I continue to enjoy Paige Shelton's Alaska Wild series. As good as her cozy mystery series have been, these books featuring writer Beth Rivers are edgy, and have more meat on the bone. I've watched Beth begin to heal from her injuries, and now in this third book, she's made a home for herself in Benedict. She's familiar with the area, she's an old hand at dressing appropriately, and she's made friends that she thinks she can share her story with-- friends who will understand and help keep her safe. In such a place, she is even beginning to understand that there are different degrees of quiet that she's never heard before.

The village of Benedict, Alaska, plays a very important role in Dark Night and the entire series. It's a town where people have moved to be beneath the radar. Many of the townspeople have secrets they want to keep. It doesn't bother them that Benedict has terrible cell phone reception or that the local library is about the only place with a decent internet connection. As Beth begins to share her story, I'm looking forward to learning more about the interesting cast of characters Shelton has populated the town with.

In Dark Night, we learn more about Beth's mother, who has made it her life's ambition to track down her missing husband-- Beth's father. Mill Rivers does things her own way. As Beth says, her mother "did fine by herself, except for when she wasn't by herself." Mill doesn't take other people's wants and needs much into consideration. Another character in Dark Night says, "...your mother has made her own bed, time and again-- and she's never really lain in it." All this makes Beth's mother a difficult character to like or even trust-- the opposite of her daughter.

With a dead body, a missing census taker, and worries that her kidnapper is on his way to Benedict, Beth has a lot on her plate, and Shelton does an excellent job of ratcheting up the suspense. The author has also shown what a good support system Beth has, and once she begins to share her story with her friends, it's a system that will only get stronger-- and I feel that it's going to be a crucial factor in the books to come. When will there be a showdown between Beth and her kidnapper? Write faster, Paige!

I look forward to each of these books being published. Paige Shelton is a wonderful author and really gives all the Alaska vibes in this book.

We go on a journey with Beth in Dark Night. This book is full of twists that you can't put it down. With just 288 pages it's a fast read as well. We also finally meet Beth's mother in this book, and boy what a trip! Can we skip to next year for the 4th book now please?

Another Paige Sheldon story about Beth's life in Alaska. The characters are memberable and some are quirky. You'll enjoy following the clues as the killer is uncovered.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/11/30/dark-night-by-paige-shelton/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

<strong>Dark Night</strong> is the third book in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/265529-alaska-wild-mysteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Alaska Wild Mysteries</strong></em></a>.  I would read the series in order as both the mystery plot arc and the personal relationships grow throughout the series.  Each book has smaller mysteries in addition to, and sometimes tangled up in, the main series mysteries.  There is some small town quirkiness and a few things seem ridiculous, but overall it's an interesting and enjoyable read.

Beth has been trying to live below the radar in small town Alaska.  She doesn't want her stalker to find her.  She is remembering more over time.  She is also settling into the town and making friends.  But she feels badly being disingenuous with them as she gets to know them more.  There are many in this area who are hiding from one thing or another, or just want to be left alone.  It makes it difficult to know who to trust.  Slowly, Beth begins to trust a few others and tell them her real story.

Now there's a murder in town, and her mom, also on the run, shows up in town.  Beth is glad to see her mom but also worried.  Her mom isn't completely honest with her about many things but she is her mom.  Beth and her mom work together until her mom takes off again.  Beth learns much more about her father and who he was, before he disappeared when she was 7. She perseveres to figure things out in a shocking conclusion.

This one's for fans of the series as I'm not sure it would work as a standalone. Beth has settled in to Benedict, Alaska after fleeing from Travis Walker, who kidnapped her in Missouri a year ago. She's always on guard, though, because she's never known why he did it and now someone's put a note with his alleged address on her desk. That's worrying but what's really of concern is the murder of Ned, a domestic abuser in the middle of a snowstorm and in the middle of town. Beth is worried because her boots are wet and there's a spot of blood on the handle of her door. And who is Doug Vitner, the obnoxious census taker? Then Beth's mom Mill turns up, bringing with her the long standing mystery of her father's disappearance. Shelton has crammed a lot of subplots into this, some of which work a bit better than others. I've liked this series for the Alaska details and the characters- Violet and Benny are favorites but we don't see enough of some of the others here. This felt at the end as though Shelton was wrapping the series up but I think there's more to be mined. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I liked Dark Night, but after I immediately finished it I was torn between an OK or like rating. Since I'd read the two previous books and have been to Alaska twice (my brother also lived there for 30+ years and can attest to the long winter crazies), I was invested in the characters and town.

