This was my first Stabenow read, and I did enjoy it. I visited Alaska in 1975, and it was so interesting to go back and see the state through Kate Shugak's eyes. Stabenow shows us what it's like to live in a world of snow machines, cold and darkness, and she does it beautifully. Her characters are interesting, though I don't quite know what to make of Kate's relationship with Jim; very strange. Perhaps reading more of the series would help. Kate Shugak is a strong protagonist, and I find her complexity refreshing.

I did think the murder could have happened earlier in the novel. My only other comment is that this book suffers from the eternal dilemma of the amateur sleuth series book: the newcomers, characters not part of the continuing cast, are usually either the murderer or the victim, sometimes both. It's hard for authors to sacrifice their favorite creations either to death or prison!

PS The character Dina Willner made me laugh. I was at a writers/readers conference in Omaha, NE -- Mayhem in the Midlands -- when the flesh and blood Dina Willner "bought" the character name at an auction for Sisters in Crime. William Kent Krueger also auctioned a character name at the same conference another year, and you'll find the same character name, Dina Willner, in two of Krueger's books, MERCY FALLS and COPPER RIVER!