Marshal Arliss Cutter returns in another adventure. This time, a frozen body is found in a basement. It turns out to be a missing girl, and she has a fossil tooth in her pocket, one similar to one that his brother had in his possession. Is there a connection? The investigation takes Cutter from Alaska to South Dakota. Danger lurks along the way.

This was a great suspense and mystery novel. I loved how the character of Marshal Cutter used tracking skills in a realistic way. You can't write about this in the way the author does unless you have experience as a tracker. Those details are authentic. The book is packed full of authentic details like that. I loved it!

The story itself moves along as a good clip, never leaving the reader bored. There is plenty of action and the investigation turns up new clues at every turn. The level of suspense ramps up steadily. I loved the setting in Alaska. What a beautiful place. The author brings the place to life for the reader. The writing was superb, with evocative descriptions bringing details along the way. The situations the characters get into bring out sufficient tension for the reader. This is book 6 in a series. I have not read the others, but now I have to go find them and see what I've been missing!

Bad River by author Marc Cameron is the 6th book in the Arlie’s Cutter series featuring the U.S. Marshal investigating a case with his partner Lola who is a capable and willing participant in anything he does that will lead to action, which she thrives on and seems unfazed by the harsh realities present in Alaska despite being a native of Hawaii.

Cutter investigates the discovery of a young woman’s body frozen in a meat storage area by two young native Alaskan boys, and soon discovers that it is the body of a young missing teenager that was the focus of a search and became an unsolved case where the overall assumption was that she perished due to the elements or possibly foul play.

Can Cutter solve the case in spite of the obstacles in his way, and will the women involved in the case and his life affect his decisions and focus on the case?

I enjoyed this book, although was sometimes frustrated with mistakes made by the lead character that placed others an himself in danger, and for someone so capable and experienced it was sometimes hard to believe he didn’t think things through before taking action.

Still, I liked the story and characters and would enjoy reading other novels in this series.

4 stars.

My last review for this series was: Arliss Cutter #4,#5. Towards the end of this book I thought it was a neat way to end the series, but the last paragraph has me wondering if I’ll go back for the next.

I would not recommend coming into this series at this point. There are too many storylines that merge here, that the entire book will not have the impact it’s meant to without all the prior knowledge.

This was a series that I did not set out to follow. It just so happened that I managed to see the next out just in time to request a copy and then read it. I do not often find myself wanting to follow through on a certain style of badass main character books, but Arliss Cutter is someone who is a very ‘good’ guy. There’s a scene in this book which best encapsulates the entire personality of the person, and any one who’s read it will know what I’m talking about.


I will not go into plot points here, mostly because as I said earlier, there’s a prior to it all. Suffice to say, one long running mystery will be put to rest in a very explosive manner.

I would recommend this series to anyone who likes the sound of adventures set in Alaska with a primary central character who one can root for.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Another great book about Arliss Cutter. While the story is known, he is looking for his brother's killer, relationships and characters continue to build! Cameron masterfully weaves some detailed aspects of Alaskan culture throughout the story while continuing to create a twisty, engaging story!

Finally, we find out who did it! This was such a great story. I thought the story unique and interesting, the characters are always amazing, and the action/suspense top-notch. I hope this is not the end of the series, I really, really enjoy Arliss and the gang.

“Bad River” starts off slowly but soon ramps up with the intense action that readers have come to expect from Marc Cameron. While this installment may not delve as deeply into the “Grumpy Rules” as previous books, it still showcases the extensive array of weapons and tactical gear that Arliss and Lola are known for. The narrative is packed with villains who need to be taken down and heroes who are willing to sacrifice everything to protect their loved ones, and community, from the dangers lurking around every corner. I feel sorry for anyone who dares to threaten someone Arliss cares about or who has touched Lola’s last nerve.

As Arliss and Mim navigate the complexities of redefining their relationship, a new emotional challenge arises in the reappearance of Ursula. Arliss may be adept at handling any adversary, but this emotional hurdle might be his toughest yet. The reappearance of Ursula adds a new layer of emotional depth for Aliss, making “Bad River” not only a thrilling adventure but also a touching exploration of love, loyalty, and what is around the next corner.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Marc Cameron’s “Bad River,” the sixth installment in the Arliss Cutter series, is a gripping thriller that plunges readers into the icy depths of the Alaskan wilderness and the dark corners of human nature.

“Bad River” follows Arliss Cutter as he embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind his brother’s mysterious death. The novel explores themes of family loyalty, the relentless pursuit of justice, and the harsh beauty of the natural world.

Cameron masterfully balances the brutality of the wilderness with the complexities of human relationships.