I think I was gravitating to the OK rating because you really have to go with the flow of really improbable happenings. We already knew about one kind of improbable reoccurring character, but at least 3, if not 4, new ones are added. Several things happen that made me go "Seriously?!?"

So, if you're a fan of the two previous books and want to see what's new with Beth, I think you'll enjoy this one. Some readers might be like me and start questioning what's going on.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I like this series. However, Dark Night isn’t as good as the previous books. The narrative seemed a bit stagnant and stilted. It’s a decent read, though. Beth encounters her past in Benedict while immersed in a murder. I still like Tex the best with Orin a close second. I liked Gus the husky as well. I love the setting of Alaska and the isolation. The community looks out for their own, but some outsiders have arrived. A big revelation is made to Beth and the next book will hopefully begin with her choice on how to act on the information.

*4-4.5 stars

This is the third book in Paige Shelton's Alaska Wild Mysteries featuring Beth Rivers, a best-selling author who has been hiding away in the small town of Benedict, Alaska after escaping a kidnaper. I would definitely recommend reading these books in order to get the gist of what's going on, what Beth has been through.

In this installment, Beth's crazy mother Millicent has found her daughter in Benedict. Mill is wanted by the police in the lower 48 but Gril, the local police chief, looks the other way as long as she promises to be gone in two weeks.

Gril already has enough trouble on his hands as the long dark nights of winter have settled in. He's trying to solve the murder of a man who had badly beaten his wife and been in a fight with an irritating census taker named Vitner. Now it seems Vitner has disappeared. Beth and her mom are determined to help solve these mysteries which seem to have curious ties to Beth's own case.

Having read all three of these mysteries back to back, I appreciate the way Shelton has developed her characters, having them grow and change--especially Beth, of course. Shelton describes the wild Alaskan setting so well that one can fully understand the psychological problems that can set in with the long, dark winter nights. Special skills are needed to survive, along with help from friends and neighbors. Can't wait to see what happens next to Beth and this group of eccentric Alaskans.

I received an arc of Shelton's latest mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am always happy to be introduced to an author new to me. For that, I also thank my GR's friend for the heads up about this series of mysteries. I always enjoy reading books set in Alaska.

This book is chock full of action. There's a lot going on in Benedict, Alaska and in Beth Rivers' life. She is hiding in this remote Alaska town from a man who kidnapped her and held her in his van for three days before she managed to escape. I found the characters in this town to be quite interesting. It seems that most of them have some hidden parts of their backgrounds they prefer to keep secret. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and hope Beth continues to stay safe.

As winter sets in, the residents of remote Benedict, Alaska, are unhappy when "the census man" shows up, asking a lot of questions that most in this secretive community would rather not answer. At the same time, Beth gets a surprise visitor of her own – her mother, who had previously gone underground, searching for Beth's kidnapper. Beth is happy to see her mother, but wonders who else can track her down and find her, even in this isolated location. As if that's not enough, one man is murdered and another goes missing. Everyone, even the police chief, is suspect, and Beth wonders who she really can trust.

This is the third book in this series by one of my favorite authors, although I would hesitate to call this a cozy mystery. There's a little too much "grit" to call it a cozy, but it's not descriptively gory enough to cause problems for most cozy readers. I've never been to Alaska, but when I do finally go there, I hope I don't end up in a place as remote as the setting of these books :) I don't think I could handle living in a place without reliable connections to the rest of the world, and as is demonstrated in these books, the residents themselves have to deal with any emergencies or crises that occur. I like the recurring characters and the way they provide such a good network of support for Beth. There were quite a few suspects to consider for the murderer, and I was taken by surprise when the killer was identified. I look forward to my next visit to Benedict, Alaska, and reading about how things are going with Beth and the rest of the town.

Dark Night is the third book in the Alaska Wild series. The first chapter gives a good summary of important events and background information from the two prior books. It could stand alone, but to get the most enjoyment, it’s best to read the books in order. There are three elements to the plot in each of the books. There is a current murder that the main character, author Beth Rivers, often helps the police chief solve. In this book, the current case is an abusive husband that is murdered and Beth and her mother, who has arrived in town unexpectedly, are determined to help solve the case.

