A Cold Day for Murder

Kate Shugak, Book 1

By: Dana Stabenow

Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin

Eighteen months ago, Aleut Kate Shugak quit her job investigating sex crimes for the Anchorage DA’s office and retreated to her father’s homestead in a national park in the interior of Alaska. But the world has a way of beating a path to her door, however remote. In the middle of one of the bitterest Decembers in recent memory ex-boss — and ex-lover — Jack Morgan shows up with an FBI agent in tow. A Park ranger with powerful relatives is missing, and now the investigator Jack sent in to look for him is missing, too.

Reluctantly, Kate, along with Mutt, her half-wolf, half-husky sidekick, leaves her wilderness refuge to follow a frozen trail through the Park, twenty thousand square miles of mountain and tundra sparsely populated with hunters, fishermen, trappers, mushers, pilots and homesteaders. Her formidable grandmother and Native chief, Ekaterina Shugak, is — for reasons of her own — against Kate’s investigation; her cousin, Martin, may be Kate’s prime suspect; and the local trooper, Jim Chopin, is more interested in Kate than in her investigation. In the end, the sanctuary she sought after five and a half years in the urban jungles may prove more lethal than anything she left behind in the city streets of Anchorage.

State of suspense: listen to more Alaskan mysteries in the Kate Shugak series.©2011 Dana Stabenow (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Just Okay

I've been intrigued by some of the other books in the series. It was highly recommended to me that I read the first few books to learn the background of Kate Shugak. I didn't find the story to be all that suspensful.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it instead of listened to it. I thought the narrator's voice didn't suit what I thought the protagonist should sound like. Kate seemed to be a no-nonsense country gal with an injury to her throat. Her voice should have been husky at the very least. I was distracted by Marguerite Gavin's interpretation, so much so that I didn't focus on the story the way I should have.

Story Good; Narrator not so much

I had been looking forward to a new series and one set in Alaska, but when I first began to listen to this story, I thought, "oh my, this better improve real soon. How did this win an Edgar?" I couldn't get past the narrator's rhythm. The words droned on without reflecting their meaning; the narrator could have been reading anything. I've listened to Ms Gavin previously, and she is not a favorite, but I've gotten past it before. This time, however, Gavin's lack of feeling and depth strangled the story.

Fortunately, because I have a disability, I had another option for a narrator, going through the library for the blind. Wow! What a huge difference. I hadn't listened to their narrator before, but she read the book as if she'd actually READ the book. And the book, I enjoyed.

This story was written some time ago, I believe 1992 or earlier, but it's one of a few I've read that doesn't feel dated- well, except for references to a character looking forward to getting a CD writer and the like. I liked the main character; she's bright, capable, insightful and flawed. I enjoyed the descriptions of Alaska and what life could be like there for both indigenous and white residents. The story wasn't too complicated (it's a 5.5 hr story), but it kept my interest. Any romantic entanglements were ancillary to the mystery.

I look forward to the next books in the series, but I'm steering clear of Gavin as narrator.

If you're interested in the book and starting the series, I'd recommend reading the book yourself, rather than the Audible version. The Kindle + Narration is reasonably priced if you were eager to try both.

Disappointed

Got tired of waiting for something to happen. So much background and setting the stage, but no action! Nothing happening! I was initially intrigued by the remote Alaskan setting and fantasized that it would bode well for a good mystery, but I just couldn't get into it. Ultimately gave up with just over an hour left - you know the drill: so many books, so little time. Wasn't willing to invest any more time in a book that had zero plot when my Audible library boasts nearly 200 books to choose from. Regrettable, as I was really hoping to start another series ;(

An Interesting Alaskan Mystery…

A Cold Day for Murder is a quick read and not bad at all for the price (I picked it up on the Audible Deal of the Day). Stabenow does an excellent job in describing the Alaskan surroundings here and has developed some very interesting characters to flesh out the mystery/thriller. My only complaint is that the action is thin here. This is the first in the Kate Shugak series so Stabenow spends a lot of time introducing the familiar faces in Kate’s world, so maybe the next in the series will have a little more action. We find out that Kate has a large scar on her throat where she survived an attack by a criminal before the book begins, but to be honest, I think that story could have been a standalone novel before this one. She talks about it some, but I really wanted to know more about it. Again, maybe she goes into more detail about that incident in other books in the series. At any rate, it was a good story, very well written and the narrator did a fine job!

Alaska Mystery

Entertaining murder mystery. Enjoyed the Alaska setting and Native Alaskan characters. Enjoyed the author's imagery.

This mystery had the potential to be so much more!

The plot was interesting and using indigenous people added another layer to this mystery but... and this is a big BUT. I wanted a juicier story. More twists and turns with detail would have added so much more to the storyline. This mystery had the potential to be a fantastic murder mystery but fell short. I will definitely purchase the next book in the series because I really think the author has the potential to really stand out.

Alaskan tale of murder

Narrator was good, but not great.. that gal with David spade who always talked the sex talk who I kept visualizing throughout the story was a distraction. Very well read thought, as narration is a major component to keep my attention. No spoilers, but GREAT story for $2 and change.

An Unusual Mystery in Alaska

A compelling listen. Taut with ragged emotions. An interesting look at differing views of wilderness versus development. Especially interesting in today's political realm of conquering and spoiling public lands.

Alaska Mystery

This book is well written, entertaining, and well performed. The characters and subject are interesting with a blend of native Alaska culture and murder mystery. I highly recommend it as mystery as it doesn't drag on or repeat itself.

Chilly mystery

Aleut Kate Shugak is a very interesting detective character. Solving horrible crimes with one foot in the modern world and one in the wilderness, she's smart but damaged. The story line really had me strung along and guessing to the end. Everyone had motives, but for all different reasons. The narration was spot on. I highly recommend this book and the series is going in my wish list.