An engrossing, multi-layered whodunit that is deeply human.

If you are looking for reliably good crime fiction read, then look no further than Dana Stabenow’s A Cold Day for Murder. The book has everything I enjoy in a modern crime fiction yarn; a flawed, cynical detective, a remote setting, and an exhilarating whodunit with suspects galore, all of whom have motives for the crimes at hand. But what makes this book special is the added conflict between the traditional way of life Native Alaskans (in this case Aleut) and the encroachment of contemporary, outside America. Stabenow's masterful depiction of scene, atmosphere, and mood offers that “feels-like-you-are-there” experience, almost as though you’re riding over every snow covered bump of an abandoned railroad grade on the back of a snowmobile in sub-zero weather following (main character) Kate Shugak’s every move.

In A Cold Day for Murder, Stabenow depicts the characters with nuance and emotion. Even the minor players feel fully fleshed out and real. But none are so vividly depicted as Kate Shugak, a former top investigator for the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office who quit after getting her throat cut while apprehending a child abuser. When a park ranger, the son of a congressman, disappears, along with a district attorney’s office investigator sent to look for him, her old boss, under pressure from the FBI, persuades Shugak to look for them. Besides her skills as an investigator, no one knows the National Park and its 20 million acres of Alaskan wilderness, where the men disappeared better than Kate does. And as an insider related to half of the people living in the bush, she can find out things no outsider ever could.

Dana Stabenow’s writing is electric, her ear for dialogue is pitch perfect and her pacing and sustained tension make for a page-turning read. The setting in the bush of Alaska, a state that has fascinated me since I read Jack London’s Call of the Wild as a child, is the icing on the cake. I highly recommend this one.

A Cold Day for Murder is the first of a series that Dana Stabenow has been writing for many years. So, this is a re-release. Though the author is familiar to me in name, this may have been the first book by her that I've read and it definitely serves as an impetus to go back and read through the series. I loved the setting and the characters and this book is simply an invitation to know and read more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My "to be read" book list has just grown exponentially!

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
Publisher: Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Published: January 5, 2023

A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in the Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow. This book was originally published in 1992 and has been re-released.

This is the first book I've read by the author and I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced and interesting. I really found it fascinating!

The characters were interesting, as was learning about life in a small Aleut community in Alaska and its politics. The crime solving was fascinating and kept me trying to figure things out.

I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series because it feels like one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish reading it because you know there is more!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The book that started the Kate Shugak series…

Dana Stabenow’s A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in her Kate Shugak series, which now runs to more than 20 titles. And it’s quite a series-starter. Stabenow’s love for her home state shows in her almost lyrical descriptions of Alaska: its vistas, its geology, its animals, its seasons, and, of course, its people. There’s a nice mystery to solve as well. And it won the 1993 Edgar for Best Paperback.

In A Cold Day for Murder, readers get to meet the series protagonist, who is a former investigator for the Anchorage District Attorney’s office. After several stressful years with the DA, though, and one particularly horrific final case, Kate has retreated into a remote life on her homestead twenty-five miles outside the little town of Niniltna, which is itself a couple of hour plane flight from Anchorage. Reclusive indeed, but as the story opens, her former boss and an FBI suit have trekked all the way to her place, hoping to talk her into investigating the disappearance of two people last seen in the Park. After all, Kate grew up in the Park, and furthermore, she's related to half the people in it.

The case is complicated by all of those family relationships, by the remoteness of just about everything, and by the fact that Kate’s former boss is also her former lover (and still very much in love with her). But Kate finally figures out what happened - and sadly, she almost wishes she hadn’t. A Cold Day for Murder is not a fast-paced mystery or a thriller – if only because, much as with Tony Hillerman’s books set in the American Southwest, the distances involved and the difficulty of travel and communications seem to slow things down. But the pace feels right for the story, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable book to read.

I’ve been a fan of (almost) all of the Kate Shugak books for decades – quite literally. So it felt a bit odd to have been given a review copy now, in 2023, of the very first title in the series, especially since A Cold Day for Murder was first published more than thirty years ago, in 1992. It felt odd, but it also was a fine excuse to re-read it, and thus remember how much I like both this particular book and this series. I highly recommend them both. And finally, my thanks to the publisher, Head of Zeus, and to NetGalley for the review copy.