There is also the ongoing storyline of Beth moving to Benedict, Alaska and trying to live under the radar, to escape a violent stalker who had already abducted her once. Beth’s mom Mill arrives due to developments regarding Beth’s stalker, Mill is unconventional, and is a habitual liar who can’t be trusted. In spite of this, I still like her character because of her bravery and love for her daughter.
Finally, there are portions of the story about Beth adjusting to the harsh environment of rural Alaska. The wintry conditions in Benedict are constantly a danger and in this case, the cold and snowy conditions lead to isolation of the residents of the town, sometimes creating mental health issues.

All three elements come together to create a unique and enjoyable book. The first book in the series, Thin Ice, is still my favorite, but this is a solid installment in a very entertaining series.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Minotaur Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

While I loved Thin Ice, the first book in Paige Shelton’s Alaska Wild series, I wasn’t as fond of the second one, Cold Wind. Beth Rivers, the protagonist, was one of those “Had I But Known” characters in the second book, and I hate characters who don’t consider their own safety. Beth still has a few of those moments in Dark Night, but she also has a logical reason to act that way. Her mother shows up in Benedict, Alaska, and if there’s anyone who will make a logical woman lose perspective, it’s Mill Rivers.

For those who haven’t read the series, Beth Rivers is a bestselling suspense author who lived in St. Louis, Missouri. She was kidnapped by a man named Travis Walker, and held captive in his van for three days where she was hurt and tortured before she escaped by throwing herself from the van. She fled to the small town of Benedict where she’s been hiding for about six months. She’s made a few friends, although Gril Samuels, the police chief, is the only one who knows who she really is. And, then Gril says her mother, Mill, has been spotted in Juneau. If Mill can find her, who else can track her down to Alaska?

Beth has mixed feelings about Mill. She loves her mother, but when Beth’s father disappeared when Beth was seven, her mother went on a lifelong search to find him. She’s obsessed, and, since Beth’s kidnapping, her mother went so far as to find Travis Walker and try to shoot him. She’s a fugitive from the law who uses all of her computer skills to advance her own purpose. And, Beth suspects her mother might be in Alaska looking for more than her daughter.

Mill does turn up in town, but her arrival coincides with the stabbing death of Ned, an abusive husband. Gril and other community members had been trying to protect his wife, Claudia, while Gril hoped to arrest Ned’s sister, Lucy, who is a thief. The whole situation is a bloody mess in a small, secretive community that is suspicious of newcomers such as a census man who shows up. Mill is accepted only because she’s Beth’s mother, but everyone should be suspicious of her.

It’s winter in Benedict, Alaska, a time when people go stir crazy. It makes for dark nights, such as the night Ned was killed, and the time when the census man disappears, and so does Mill.

Dark Night might be those long, dark nights of Alaska’s winter. It could also refer to “the dark night of the soul”, as Beth tries to cope with the aftereffects of her kidnapping, and, even the effects of her mother’s visit. She has emotional issues to deal with, and Mill’s arrival and ongoing search for Beth’s father only stirs up more confusing feelings. Mill may stir up trouble, but she does love her daughter, and she recognizes that Beth needs the support of the eccentric residents of Benedict.

For those who have followed the series, Dark Night marks a turning point in Beth’s life. As I said before about the books in this series, it’s a thriller for those of us who are not fans of thrillers. While we wait with baited breath for the next tragedy, we know that Beth has an entire community of quirky individuals to support her.

This is the third book in the Alaska Wild series and follows Beth as she prepares for winter in Benedict, Alaska. Beth is hiding out, making sure to stay three steps ahead of her kidnapper who, last police knew, is still in the lower 48. But this small town isn't as idyllic as it seems after a battered woman stumbles into the town bar one night and her abusive husband is found dead the next day. Suspicions turn to the stranger in town - the census man - but he disappears soon after. In a small town with people trapped in by the winter weather, everyone is a suspect. But Beth, realizing there could be some hidden connections between her new and old lives, has a sneaking suspicion that maybe she isn't so safe in this town after all.