Arliss Cutter is a formidable protagonist, characterized by his unwavering determination and deep sense of duty. His interactions with the supporting cast, including his brother’s widow and children, add emotional depth to the story.

Cameron’s writing is taut and evocative, capturing the stark beauty of the Alaskan landscape and the relentless pace of the thriller. His experience in law enforcement shines through in the procedural details, lending credibility to the narrative.

“Bad River” is a testament to Marc Cameron’s skill as a storyteller. It is a thrilling ride that combines the raw power of nature with the intricacies of human emotion and justice.

Whether you’re a fan of crime thrillers or simply enjoy a well-told story set against a breathtaking backdrop, “Bad River” is a novel that delivers on all fronts. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to lose themselves in a tale of mystery, survival, and the unyielding quest for truth.

Bad River by Marc Cameron
Arliss Cutter #6

Excellent ~ Wonderful addition to the Series ~ Couldn’t put it down!

What I liked:
* Arliss: U.S. Marshall, ex-military, strong, capable, lethal, team player, there for his family and friends, hunter of men, lives by his Grandpa Grumpy’s rules and shares them with his nieces and nephews, a man I would want on my side
* Lola: U.S. Marshall, partnered often with Arliss, in a relationship with Joe Bill Brackett, strong, focused, great at her work, thinks of Arliss as a big brother, from “Down Under”, growing as the series progresses
* The prologue of missing Willadean and how it played into the plot – she had so much to live for and then was suddenly gone
* Catching up with Arliss’s widowed sister-in-law Mim, his niece and nephews, finding out how they are doing, and the way the relationship between Arliss and Mim is progressing
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* The Dupree thread in the story and how he was eventually taken down
* Finding out how and why Arliss’s brother Ethan died/was murdered
* Tony Caprese: newbie pilot who finds himself and grows a pair in this story – would like to see him again
* Detective Jan Hough: strong, resilient, went through a lot, hope she shows up in the future
* The police procedural aspects of the story and the way everything was tied up
* Too many things to list, actually

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the ways a person can die in Alaska…oh my!
* Thinking about the evil people are willing to do for greed…and the crimes in this book

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Marc Cameron’s "Bad River" is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Set in a small Alaskan Inupiaq community, the story kicks off with the discovery of a frozen body, leading Deputy U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter on a gripping quest intertwined with his brother’s mysterious disappearance.
What I loved the most is how, finally, the family are all coming together and this book had the right mix of standard Arliss action and family.
My thanks ,and apology for the delayed review, to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the book for my unbiased review

Having recently finished Bruce Borgos’ Shades of Mercy I decided to make my next turn to a northern direction. While Porter Beck may be my new hero in the Nevada desert,when you need a crime solved by an extraordinary tracker U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter is my guy in the Yukon. With his wise-cracking partners Lola Teariki they get into and out of some major potential life-ending situations. Cameron sets his characters and this story in harsh frozen environs. Cutter, forever seeking the answers concerning his brother’s death, may just fit the puzzle pieces together and it all starts with the frozen body of a young girl.

Without getting into all the grizzly details of the hunt and chase and all the things that go sideways, suffice it to say that this is a tightly crafted crime thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, depriving me of much needed sleep. Mostly great characters, incredible setting, a few well placed tangents equal a great book.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for a copy.

With a publication date a little later in the year than normal, this entry in the Alaskan-set series feels worth the wait. A culmination of previous plot points scattered throughout previous books, things come to a head as our grumpy but fearless leader, Arliss, takes on those responsible for his brother's deaths. While not as propulsive as previous books, there's enough action and mystery here to keep the pages turning. Arliss is a fun character and it's fun to see the development of him and all the side characters over the course of these books (Lola in particular is always fun). While not as richly captured as C.J. Box's Wyoming or William Kent Krueger's Minnestora, Cameron's Alaska feels real and lived in. In the way only someone who actually lives there can describe. Always a pleasure to visit. I hope Cameron keeps writing, but I'll keep reading. Bring it on.

4.5 Stars ⭐️

We are 6 books into this series and this is the book where we FINALLY get the answers that we have been waiting for. There has been an overarching storyline that has been with us since the beginning. Even though each book deals with the many different and crazy situations that Arliss (and Lola) find themselves in - we have still also been following along as Arliss and Mim try to find out what REALLY happened to Ethan. Well, I'm happy to say - without any spoilers- that the answers are finally found.

I had mixed feelings from this book. Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy it - but for some reason I had a hard time connecting in any way shape or form with Jan (I think that's her name....the other officer from the Slope). She just really rubbed me the wrong way and I got the Heeby Jeebies every time she was around Arliss. I know, I know.....I'm sure she was a really nice person......

