Paige Shelton’s Perfect Storm delivers a compelling mystery set in an isolated, close-knit community where secrets simmer beneath the surface. The secluded setting adds an extra layer of tension, as the reader is drawn into a world where everyone knows everyone—yet something isn’t quite right. Shelton expertly captures the eerie atmosphere of the remote location, with its shadowy forests and unpredictable weather, creating the perfect backdrop for a mystery that keeps you guessing.

One of the novel’s standout features is its humor. Shelton weaves witty moments and quirky character interactions throughout the narrative, providing levity in contrast to the suspense. This balance between mystery and humor makes for a refreshing reading experience, offering moments of lightness amid the tension.

For fans of cryptozoology and legends, the inclusion of Bigfoot sightings is a delightful twist. Bigfoot isn’t just a passing mention—it becomes an integral part of the story, adding an element of intrigue and even charm to the plot. As a Bigfoot enthusiast, I found this aspect particularly enjoyable, as Shelton cleverly incorporates the legend into the mystery, leaving readers wondering whether the sightings are part of the larger puzzle or a clever distraction.

Overall, Perfect Storm is a well-crafted, entertaining mystery that blends suspense, humor, and a touch of the supernatural. Fans of cozy mysteries with unique settings and a dash of the unexpected will find this book a perfect addition to their reading list. Paige Shelton continues to prove her skill in crafting stories that are as engaging as they are unpredictable.

Perfect Storm was another 5-star read in the Alaska Wild Mystery series from Paige Shelton.

This one was quite the page turner with suspense around every corner!

Beth is still living her life in Benedict, Alaska when news of Travis Walker’s escape sends her into further hiding in the woods. But those plans are quickly thwarted when they meet someone else along the way.

A whole other mystery unravels within the woods and a place called Blue Mine. From there, things just get more tangled with Mill returning, gold mines, and even Bigfoot sightings, until, finally, they come to a fearful end.

This book gets twistier and twistier as it goes on and then that ending!! Oof. Was definitely not expecting how this one would play out, but it was so so so good!!!

Perfect Storm by Paige Shelton is the sixth in her Alaska Wild series, basically about a woman known as Beth Rivers, who was kidnapped and held for three days by a former associate of her parents. By then her father had been gone for years, and Beth was an adult. When she was released from the hospital she traveled to the most remote place she could find: Benedict, Alaska. The only person who knew her story was the sheriff, Gril, who for a long time was her only friend. Finally they caught the guy and sent him to jail. Then he escaped and that is where we join the story. By now, Beth has plenty of friends, and the people here keep themsleves to themsleves so she doesn’t worry about what they might say to a stranger. She and her friend and lover, Tex, have decided to hike into the wilderness and let the others handle it. There they run into a group of people, some of whom have been killed, and before too long they have no idea who or what to believe.

The story gets complicated and is worth the read. Beth is a good character as is her friend, Viola, with whom she boards at a half-way house for women, Orin, who is (maybe) a former undercover spy, and Gril, already mentioned. She has a good life as the editor and staff for a small newsletter for the area while she writes her books. Oh, yeah, that is a complication: she is a famous mystery writer. The story has gotten convoluted over the series but is always entertaining, and has you on the edge of your seat often. Alaska is fascinating and I feel like this is a pretty accurate representation for those living out in the country. Shelton has done a good job with this mystery that started off as out of her wheelhouse, but she has quickly proven she is up to it.

I was invited to read Perfect Storm by St Martins Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #PaigeShelton #PerfectStorm

Perfect Storm by Paige Shelton is a well-done mystery with plenty of suspense and action.
I’ve enjoyed her previous titles and this series is just amazing.
This is an enjoyable mystery was engaging, suspenseful, atmospheric, and full of adventure.
It kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Perfect Storm, the latest book in Paige Shelton’s Alaska Wild series, is another exciting entry for this series. This review will not have any spoilers for this book, but does contain spoilers for the previous books in the series. So if you are interested in starting at the beginning, stop reading this and start reading Thin Ice, the first book!