TW/CW: domestic violence

Okay, full disclosure time: I didn't know this was the third book in a series when I requested it from NetGalley. The description might have been missing that part when I initially looked or maybe I just missed it when I was reading through. If I did know, I wouldn't have requested as I haven't read either of the previous 2 books. I didn't realize my mistake until I was about halfway through so I did finish reading the book as is. I wanted to mention this right at the top so I acknowledge that some of my thoughts on the story might not be entirely accurate.

First thing I want to mention is that even though this is the third book in the series, I think Shelton does a great job of getting the reader up to speed. I initially thought that the beginning few chapters had a ton of info-dumping going on but now I realize that was the quick summary version of the previous books. Each book in the series follows Beth as she is learning to live in this new reality post-kidnapping. However, there are separate, stand alone mysteries that she helps solve in each book so from that perspective this can be read as a standalone. I never got lost while I was reading, but I did find some things to be a little more summarized than I would have liked and I assume those parts were stuff that was addressed in more detail in the previous books. So I'd say this series is similar in a lot of the detective fiction series where the main plot line in each book is a standalone mystery but there's an overall plot thread through all the books as well.

I really enjoyed the characters and the relationships explored throughout the book. Again, I think we're missing some of that initial character introductions from the previous books but I didn't have a hard time keeping the characters separate from one another. I think because I was missing this backstory, the characters weren't initially very developed but we got a lot of interaction between them and Beth so the characterization was brought out by the conversations and plot instead of the typical initial character description/interaction you get in a completely stand alone book. I did find Beth a bit under developed for my personal taste and maybe if I had read the previous books I would have more of her backstory/character development in mind. However, in my reading experience, I found her to be one of the more mysterious characters in the book which is a little funny since she's the protagonist of this series. I understand she's hiding out in this town and thus most people don't know who she is, but I do wish we had gotten more internal monologues or maybe flashbacks to flesh her character out a bit. I think this was made especially clear by the fact that Beth's mother shows up in town but both women seem to be pretty tight-lipped about their past. I did find the cast of characters in this town to be really charming and I liked the strong personalities we get from all of them.

The mystery plot, I found to be a bit convoluted. It wasn't hard to follow, exactly, but there were so many times when it wasn't clear how certain things were connected or how certain characters were making certain connections. I think my main issue stemmed from the fact that the reader was supposed to be wondering if the murders in town had something to do with Beth's past and I think that mixing and integrating wasn't done as well as it should have been. I think it would have been better if the two mystery lines were running completely parallel instead because I found this attempt to build suspense just ended up muddying the waters and making the story less enjoyable. I really enjoyed the red herrings that Shelton developed throughout the story for both mystery plots. I also think she did a great job blending isolation thriller tropes with some psychological suspense. There is a pretty consistent reminder to the reader that this town is small and isolated and the harsh winter conditions can really affect mental health. I really enjoyed the setting and the impact it had on the other story elements. There was one part of the mystery element that really bothered me and it was when one character found a piece of information that they needed to look at and then they kept getting side tracked. Multiple times. I was getting incredibly frustrated because I just wanted that character to go look at the information already. The reasons for the character getting sidetracked did not seem nearly as important as the actual information so I couldn't understand why the character was acting like that. I could see it was an attempt at building suspense and tension but it wasn't quite balanced effectively for me. Also, the ending did leave on a bit of a cliffhanger for Beth's personal life, but the main mystery of the book does get solved.

Overall, I liked this book and I really enjoyed the characters and setting. However, the mystery element fell a little flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC

Expected publication date is December 7, 2021.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this arc! I knew I would love the writing and I wasn't disappointed. Beth really grows as a character in this series, and I love it. She is starting to get to know more of her neighbors and be a friend. I liked how with winter setting in this book was kind of a 'locked room' mystery. The story was so good, with so much happening and so many people, it felt like a surprise a minute. can't wait for the next book to see what happens next especially because of the final cliffhanger!

Winter is settling in at Benedict, Alaska, and Beth Rivers is settling in too. She is getting ready to share her secrets with some of the other residents that she has come to trust. But then the "census man" comes to the area, her mother Mill on the run from the law also arrives, and a rather nasty resident is murdered.

The murder victim is Ned, who is hiding his sister who is a fugitive from crimes elsewhere in Alaska, is known for having a bad temper and for beating his wife. That makes both the wife and the sister suspects in his death. But they aren't the only suspects. Beth finds that she is sleepwalking and wonders if she might have killed Ned though she has no idea why she would do so.