Regardless, this book was packed full of all kinds of action and we got the added benefit of some seriously major resolution. So, a major win in my book. Plus....there were some other things that advanced as well, *cough, cough* so I am seriously looking forward to seeing where they go from here...

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Bad River by Marc Cameron is the sixth book in the Arliss Cutter series. The book can be read as a stand alone. Arliss Cutter is a Supervisory Deputy US Marshall. He is a man who seems to make connections and stays focused on the final result. His partner is Deputy Lola Teariki who is just as determined.

Together they are working on a task force to arrest a man for crimes with children. Then we have a dead woman in northern Alaska with rare teeth in her possession that were Arliss’ brother’s. On top of that we have a well blowing up, bad men around every corner and bears - really big hungry polar bears.

I loved how the cases moved around as Arliss and Lola worked on the various angles. The descriptions of the people and the setting made me feel part of the story. I became nervous more than once. (Wait for the door with the nails.) Marc Cameron’s book Bad River was a good read. I will be looking for more of his thrillers.

A body found encased in ice triggers more questions than answers.

Willadean Benson, a high school student with a promising future, snuck out of her house in Wainwright, Alaska, to attend a party from which she never returned. Two years later her body is discovered encased in ice in a neighbor’s ice cellar, and while its discovery brings closure to her worried family something found in her pockets seems to indicate a link to another death, that of engineer Ethan Cutter. Detective Jan Hough with the North Slope PD knew Ethan and reaches out to his brother, Deputy US Marshall Arliss Cutter, inviting him to look into the scene. Leaving behind his partner Lola Teariki and their investigation into a drug dealer with a connection to sex trafficking and porn, Arliss jumps into the search for answers about the explosion that killed his brother. There are powerful people who do not want questions asked, however, and they start getting rid of those whom they consider to be loose ends…including not just Arliss and Jan, but Ethan’s widow Mim and her children. Arliss can no more stop his search for his brother’s murderers than he can allow harm to happen to those whom he loves. Faced with an impossible choice, he will put his life on the line to secure justice.
Bad River is the sixth installment in author Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter series, and I continue to be impressed with the storytelling. Cameron’s career in law enforcement, including his time as a US Marshall, lends verisimilitude to his characters’ actions, and the setting in Alaska’s wilderness provides additional elements of tension and danger to each plot (watch out for the polar bears). Arliss is an engaging hero, raised by his grandfather Grumpy to be a man of many talents and forged by his service in the military. His relationships with his partner Lola, who is no slouch herself when it comes to bravery and abilities, and his brother’s widow Mim, for whom he harbors strong feelings, render him a more complete person, as do his recollections of Grumpy’s teachings. As the story unfolds Arliss matches wits and skills with those who wish him and his family harm, and aims to deliver justice at whatever cost to himself. Those who have read some or all of the earlier books in this series will find this an excellent continuation, while those who have not can read this very easily as a standalone thriller. Fans of authors like C. J. Box, William Kent Krueger and Paul Doiron should also make sure to add this book and series to their must-read list. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me early access to this riveting installment in a fantastic series.

Bad River is a wonderful, fun, crime thriller with heart. This is my favorite summer read so far. There is just something so attractive to reading a novel set in the frozen tundra of Alaska during the hot days of summer.

The novel begins with bullets flying over Arliss Cuttler, a Deputy US Marshall stationed in Alaska, with his partner Lola Teariki while they are on the hunt for a fugitive. It was to be a normal day in the life of a US Marshall capturing a wanted fugitive, but after a high-speed chase on an Alaskan highway and capture, Arliss and his partner Lola are rewarded with some information on a wanted child pornographer and drug dealer, Eddie Dupree, which will hopefully help them finally put him behind bars for good. So begins the hunt for Eddie Dupree.

Two boys of a family that are part of the Inupait, a group of Alaskan Natives that are situated in the far North of Alaska in the harsh frozen tundra, make a horrendous discovery when they are cleaning out an ice cellar for their mother- a young local woman reported missing several years ago incased in ice. Detective Janice Hough investigates the scene and when she finds fossils within the ice, oreodont teeth, Janice knows this could be a clue in an ongoing investigation for her friend, Arliss Cuttler, that he has been wishing for, a lead in the investigation of the death of Arliss’s brother. Knowing Arliss would be interested in this, she asks for his assistance. So begins the journey for Janice and Arliss to possibly finally getting some answers of why Arliss’s brother died in an explosion on an Alaskan oil rig many years ago.