As The Perfect Storm opens, Beth Rivers and all of her new friends in Benedict, Alaska are on high alert. Travis Walker, the man who kidnapped Beth and held her captive for three days, has escaped prison and vowed to finish what he started. The small, remote town of Benedict was a great hiding place for Beth, but due to recent events and her fame as a best-selling author, her secret has been revealed to the world, so Travis knows just where to find her.

Beth and her boyfriend Tex plan to leave Benedict for even more remote areas of Alaska, but while hiking near a small mining community they run into a woman with the dead body of her husband. From that point on, several strands of mystery are pulled throughout the rest of the novel. Who is killing people in the mining village? Does Beth actually see Bigfoot, or is it someone in disguise? Where has Mill, Beth’s mother, been for the last few months? Who has set up camp in the nearby woods? What happened to the local man Peter Murray? What is the connection between Beth’s parents and her kidnapper? And most importantly of all, will Travis Walker actually show up to finish what he started when he first kidnapped Beth?

As usual in this series, the Alaska wilderness and weather play an important role, almost acting as characters in the story. In this book it is the rain, bringing with it small creeks that are suddenly raging floods and the endless mud that makes hiking through the wild even more treacherous. The gray rainy atmosphere adds to the sense of impending doom throughout the story.

The only mild, very small issue I ran into was the number of subplots as the “perfect storm” of all the various mysteries collided in the book. However, those subplots, along with the literal rainstorm, creates such a compelling story that I read much later into the night than I planned. Be ready for this to happen to you as well!

PERFECT STORM is the sixth book in the Alaska Wild Mysteries by Paige Shelton. This riveting read is another stellar addition to the ongoing saga of protagonist Beth Rivers, an author who fled to Alaska to hide from her captor. In this newest book, Beth’s kidnapper has escaped and is on his way to track Beth down. The author knows how to ratchet up the suspense and the wildness setting of Alaska only adds to it as Beth and her boyfriend, Tex, backpack into the wilds to hide out. Ms. Shelton’s descriptive voice brings the remote beauty of the area to life, yet danger always lurks beneath the surface. Weaving together the suspense element of a kidnapper closing in on his prey with a murder mystery (and sightings of Bigfoot!), the intricate plots moved at a quick pace and kept me turning pages faster and faster. While this could be read as a standalone for the mystery, I highly recommend reading the books in order for the full picture of Beth’s ordeal. This is a series worth binging on! Plus, her growth as a character is a delight to watch and I can’t wait to find out what’s next in store for her!

I was provided with advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paige Shelton has done it again! Perfect Storm, the sixth book in the Alaska Wild series, combines mystery, suspense, danger, and adventure into another satisfying thriller set in and around fictional Benedict, Alaska. The novel is combines traditional police detective work and amateur sleuthing with outdoor adventure and multiple subplots. Secrets, deaths, and a horrific experience that continues to haunt and traumatize the main character make for a suspenseful and riveting read.

Beth Rivers, a successful thriller writer known as Elizabeth Fairchild, is still recovering in Alaska following her abduction a year ago. She needs to disappear again. Her one-time abductor Travis Walker has escaped capture during a prison transfer and has indicated he’s coming to kill Beth.
Beth and her boyfriend, Tex, decide to camp in the woods, away from Benedict. On their way, they need to pass through Blue Mine. This gold mining community has seen several tragedies during the last two months, forcing Beth and Tex to change plans. They bring the widow of a recently deceased man back to Benedict, but lies abound.

By this sixth book, many of the repeat characters have depth and feel like old friends. Beth’s character is complex. She continues to be a flawed protagonist who has shown growth through making friends and learning to trust people. She is curious, somewhat nosy, and tends to ignore sensible advice. While she is flexible and uses words to help her work through her emotions, she still tends to project her own fears and situation on others.