Beth also wonders if her sleepwalking might have something to do with her returning memories about her kidnapping and escape. She knows her mother Mill has been on the track of her kidnapper. They learn that he had known the Rivers family. In fact, that he had dealt drugs with Beth's father before her father's disappearance. Mill has been obsessively searching for her lost husband since he disappeared when Beth was seven. While Beth would like to think that Mill came to Alaska for love of her, she knows that Mill always has multiple reasons for doing things and also lies a lot.

When the librarian Orin is let into Beth's secrets, he uses his connections from the secret government agency that used to employ him to find out more about her father and his partners than she or Mill had been able to uncover in all their years of searching. And some secrets are closer to home than Beth could have imagined.

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller very much. I like that Beth is opening up to her new friends and becoming more comfortable in Benedict. I like that some of the secrets about Beth's attacker and her father's disappearance are finally being exposed.

This is the third in Paige Shelton’s insanely enjoyable Alaska wild series, set in tiny Benedict and featuring Beth Rivers, who is hiding out. She’d been kidnapped and got away, though sustaining a concussion and other injuries as well as suffering from PTSD. She is wary when she arrives in Alaska but by book three has begun to relax into life in Benedict – more or less.

She had left the lower 48 after her kidnapping, leaving the hospital against her doctor’s orders and in fear of the man who took her, who so far in the series has not been captured (though I’m assuming that will eventually happen). She’s also a well known writer under a pen name, so she’s able to maintain cover by writing the tiny town paper while using the paper’s “office” - a tiny shack behind the library (good wifi and cell phone coverage, which happens few other places in town). She’s made a connection with the librarian, a stoner Willie Nelson type who nevertheless has some special ops skills as far as obtaining information goes.

The other giant hanging lose thread in Beth’s life is her mother, Mill, who is on the run after shooting and injuring Beth’s alleged attacker. She has gone to ground though naturally she turns up when Beth least expects it. One of the strengths of this book is this fraught though loving relationship. Mill dragged Beth around for most of her childhood hunting for her father, who disappeared years ago without a trace. Mill is still hunting for him.

Into this situation, of course, a crime must fall, and it’s a doozy. As the denizens of Benedict are gathered in the bar one night, a woman comes in, beaten and bloody. Everyone in town is pretty sure the person responsible is her husband, Ned, whom no one seems to like. The woman, Claudia, more or less confirms this and the doctor is called.

Beth lives at a halfway house (basically by accident), under the strong watchful eye of Viola, who ends up serving as the de facto town jailer. She also takes in probationers and reforms them. Her sister, Benny, runs the bar, and Benny steps up to take care of the Claudia situation. Claudia ends up under her supervision as Beth and Viola head home, but of course the next morning Ned’s body is found in what passes for the town square.
Shelton spins this into a locked room mystery as most of the suspects were under lock and key, or within sight of each other, at the time of the murder. The wild card is Ned’s sister, Lucy, on the run from the law herself and Viola is asked by the town lawman to keep her under lock and key until either a flight or a ferry to Juneau can take place, which, because of weather, is not happening.

Shelton manages to combine the more quaint small town aspects of Benedict, which is a cozy trope, with the ferocity of the Alaskan winter and the different ways the residents of Benedict react to the long months of isolation, dark, and cold, which is more of a noir trope.

Mill turns out to be mostly a help to the situation, earning at least a grudging respect from most of Beth’s friends, and granted a look-the-other-way from the town cop - as long as she doesn’t stay in town too long. Beth is happy to be reunited with her mother, but also frustrated, wary, and curious. Family is complicated, and the deft Shelton never lets the reader forget that fact.

As the mystery unravels and Mill and Beth reach an epiphany of sorts, the clever Shelton leaves a dandy hanging thread for the reader on the last page, making it very difficult to wait for book four. This is a wonderful series, balancing relationships and a clever mystery with a well paced and told story. I’m a huge fan, I love the female centric universe as well as the complicated Beth.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

The days are getting darker and colder and winter comes to Benedict Alaska. The ferry and aircraft come and go less frequently so making the trek to Juneau is hit or miss depending on the weather. Some of the residents handle the darkness, cold, ice, and snow better than others. People who have lived in Benedict for years all have their own ways of coping and for most, it is just their daily lives.

