Bad Blood (Kate Shugak Series #20)

by Dana Stabenow

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Dana Stabenow's next novel, Bad Blood, finds Kate Shugak entangled in a bitter tribal rivalry and murder

One hundred years of bad blood between the Alaskan 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250770554
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/27/2013
Series:	Kate Shugak Series , #20
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	525,585
Product dimensions:	4.25(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Dana Stabenow is the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Shugak mysteries and the Liam Campbell mysteries, as well as a few science fiction and thriller novels. The first entry in the Kate Shugak series, A Cold Day for Murder, won an Edgar Award; later, Though Not Dead received a Nero Award. Stabenow was born in Anchorage, Alaska and raised on a 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska. She has a B.A. in journalism and an M.F.A. in writing from the University of Alaska. She has worked as an egg counter and bookkeeper for a seafood company, and worked on the TransAlaska pipeline before becoming a full-time writer. She continues to live in Alaska.

Editorial Reviews

Entertaining 19th novel featuring the brash, fearless PI [Kate Shugak]…The book sparkles with energy and wit, and packs an unexpected punch.” —Publishers Weekly on RESTLESS IN THE GRAVE

“A combination of fast and furious adventure and the beauty and complexity of Alaska.” —Kirkus Reviews on RESTLESS IN THE GRAVE

“In her newest Kate Shugak thriller, Stabenow proves she's as comfortable dealing with Alaskan history as she is portraying Kate's insular contemporary world and the harsh, beautiful, changing landscape she and her extended family call home… A stand-out entry in a consistently good series.” —Booklist (starred review) on THOUGH NOT DEAD

“The latest in Dana Stabenow's robust series [is] her most far-reaching Shugak story yet, ambitiously incorporating some of Alaska's colorful history.” —Seattle Times on THOUGH NOT DEAD

From the Publisher

An affectionate nod to Romeo and Juliet, Stabenow’s absorbing 20th Kate Shugak novel (after 2012’s Restless in the Grave) focuses on two feuding villages in the 20 million acre Alaskan national park that Kate calls home. Kushtaka, founded by the Athabascan Mack family, is in decline, losing population and clinging to a subsistence lifestyle. Trappers led by the Norwegian Christianson family founded nearby Kuskulana, which has thrived with an airstrip, a growing population, and federal funds. When the body of Kushtakan Tyler Mack surfaces in a river, Sgt. Jim Chopin, a state trooper, thinks it’s likely a homicide; when a second body, of a Kuskulaner, turns up, Chopin is sure more violence will follow. The secretive romance between Kushtakan Jennifer Mack and Kuskulaner Ryan Christianson might turn the feud into a war. Meanwhile, Kate has a plan to save the couple. Edgar-winner Stabenow’s take on Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers ends in a tragedy likely to shock series fans. Author tour. Agent: Danny Baror, Baror International. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

A clash of family cultures may be behind a series of murders. The Alaskan villages of Kushtaka and Kuskulana share a salmon-filled river and a deep-rooted mutual hatred. Kushtaka natives, mostly Macks, adhere to the old ways and live in near poverty. Across the river, the Kuskulana residents, mostly Christiansons, reap the benefits of modernity. When state trooper Sgt. Jim Chopin is called in, Roger Christianson takes him to the Mack fish wheel, where the body of Tyler Mack has been found. Although Tyler's family considered him a lazy schemer, they're covering up evidence and plotting revenge. Jim's girlfriend, private eye Kate Shugak, a Native Alaskan with many family connections in the vast area known as the Park, quickly becomes involved. No sooner is Tyler's death ruled a murder then the body of Mitch Halvorsen is found sealed up in the house he's building on the Kuskulana side of the river. Mitch's brother Kenny demands revenge against the Kushtakers. Jim is sure that Mitch and Kenny were smuggling in alcohol and possibly drugs for the nearby mine workers, but his questions produce only silence and lies on both sides of the river. In the meantime, Ryan Christianson and Jennifer Mack, who have fallen in love, are secretly meeting even though their romance is certain to cause more trouble. Kate (Restless in the Grave, 2012, etc.), along with her half-wolf, Mutt, works her own angle and takes steps that may put her in danger in more ways than she can imagine. To her usual atmospheric detection, Stabenow adds more than a hint of Romeo and Juliet, or the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Kirkus Reviews