The author’s writing style continues to hook me quickly, and the story builds momentum that leads to an action-filled and satisfying conclusion with a hint about what might be a plot or subplot in the next novel. With twists, turns, and surprises along the way, the intricate plot kept me guessing. The world-building is fantastic with the rugged landscape, mud, storms, rising creeks, and more. The atmosphere is tense and serious throughout the novel.


From the quirky and eccentric residents to the descriptions of Alaska to the various mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I could easily visualize the setting and felt transported to Alaska. Several themes run through the tale including murder, trust, betrayal, found family as well as biological family, secrets, lies, family dynamics, forgiveness, and much more.

Overall, this enjoyable mystery was engaging, suspenseful, atmospheric, and full of adventure. Darker than many cozy mysteries, the well-developed ideas with good pacing from scene to scene kept me turning the pages. If you enjoy well-written amateur sleuth mysteries, then I recommend you check out this series. The books are best read in order. I’m looking forward to book seven.

St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Paige Shelton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for December 03, 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Once again, Beth needs to disappear – her abductor knows where she is, and she must leave town *now. While on their way to a new hiding spot, she and Tex meet the people of a small community that has experience more than its share of tragedy, and their plans change. As they learn more, they realize that nothing is quite as it appears, and they need to be even more cautious… about everything.

I have enjoyed all of Ms. Shelton’s books, but I especially like this series. I like that Beth isn’t a clueless, helpless woman who must be saved or rescued from the latest situation she’s gotten herself into, but I also like that she’s not afraid to ask for help when necessary. I like the people around her, even (most of) the newer additions to her circle. The setting adds to the story itself and is almost a character in its own right.

The story here is twisty and, many times, takes unexpected turns, so I didn’t know what to expect from one page to the next, making it hard to put the book down. I gave up trying to figure out exactly what was going on and just followed the story through to its satisfying conclusion, and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

I don’t usually read series. However, I love this series, with the repetitive characters that I already know, and the fact that the story goes on without belaboring things that happened in the previous books. There is always a good showing of loyalty, camaraderie, and neighbors/friends helping each other survive in the wilds of Alaska in these books and a good mystery to solve. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

This is a series that I've enjoyed from the very first book. I've enjoyed learning about life in a remote area of Alaska, the customs that have come about due to the land and the weather, and the way the people band together in difficult times.

In Perfect Storm, Beth Rivers learns just how many friends she's made in tiny Benedict. When they learn that the man who kidnapped and almost killed her has escaped and is on his way there, they form a united front to keep her safe. However, when Tex and Beth come across a woman walking to Benedict to bring in the body of her murdered husband, all their planning runs right off the rails. Between trying to find the woman when she vanishes, trying to keep Beth safe, trying to locate a missing man, and trying to figure out what's going on at a tiny place called Blue Mine, all the characters scatter in different directions. Here Beth is, trying to keep out of the hands of the man who kidnapped her, and she can't keep track of anyone there in town. She's trying to herd cats.

But the book truly begins to shine when things get darkest. Beth has had so much trauma in her life. She's felt so frightened and helpless for so long. When all her friends seem to run off and desert her, does she fall apart?

You're just going to have to read Perfect Storm to find out. What a character Beth Rivers is!

Book six in the Alaska Wild cozy mystery series: Travis Walker, the man who kidnapped Beth Rivers, has escaped from prison in Missouri and her friends and family are determined to protect her should he show up in Benedict to get his revenge. While searching the forests for signs of Travis, Beth and her boyfriend Tex stumble upon what might be a murder in a small settlement of miners.