As with any novel some thirty years after its publication, times and styles have changed. Initially, I felt that the novel wasn’t living up to its hype. After all, times have altered the pacing of the most popular novels particularly in this genre. Things move faster, language is coarser, character development gets more attention, novels are longer, and carnage is everywhere. In retrospect, the final few chapters showed me what this novel does that many fail to do today, truly represent a culture and how it struggles against the fast paced American culture that seems to place no value on native cultures. I read the book based on my interest in indigenous cultures and our great North American outdoors. I’ve wished this was a well known sub-genre so that it’s easier to find these golden nuggets of our American outdoors and beauty. I will be reading the rest of the Kate Shugak series and will allow myself to more fully enjoy a different approach from earlier days. My thanks to the publisher for this ARC of the new release of this great novel.

Determined And Feisty…
The first outing in the Kate Shugak Investigation series and an introduction to this determined and feisty private investigator with a troubled past working in Alaska. As Kate investigates a disappearance, realities of life in Alaska are to the forefront. A unique new female sleuth and a credible and insightful start to a new series.

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow is the first in a new series, featuring Kate Shugak, a Native American(Aleut)/native Alaskan. Kate had left the reservation/village of her youth to became an investigator for the Anchorage District Attorney’s office. That is until she was sent out an a particularly horrible child rape case and was nearly killed when the perp slit her throat. Now she carries the scar on her throat and on her soul. She has retreated to her own spot of land in the vast wilderness of Alaska. It’s desolate and it’s cold. It is there her boss from the DA’s office brought the FBI agent to convince her to to go further into the wilderness to find a park ranger who had been missing for six weeks, and the DA’s investigator who had chased him two weeks ago. Both had disappeared. It seems the park ranger’s father was a United State congressman, hence the FBI. Kate knew people out there including her foster father and her grandmother. She would find them although probably not alive.

If you want to know something of the Alaskan wilderness or of the Aleut’s modern life, this is the book to read. It is filled with information, cleverly wound through the story of Kate’s unorthodox investigation. The culture is woven deeply into the story. Kate is the best of the best. She reads people well and acts on what she sees. She is deeply connected and uses that to her advantage. She is clever and quick and not at all sweet or submissive. She sees things as they are. She is a fabulous character and well-written by Stabenow. The plot is not really the focus, but rather the deep love the inhabitants of this remote areas have for their lives, as disparate as they are. Stabenow does weave some personal moments and relationships into the story, making it even more relatable. If you are interested in Alaska, this is the series for you.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Cold Day for Murder by Aria and Ares, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #AriaAndAres #DanaStabenow #AColdDayForMurder

A Cold Day for Murder
by Dana Stabenow
Pub Date 05 Jan 2023 | Archive Date 14 Jan 2023
Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers


I am reviewing a copy of A Cold Day for Murder through Aria & Aries and Netgalley:


Kate Shugak is a native Aleut working as a private investigator in Alaska. She is only five feet tall and carries a scar that runs from ear to ear across her throat, and owns a half-wolf, half-husky dog named Mutt. Resourceful, strong-willed, defiant, Kate is tougher than your average heroine and she needs to be to survive the worst the Alaskan wilds can throw at her.


A ranger, Mark Miller has disappeared somewhere in twenty million acres of forest and glaciers! The Alaskan Parks Department hat Miller has been caught in a snowstorm and frozen to death: the typical fate of those who get lost in this vast and desolate terrain. But as a favour to his congressman father, the FBI send in an investigator: Ken Dahl. Last heard from two weeks and two days ago.



Now it's time to send in a professional. Kate Shugak: light brown eyes, black hair, five foot tall with an angry scar from ear to ear. Last seen yesterday.


I give A Cold Day for Murder five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

What a great start to a new series! Kate is not your typical heroine- she is tough as nails and rough around the edges but that is what makes this book so great to read. I also loved learning more about what it is like living in the Alaskan wilderness (something that is fascinating to me but that I would never actually want to do). The writing was very descriptive and it felt like I was there taking in the beautiful scenery. This book was filled with characters that I fell in love with and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC I’m exchange for my honest review.

