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.

Gosh, I have missed Kate! She is drawn unto a case of a missi g park ranger and an FBi agent. Wonderful descriptive setti g, warm and familiar characters, and a thrilling mystery to boot. Stabenow continues to write creative engrossing thrillers.

The first book in Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak series. I had read this book years ago, and have read all of the subsequent novels in the series, so it was interesting to revisit the characters and issues from the very beginning. The plot was a bit complicated to follow with a lot of storylines to follow but the issues raised - the conflict between preservation and development, outsiders vs locals - are eternal. The author introduced a lot of characters in this book whom longtime readers will recognize throughout the series. This book is key to the development of Kate Shugak's world and worldview and a must-read for anyone who wants to enjoy the entire series. I read a free digital copy from Netgalley.

I love Dana Stabenow’s books I thought I had read all of Kate Sugnek books but I hadn’t read the one. It was great reading about Jack. I loved this story. #AColdDayforMurder #NetGallery

A great book. The story is believable.
Excellent descriptions of life in remote Alaska. The characters are well drawn and relatable.

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow.
Kate Shugak is a native Aleut working as a private investigator in Alaska. She's five foot tall, 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.Somewhere in twenty million acres of forest and glaciers, a ranger has disappeared: Mark Miller. Missing six weeks. It's assumed by the Alaskan Parks Department that 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 really thoroughly enjoyed this book. Gripping from start to finish. 5*.

A Cold Day for Murder was very good book. It is the first book of the Kate Shugak Investigation series. Kate Shugak is the main character, She is a Aleut who lives an isolated life in the wilderness with her dog, Mutt who is part wolf. Jack Morgan, head of D.A. Investigations comes to her home with Fred Gamble, F.B.I. They need her help finding a park ranger, Mark Miller who disappeared six weeks ago. Jack sent Kenneth Dahl to find him and he also has disappeared. Kate goes to Niniltna, a village of 800 inhabitants to see her grandmother, Ekaterina Moonin Shugak (emaa) to ask her if she knows anything about the missing men. Most of the story takes place in and around this town. Kate seems to be related to half of the town.

Kate goes to see her cousin, Bernie in his bar to ask him about the missing men and if he knew them. While at the bar she runs into Mac Devlin who tells her that he wants to open the old Nalesna Mine. He mentions that he had a run in with Mark as he had turned him in, She asks him if he had anything to do with his disappearance and the other man, Kenneth. He denies having anything to do with the missing men. Kate also run into her cousin, Xemia who had been dating Mark.

Lots of things start to happen that is too much to put all on paper. I will leave the adventure to the reader to enjoy. The story has other people in the story that are important and add to the story. Abel Int-Hout who brought Kate up and taught her everything. Mandy Baker who owns a homestead and is a musher. Bobby Clark who operates the radio and is a good friend of Kate's. The story climax's with a surprise ending.

I really enjoyed this book and plan to read other book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing, Head of Zeus Ltd. for this ARC.

"The Edgar Award-winning introduction to private investigator Kate Shugak, A Cold Day for Murder is the first in Dana Stabenow's critically acclaimed Kate Shugak Mysteries.

Kate Shugak is a native Aleut working as a private investigator in Alaska. She's five foot tall, 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. Somewhere in twenty million acres of forest and glaciers, a ranger has disappeared: Mark Miller. Missing six weeks. It's assumed by the Alaskan Parks Department that 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..."

Murderous Northern Exposure.

I received this as an ARC for some unknown reason as it is a 30 year old book. I had to DNF it after 20 pages as I was bored the whole time. I'm sorry to the author but this book was too descriptive and there were too many characters for such a small book. I was highly bored through the whole thing.

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a good who done it and great police work! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!