This series has a cast of eccentric characters--the kind of people who move to Alaska to hide away from their past mistakes. It's a place where the rules are pretty loose so people are free to live life as they please. I have enjoyed this series but found this plot to be a little too goofy, with too many people running around searching the woods but accomplishing nothing. And somehow trouble always seems to find Beth no matter how many people are trying to protect her.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new mystery via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I was a fan of this series at the start but as it's moved along it's become more chaotic than enjoyable- and I can't imagine reading this latest as a standalone. All six books take place over the course of one year, one year in which Beth, a writer has hidden in Benedict, Alaska from Travis, the man who kidnapped her and now has threatened to kill her. Beth and her romantic interest Tex decide that camping in the woods will keep her safe but they run into a snake's pit at a mine which drags out another plot line involving murder and, wait for it, Big Foot. There are a lot of characters but Shelton has lost the bead on keeping them distinct, realistic and people to care about. I got lost in the woods (the back, the forth) and with some (no spoilers) events. It was just too much. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I know I'll snap up the next one (if there is one) but over to others to judge this.

Perfect Storm
Volume 6 in the Alaska Wild series
by Paige Shelton
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 256
Imprint publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250910462

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a free e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

In Perfect Storm, Beth Rivers has one more confrontation with her kidnapper after he escapes from prison and tracks her down in an isolated community in Alaska.

I’ve read all the books in the series, and this one was a bit of a letdown. For me it didn’t have the tension of the previous books. But, having said that, I did enjoy Beth’s growth in this book. She’s come a long way from the traumatized woman readers were introduced to in the first book, Thin Ice.

Shelton also captures the Alaskan wilderness well. Benedict is a small, isolated town. It is only accessible by boat or plane, leaving the residents of Benedict to rely on themselves. When the threat to Beth’s life becomes known, they become her own personal bodyguards, ready to do whatever it takes to protect one of their own.

For me, the plot in this book isn’t the best one of the series. However, the atmosphere that permeates the earlier books in the series is just as strong in this one. I liked revisiting Benedict and Beth’s close circle of friends. Perfect Storm brings the story arc of the previous books to a satisfying conclusion. Recommended. 3/5 stars.

Ms. Shelton knows how to ramp up the tension as you read this series. This is the sixth book in the series, but this book has lost no momentum in the continuing story of Beth Rivers. By chapter 20, I was on the edge of my seat and quickly turning the pages to find out what new twist would add to the story.

Descriptive writing by Ms. Shelton brings the Alaska wilderness to life as well as each of the characters. Ms. Shelton deftly uses the Alaska setting as a character within the narrative. Mil is back and seems to be almost docile compared to her previous appearances. But as we all know, Mil has perfected the art of deception. Beth is a character that I admire as she has grown stronger throughout the series and that showed clearly at the end. The story moved swiftly and with the addition of a murder at a remote mining encampment, the re-appearance of Stellan and the anticipation of Travis Walker's appearance made this a book that I could not put down till I reached the conclusion.

I voluntarily reviewed a digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

Almost a year ago, Beth Rivers came to Benedict, Alaska, to hide out. She has become part of the community and it has become home, so when Beth and her friends hear that her one-time kidnapper has escaped from prison and knows where she is, they mobilize to protect her. Beth and her boyfriend, Tex, decide to trek to a remote camping site while the rest of her friends keep an eye out for the fugitive in Benedict, but on the way, the couple encounters a woman with a dead body slung over her horse who tells them that members of their mining community are being killed. This derails their plans, as Beth and Tex decide to accompany the woman and the body back to Benedict and help the chief of police in the investigation, amid everyone’s on-going concern for Beth’s safety. The setting is as much a star of this series as the characters, with the remote wilderness and changeable weather complicating the investigation and the unique personalities of the people who call Benedict and the surrounding area home adding further interest to this solid mystery. While the book could be read as a standalone, reading the previous books first provides backstory and introduces the characters to the reader more fully.

Paige Shelton does it again with Perfect Storm, the sixth in her Alaska Wild series. The secluded far north is a wonderland with a rugged mentality where community is key as I can attest. Daily life can be quite adventurous and large animals can outnumber humans. This time, Beth and her boyfriend go on a camping trip and shadows take on a mysterious shape. Bigfoot, after all, lurks here. Blue Mine is in the vicinity and a woman they meet has recently lost her husband to murder. But he's not the only victim. The vibe of the area is a bit hostile and made creepier with a killer on the loose.

