whole thing - jobs fo...more
Another great Kate Shugak book. It's good to watch Kate growing, while still keeping her core sense of history and values intact. Even though she abhors the idea of cell phone towers in The Park, there comes a time when she really needs one. I have read every book in this series, and Dana keeps the characters evolving. I like that. What got me hooked on this series in the first place was Dana's vivid description of Alaska. Her descriptive prose is magical.
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| The Danamaniacs: A Night Too Dark *SPOILERS* | 1 | 8 | May 08, 2013 08:42pm |
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.
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