Bad Blood

A Kate Shugak Mystery, Book 20

By: Dana Stabenow

Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Dana Stabenow's latest, Bad Blood, finds Kate Shugak entangled in a bitter tribal rivalry and murder.

In Alaska, 100 years of bad blood between the villages of Kushtaka and Kuskulana come to a boil when the body of a young Kushtaka ne'er-do-well is found wedged in a fish wheel. Sergeant Jim Chopin's prime suspect is a Kuskulana man who is already in trouble in both villages for falling in love across the river. But when the suspect disappears, members of both tribes refuse to speak to Jim. When a second murder that looks suspiciously like payback occurs, Jim has no choice but to call in Kate Shugak for help. This time, though, her Park relationships may not be enough to sort out the truth hidden in the tales of tragedy and revenge.

©2013 Dana Stabenow (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

so many wonderful books from Dana- Not this one:-(

What disappointed you about Bad Blood?

meandering ... uncharacteristic actions from the usual characters... dreadful ending

Would you recommend Bad Blood to your friends? Why or why not?

I love Dana's books. I will not recommend this one only.

What about Marguerite Gavin’s performance did you like?

very nice job

Enjoyable story—typical Kate!

This book ends with a cliff hanger but since there are more books in the series, I wasn’t that upset.
But I definitely have to find out what happens!
Good performance, nice bits of nature goings-on
every chapter or so, surprising very detailed sex scene—not typical, but not unwanted.
All in all, good read. B-

To Be Continued

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If she had finished the book

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not Dana Stabenow

Any additional comments?

I've been a fan of Dana Stabenow's books for many years and this is the first tme she's disappointed me. She left the story hanging like the last season episode of Dallas. Shame on you Dana, it's not like you have to force your readers to return by leavng a story unfinished!

Wait for the next book in the series

I love the Shugak series. I listen to them again and again...but I won't bother with this one. It's stuffed with poofy purple prose and so much description that one is ready to gag on it.

In general, it's a Romeo and Juliet rehash with star-crossed lovers from two different villages that have traditionally feuded with each other. Gack. I don't care for this kind of storyline. I might as well be reading about a grizzly dating a beaver.

We've also got multiple murders, bootlegging, Erland Bannister is once again on the loose (he's tried to kill Kate before), and Jim Chopin is losing his ability to interact with hostile locals. His skiff is sabotaged, leading to a sinking in an icy cold river and potential hypothermia. Some one -- or everyone wants him to stop investigating the man who drowned in a fish wheel and the man who died, nailed into a crawlspace.

I don't need to hear stuff reiterated. Hearing the same details repeated inside of 5 or 10 minutes regarding Chopper Jim or Kate or two villages having a pissing match gets old. Really old. I usually listen to these books in a day, two at most. It took me a week to keep interested in this long enough to get to the bitter end.

It ends with a cliffhanger that's definitely dirty pool. Bullets are flying and two characters are hit. Then it ends. If my favorite character dies, I won't return to these books.

Wait for the next volume so that you can find out right away who lives, dies, whatever. It would also be a good idea to switch back to the ebook version so that you can flip pages with rapidity instead of listening to hours of blaah. A print version should be only an hour's read. At the very least, use your iPod and jack up the speed to "faster, must go faster!"