Beth is seeing a counselor for her own trauma. Just over a year earlier she had been kidnapped and held for three days. Her childhood was not a happy one. Benedict, Alaska, seems the perfect spot to hide with her trusty Alaska "family". She is getting mentally and physically stronger. But as her secret location is discovered by more than one person from her past, she can't escape her unease.

I felt the tension and isolation in the story. Nature and the elements always play a critical role in the series which I love. There is a cozy feel but it is not all light and fluffiness which is appreciated.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this captivating novel and for introducing me to this series.

The Perfect Storm
Paige Shelton
December 03, 2024

We are back in Benedict, Alaska. Beth Rivers was enjoying her life there, continuing to write her mysteries and publish a local paper. She has many friends and still lives in Benedict House under the security and friendship of Viola. Recently however she had news from Gril, the Chief of Police. The man who kidnapped her and kept her in a van for 3 days has now escaped from prison. Beth knew that he would try to find her again. Even if he knew she was in Alaska could he actually find her in the small community of Benedict?
The Perfect Storm will be published on December 03, 2024 by Macmillan. I was able to read the ARC of Shelton’s latest novel in the Alaska Wild series via NetGalley. I was excited to read this 6th book in the series as I began Beth’s journey of escape during the first novel of the story,Thin Ice, a Mystery. Paige Shelton had me then and continues to thrill me with her journey’s in the Alaska wilderness. The Perfect Storm is readable without reading others from the series. Do find this one and enjoy!

Author Beth Rivers left St. Louis and moved to the isolated town of Benedict, Alaska to hide from the man who abducted her. The man was eventually identified as Travis Walker and now he has escaped from prison and is after Beth again. Beth fears for her life, but also for the residents of Benedict who have come together to help protect her.

This book is part of an ongoing series and while the case that Beth and her boyfriend, Tex, get involved in when passing through a nearby town stands on its own, the storyline about Travis Walker runs through each of the books in the series. For that reason, I would recommend at least reading the first book in the series, Thin Ice, to get a better feel for Beth's backstory. This is a wonderful series that really gives you the feel for the remote Alaskan environment. I've enjoyed getting to know the town and the characters. 

This book starts out great and the suspense grows throughout the first part of the story. There are mysterious deaths in the nearby village of Blue Mine which could be due to rights over a gold mine, but the villagers think they're the work of Bigfoot! I love the message of new beginnings and found family. Beth is a strong, brave character who is someone to root for, but she often has a tendency to ignore good advice and make questionable decisions. It's especially frustrating in this book since everyone is working so hard to keep Beth safe and she does things to make that more difficult than it has to be. As a whole, this is an entertaining book and wonderful series. A big development at the end of the story has me curious about what will come next for Beth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing the advance ebook copy for review consideration. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

The Perfect Storm is the 6th novel in the Alaska Wild cozy mystery series. Paige Shelton continues the story of Beth Rivers, who has been hiding in a remote part of Alaska, after a traumatic kidnapping in the Lower 48. These novels are a fast, easy read, with well-developed characters and plots that are full of twists and turns. As might be expected, the Alaska setting is nicely described and thus readers can easily appreciate the beauty and remoteness of Beth's world.

I do not want to provide spoilers, since the Perfect Storm i is a mystery, with the taunt unfolding of events. At the conclusion some mysteries are solved and some plot lines resolved, but at the same time, not everything is tied up so neatly, which suggests that Beth and friends might be returning for book 7 in this series.

Thank you to Minotaur Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I do recommend the Perfect Storm.

I found the Paige Shelton book at the library. My son lives in Alaska and I'm a big mystery fan so I went to find the first in the series and have hooked my daughter and my friends on this series. It did not disappoint!