Alaskan mystery!

I tell you, I literally breathed the cold of the mountain air, I heard the grand silence, and I felt Aleut woman Kate Shugak’s dismay, her hurt, and importantly her love for Alaska and it’s wilderness.
The National Park she lives in covers twenty million acres. A ranger has been missing for six weeks, and an FBI agent who was strangely investigating the disappearance, for two.
Kate, a former District Attorney Investigator, now doing private consulting, has been called to follow up on these disappearances. She’s from the area, she’s whip smart, and has a way of cutting through to the truth.
Only Kate doesn’t want to do it. She lives out in the wilderness with her wolf dog Mutt, her top of the line Arctic Cat machine, and her injuries from a previous case. We’re not sure what it was but her throat was cut. She has an unsightly scar and a hoarse voice.
What she does know is that the two missing are two men she’d worked with before. Where are they? And are her family involved?
A great start to a new adventure series set in the wilds of Alaska where the only way in is plane or up a disused railway track.
A Park full of interesting characters, from her astute grandmother, various cousins, old time miners, to a couple of drunken dimwits.
I was living the thrill, and the despair of it all!

An Aria & Aries ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

I had to give up on this book. I was just bored. I made it to chapter 4 and absolutely nothing had happened. It was just a lot of description of the scenery and many different characters.

This was a great introduction to a series featuring a complex female lead. I was fascinated with the setting. The mystery is well plotted and kept me guessing. The pacing is fast and before I realized it I had read the entire book in one sitting. I will be reading the rest in this series. I was completely sucked in!

Originally published in 1992, A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in the Kate Shugak series, one with which I was not previously familiar. Kate is an Aleut from a remote area of Alaska that is home to a national park, simply referred to as the Park throughout the book. Kate worked as an investigator in the D.A.'s office in Anchorage until about 18 months ago. After an incident that left her injured and reclusive, she returned to her homestead in the Park. The book begins with Kate's former boss bringing an FBI agent out to her place on a snowmobile to ask for her help in finding 2 missing men: a Park ranger and the first investigator sent to find him. Kate and her her half-wolf, half-husky companion, Mutt, find themselves heading into what counts as civilization in the area to follow the trail of the two men. The descriptions of Alaska and life in the Park are captivating. The book has many quirky characters to enjoy as the mystery slowly unfolds to an unexpected ending.

A Cold Day for Murder is the first in the Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow's and was originally written in 1992.and even though it was written 30 years ago, the story is still relevant today. Kate is a native Alute, working for the Anchorage DA's office investigating sex crimes until she was almost killed 18 months ago. After quitting her job and moving back to home, she keeps to herself with only her half-wolf, half dog as company. When both a ranger and an investigator goes missing, Kate is called in to track the two men down.
This series was recommended to me by several people and has been on my TBR list for awhile. With the 23rd book in the series coming out in Spring 2023, it was a great time to start this series! This was a quick and fast read for me, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

This book is being offered (as well as 10 others in this series) on Kindle Unlimited. There is a new book coming out on April 13th, 2023.


I'm not going to write a synopsis of this particular book for you since it has been done by other reviewers and done so very well. What I am going to tell you is that if you do pick up this book, you will most likely do as I did and have to get the rest. You will feel a need to devour them and find out just how Kate can live in such an inhospitable place (if you don't know what you are doing). These books, which are a combination of police procedural and mystery (later books have a tiny tad of romance, but not in a typical way), feature one of the strongest women protagonists I have ever read about. During this series, Kate will suffer adversity as you may never have read about before, and there is even one book that very nearly made me give up on the series because it was just so harrowing. But I promise you your curiosity will get the best of you, and you WILL go back!

With this the first novel in the Kate Shugak series, we learn enough about why Kate has come back to Niniltna . She seems to be in hiding and licking some wounds. But reading the entire series is the only way to get the fullest view of why she is the way she is. Sometimes cranky, quick to judge (yet almost always right), loving, sexy, strong of body and soul, and a friend you really want at your back.