Reading this synopsis, it is easy to think this sounds like your average male adventure story with Arliss Cuttler, guns a blazing and cracking the heads of the bad guys. If that is what you are looking for there are certainly many exciting violent actions sequences throughout the novel. What sets this series apart is how the author blends in family drama within these pages. There is a wonderful backstory, for example, with Arlis and his brother in Florida with their grandpa when their mother abandons them. Also, Arlis retelling a horrifying experience as a soldier in Afghanistan, helps us understand Arliss on a more human level and what makes him act the way he does.

The relationship between Mims, the widow of Arliss’s brother, and Arliss is sweet and reminiscent to what you would encounter on the Hallmark Channel. There are even a couple of cooking scenes between the bloody mayhem. Nice touch to include at the end of the novel the recipes, too.
With the author taking the time to show the human side of his characters, it is easier to become invested on an emotional level with Arliss and his companions. The action sequences have more tension and have weight to where you care about the outcomes of those involved on a human level.

This series continues to be one of my favorite discoveries over the last couple of years since I started reading ARC’s and providing my reviews.
I need to thank NetGalley and the publisher Kensington for the privilege of granting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was the late author Bill Crider, with his 'Outrage at Blanco' novel that made me love revenge stories so much and in away revenge stories for me will always be a tribute to him.

Nothing better than a modern day Western, with US Deputy Marshal's set in the Alaskan wilderness, "the Last Frontier". The author Marc Cameron transports the reader to Alaska, you're riding shotgun with Dep. U.S. Marshal's Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki, it reminds me of a roller coaster, you get the same thrill from his written words and you don't want 'Bad River' to end.

'Bad River' gets predictable at times, a entertaining intertwining storylines, a dose of James Patterson syndrome added to the mix, then add everything you want in a Deputy U.S. Marshal adventure thriller, both Arliss and Lola make the storyline so good, then add Mims, the Kids, Joe Bill the APD Officer and Houghes all add to the story.

The only thing I change was Cutter's final showdown with Beck. Makes more sense that Beck is forced to land while going to his cabin, to patch the bullet hole in the plane's fuel tank and refueled. Which enables Cutter to beat him to the cabin, he's sitting in the dark patiently waiting for Beck's arrival by plane, he's cold yet doesn't want him to realize his escape is up.

Beck arrives, carrying Houghes over his back, turns on a lantern gets the surprise of his life, seeing Cutter sitting there waiting for him, drops the Sergeant, goes for his gun thinking he's unarmed and gets harpooned.

Can't make Cutter be smart, so tough, an expert on weapons, yet he gets squished by nails on the cabins door, to keep Bears out and would think he'd be aware of it. Also just seems his approach to the cabin with Beck already their, just seems unrealistic for someone of Cutter's experience to do that.

Kinda of what James Patterson does with his Alex Cross character, but otherwise 'Bad River' an awesome read and one of my favorites published in 2024. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Kensington Publishing for the advance ARC.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter is a skilled manhunter in Alaska he’s inching closer to finding out what happened to his brother. North of the Arctic Circle, a missing girl is found frozen in the permafrost with a clue that could connect to Arliss’ brother and lead Arliss to the truth of his brother’s death.

Look no further than Marc Cameron for an authentic thriller set in Alaska. He makes you feel every bone-chilling breath, snowflake, and ramps up your pulse.

Cameron propels the overall story with excellent characters and vignettes showcasing the supporting cast. These side stories demonstrate his prowess in creating deep, relatable characters. Bad River has everything you want in a thriller and then some.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the advanced copy of Bad River via NetGalley.

Bad River captivated, intrigued, horrified, entertained and informed me. Arliss Cutter (Supervisory US Marshall) and his partner Lola Teariki are two completely different individuals, they are like yin and yang and drew me into their world. We travel to Alaska, to an Inupiaq village and to South Dakota. Fast paced, people at their evil best and moments of hope. The ending.....well sign me up for book 7. I completely missed out that this was book 6 in a series. The author did a great job providing info needed so I was not lost. I feel I would have been more invested if I had read the complete series as you become more invested in the characters and watching them evolve. I am on the Arliss Cutter train now. #BadRiver #ArlissCutter #MarcCameron #Kensington #NetGalley

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. Bad River is the sixth book in the Arliss Cutter series. I have enjoyed the previous installments and this one was no exception. Bad River follows Cutter as he investigates his brother’s murder. From the remote villages of rural Alaska to South Dakota, the story is engaging. Although I had a little trouble getting into the book, once I reached around 10%, I did not want to put the book down. I can’t wait for the next installment.

This book is very well written with several things happening at a good pace, but still easy to read and to follow. The characters are really excellent, up to the point where Cutter takes on three men with the Python instead og the Glock. No one is that stupid.