A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak Series #1)

Buy this ebook! It is so worth it.....

Don't listen to anonymous critics! I love this series and have all of the books. Who is this mysterious Kate Shugak? What makes her tick? This character draws you into her life as she investigates various murders and happenings in her strange and interesting world. And Jack? Who wouldn't love Jack, the big mountain bear of a man..... And the Father of the Park? yum yum..... For this price, why not? I'm always looking for fun, quirky and sometimes dark characters to sink my teeth into, and this series is a definite gourmet. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)

21 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

Thick on descriptive language, thin on plot

I am an avid reader (several hundred books piled up in the "read" shelf on my Nook, I need more storage!) and mystery / suspense is my favorite genre. I read through the excellent reviews of this book and decided it would be a nice series to start through.

I loved the concept of this book. I love the way the author paints the picture of life in rural Alaska. Unfortunately, that is as far as I can go in praise for it.

In all the other ebooks I have read I don't think I've ever given a negative review, but this book compels the first. It was a slog. That's the best description I can give of it: reading this novel felt like trying to walk through a knee-high blizzard. The plot had no continuity, and the pace was unbearably slow. Through the vast majority of the book, not a thing happened. Not only in an action sense - not every book needs to be a thriller - but in a clues to the mystery sense. It just plodded along, without development to keep up any interest. The author devoted exceedingly large sections of the novel to develop the characters of different persons in the town, but then nothing was ever done with them. OK, we met _____, now we'll move on, they have no further relevance, let's go develop someone else.

In short, I feel like this author has a real way with words, and can call up a scene like nobody's business. But her command of plot is weak, and it makes it difficult to follow the story or even maintain interest. I am not familiar with Ms Stabenow as a person, so if she is young or new to writing this is probably something she will mature into. In the meantime, I recommend giving this novel a miss. I hate to say so, I honestly feel that every book can be enjoyed for what it is, but this one was just too much effort to make it worth it.

15 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

Ok, but not great.

This book had a decent story line, but lacked any depth. A quick read, but not worth more than $1.00!

11 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

Great book

Interesting to learn more about what life is like in Alaska. The plot was suspenseful and the main protagonist, Kate Shugak, comes off as tough, which she is, but she has a big heart and does the right thing. Many suspenseful moments that had me holding my breath.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Recommended for Alaskan mystery lovers.

Alaskan PI Kate Shugak is an Aleut with prominent relations in the community. After a traumatic case experiencing emotional and physical damage at the hands of a felon while working for the police, she has retired though not yet 30 to live a secluded life in rural Alaska with only the most basic elements of homesteading other than books and generator-provided access to cassette tapes for comfort when not chopping wood and performing other wilderness chores. She earns money for her minimal needs by holding a business license which she uses to generate PI work. The Shugak series, of which A Cold
Day for Murder is the first, covers her cases while also giving the reader access to her friends, relatives, and other quirky members of her community and offering a picture of modern Aleut and rural Alaskan life that is less than rosy particularly for lower 48 city slickers. The adventure of experiencing Kate's world will help most readers appreciate more the comforts of modern conveniences, public utilities, and animal control. Yet it strangely compelling enough to continue with the series, of which there are 27 books to date.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Not what l expected

It was more history than mystery. It had moments where you were wondering what was gonna happen. If you want to learn about Alaska then this is the book for you.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable

Nice detective story set in Alaska

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A wonderful intro to Alaskan fiction

Kate Shugat took less than a day to become one of my favorite people. The detective story is a good one, the pace is fast, and the background makes you feel you have stepped into the "real" Alaska. Good job, Dana!! No, GREAT job!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

easy, interesting read

my first book by dana stabenow: now i'm going to check out all her others. surprise ending.....i won't tell anymore.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The beginning of A COLD DAY FOR MURDER reminded me of a tall seq

The beginning of A COLD DAY FOR MURDER reminded me of a tall sequoia, as I stood on the uppermost branches, staring out at a picturesque world, before I slipped and then smacked every branch on the way down. Even though I’ve never been to Alaska, I feel like I could paint a picture of its vast wilderness and attractive scenery and include a few interesting characters to boot, if I should so desire. Several of the chapters began with multiple pages of description, the text coming to life right before my eyes, springing forth like a cactus in the desert.

It wasn’t until I was about 36% through this tale on my Kindle (this transfers to roughly 71 pages into the print edition) before the mystery really took hold and took off. Had it not been for some lovely description and Kate’s straightforward, no-holds-barred mentality, I might have given up on this novel earlier. As it stands, though, I was rather glad I pushed through. Even though Kate isn’t the most likeable character, I really enjoyed her toughness and even found her abrasiveness rather amusing most of the time. She’s a character with some rough edges that I’m sure will get smoothed out in one of her later adventures.

As for the other characters, none are as fleshed out as Kate Shugak, but all showed signs of life and enough enthusiasm for further tales. The mystery proved interesting and engaging, but at times it felt like it took a backseat to the characters and the scenery. In the end, though, this was an enjoyable read from the first page to the last, it all fit together perfectly, and I look forward to catching up on more of Kate’s exploits.

Robert Downs
Author of Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Skip It!

I prefer books that do not use vulgar language. You do not need to swear in order to write a good book.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Very good

I loved this book...I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.



CJ

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

book club

Another recent choice for book club. Not a bad read but I had a hard time getting to know the characters or caring.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great

At first i wasnt sure i would like this book, but after a few pages i was hooked. I really reccommend thiis book and look forward to reading more of this authors books. Im so happy to have found a new (for me) author.

I love her books. I wish she had more. They are easy reads for p

I love her books. I wish she had more. They are easy reads for people who have little time.

Cold Day for Murder

I enjoyed the story. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Alaska environment.

Highly Recommended - you must check it out!!

Absolutely love this and the whole series!!! I'm on the 16th of the series and can not read fast enough. Great stories.

Memories

What I especially loved was how the book took me right back to my memories of living in Alaska. I even had my own Mutt wolf-dog.

I applaud the way the author wrote of the "bush" way of life. Very realistic, but she just skimmed the erosive problems the Natives are having with alcoholism and loosing their young to outside influences. It's tragic.

Not good

Not good

A good read

A reasonably good murder mystery that kept my interest.