This is a fascinating read for anyone that dreams of going to Alaska and a special cautionary tale for those that dream of moving there and living nowhere near a big city.

Kate suffers from a Grandmother and 'Aunties' that want her in a more traditional role of the modern Aleuts while fighting for the Native's rights to land, money, aid, etc. But Kate will do what is right and correct - for her while taking a serious stance on what she comes to think of as her 'people' - those who are her friends and family. Don't mess with Kate; she gets even. And especially don't mess with her during "break-up" when the back of winter is finally broken, and the river starts thawing!

When I downloaded the electronic copy from Netgalley, I did not realize this was a reissue. I have read these books in this series, and I have enjoyed the mystery and intrigue. The characters come alive on the pages. Thanks to the author and the publisher for this copy.

I love a strong female character and Kate certainly fits that description. Add in a murder mystery, you have me intrigued. The actual solving of the mystery seemed to take a little while to gather steam. Most of the story revolved around ‘setting the scene’ with the introduction of characters and their relationship to the town and possibly to Kate. I had to really pay attention as there was a whole slew of characters! The description of the local government and family politics was interesting. I would have liked more into the solving of the mystery. As it was, Kate figured it out in her head without the reader knowing anything until the reveal. A bit of a cumbersome read in the beginning but one I ultimately enjoyed.

I've been wanting to check out this series for quite some time. I do like my thrillers <i>cold</i>. When I saw this book on Netgalley, it was done, I have to read it!

At 5 feet tall with a scar across her neck from ear to ear, Kate is an Aleut native and once a star investigator with Anchorage DA. She left that life behind over a year ago and now lives by herself in the wilderness with a part wolf part husky dog named Mutt.

Her old boss, Jack Morgan along with FBI agent visited Kate to seek her help. A park ranger went missing 6 weeks ago, and a DA investigator sent to look for him was last heard from 2 weeks ago. Kate knows the area best and is their best bet to find the missing men.

I love the tough no nonsense female lead. Kate's history and being a native are a big plus making her unique. There's a great insight into the Aleut culture, the old and new ways. I enjoy mysteries set in Alaska so this is a series that I'll be following. This story started a bit slow while the characters are introduced, but the pace picked up later. I didn't figure out the mystery and it's a HUGE surprise!

Dana Stabenow's "A Cold Day for Murder" is the first in the Kate Shugak series with #23 coming out in April 2023. The tough question would be, would I read book two or jump ahead? 😩

This is the first novel of an award-winning mystery series. I see the great promise of the characters and the setting, but this in first book the actual investigation feels like a minor part of the story. Kate Shugak is a compelling character: the native Aleutian investigator is gruff and anti-social but apparently with reason—she bears a dramatic scar across her from a run-in with a perpetrator in a previous case. She has one constant companion in the form of a dog that is half wolf. Once Kate reluctantly agrees to investigate the disappearance of a ranger in the remote Alaskan wilderness, she starts to ask around, and while she’s slowly getting to the point we get a snapshot of her relationship and sometimes complex personal history with each character she encounters. All of this scene setting is fine, especially because the slice of life in remote Alaska is fascinating, but here it’s at the expense of the plot, and the momentum doesn’t pick up until near the end of the book. Every interaction seems to have two pages of setup and description before Kate even tries to gather information to advance her search. I imagine that in the next books of the series there will be more focus on the case at hand, now that this one has done all the background work of establishing who’s who and depicting the lifestyle in this unique part of the country. Looking forward to seeing Kate Shugak hit her stride in future installments.

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for a digital review copy.

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow

This was such a treat to read. The author completes takes you into another world where she really captures the land, the people, their journeys and their struggles. It was such a great read.
The main character, Kate Shugak, clearly has a lot of baggage and is still dealing with the history of a previous case when she is asked to investigate to men that have gone missing.
We are introduced to a world that is clinging onto their past whilst they battle with the future. Each character is well drawn and believable and I was shocked to find out who was involved in the disappearance of the men and what the cause was, esp as its such a tight knit community.
The book is very atmospheric , you can almost feel the chill of the surroundings.