Residents were surprised when the “census man” arrived in town and he definitely was not welcomed with open arms. He made a definite impression with his visit to Ned and Claudia Withers. After the man left their home Ned beat up his wife and by the next morning, Ned was dead.

Also making the trip to Benedict is Mill Rivers. Her daughter Beth has been hiding in this faraway town since recovering from the injuries sustained when she was kidnapped while her captor is still at large. He was injured when her mother found and shot him but he got away again. She was charged for her actions but has gone on the run. So Beth is both shocked and scared that her mother tracked her down after all her efforts to stay safe. If her mother found her can her kidnapper be far behind?

So with a murder to solve, a couple of fugitives in town, a census man wandering around, and the probability of a kidnapper stepping off the ferry and day now, Police Chief Gril has his hands full. Maybe Beth and her mom can assist him or will they die trying? Who knows when everyone in town and beyond are on a very long suspect list.

Again, I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book for review and I couldn’t wait to start reading. The first two books in this series, Thin Ice and Cold Wind really stuck with me and I have been really looking forward to this installment for some answers and another suspenseful adventure with Beth Rivers.

Ms. Sheldon doesn’t disappoint. So much happens within these pages, it is the kind of book that has you opening it up and holding on tight until you reach the end.

First, the setting of Benedict, Alaska is a character in itself. It is a living and breathing place. The weather is frigid, a blizzard can blow through quickly or take up residence and drop multiple inches of snow, or it can be a clear cold day where business can go on as usual. It can have secrets and reveal them at its will. The author describes the place so well I had shivers running up my spine and was tingling when its residents ventured out in the vastness of Alaska.

Beth has survived a horrific experience that left her scarred physically and mentally. She is a powerful character but she still has demons she needs to remember and face before she can truly start to heal. She does have a heartwrenching breakthrough in this story. She also gets several answers thanks to her mother showing up in Benedict.

Her mother is a hard woman due to the life she has lived and her need to track down Beth’s father and now her abductor. She is also a bit of a loose cannon as you never know what she is going to say or do.

These two women are surrounded by a vast supporting cast. I am in awe of the way the author has created so many characters with so many layers and so much depth. And not everything about their lives has been revealed. The characters are well-developed but still have room to continue to evolve.

Yes, there is a murder mystery to be solved in this book but there are a plethora of mysteries swirling within these pages. Secrets abound. Delving into people’s lives to find a murderer opens doors that lead to astounding revelations. Masterfully plotted this is a story that is impossible to put down.

The Alaska Wild Series is a series that truly should be read in order. Readers need to follow Beth’s path. Her leaving Missouri on the run, her arrival in Benedict, and all the things she encountered in Thin Ice lead to the continuation of her adjustments to Alaska life, and all her experiences in Cold Wind, and that builds to what happens in Dark Night and hopefully future books. There is a large cast of characters and reading the series from the start will enable readers to meet them and follow their journeys.

I have totally escaped into every book in this series. They have held me spellbound and kept me thoroughly entertained. I finish one and get immediately excited for the next installment. Dark Night like the book before it moved me to feel it deserves more than 5 stars. Dark Night has earned a place on my Best Reads of 2021 and receives my Paradise Rating.

This is a really great series which I enjoy every time I read it. I read all the previous books so I a,m sure to remember all that has happened. Love it.👏👏👏

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

I received this ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Shelton has given us another story from the “Alaska Wild” series taking place in Benedict, Alaska and featuring Beth Rivers. Benedict is a remote town in Alaksa in which Beth Rivers is hiding from a dangerous stalker, who kidnapped her and tortured her for 3 days before she escaped. While hiding out in Benedict she has become friendly with the sheriff who is the only person to know her back story. She tries to help him with solving some of his cases because of her background and her observation skills. But this time the crime could involve her mother, Mill Rivers. Mill is wanted by the police for shooting at Beth’s Stalker. Beth worries about her and can’t believe that she shows up in Benedict just when a murder happens. Beth also wonders if her stalker has found her, since her mother has and then she learns how her father is connected to another crime and her stalker. What decisions does Beth have to make and can she trust her own mother and has her stalker found her. Pick up “Dark Night” and enjoy a well written mystery that will keep you turning the pages.