Midnight Come Again

Dana Stabenow does it again. In the 10th installment of the Kate Shugak series, this one is another winner. When Alaskan State Trooper Jim Chopin have been requested to track down Kate Shugak, who went MIA for a couple of months, after the loss of her boyfriend, Jack Morgan. Undercover, Jim finds her in Bering Alaska under an assumed name at a local air field. Both of them have twelve-hour shifts. And when midnight strikes again, that's when one takes over for the other. Things get dicey, when they're both after a Russian Mafia who's been "fishing" and smuggling a dangerous chemical and money. And when they're get closer to the truth, they get closer to danger, when someone winds up dead. Hot on the heels, the FBI's on the case and have their dithers on Kate's involvement or knowledge on their investigation. Great drama with a fantastic Alaska setting and lots of intrigue. We really feel for Kate, who's still in mourning and want to be left alone. And Poor Jim, who decided to give up on her and his feelings for her. Midnight Come Again is another winner.

A Fine and Bitter Snow

If you love a good easy read, you'll enjoy this mystery. It's the fifth in the Kate Shugak series and is set in Alaska. In A Fine and Bitter Snow, one of Kate's friends, Dan O'Brien, is pressured to go into early retirement by not going "green." It's up to Kate to start the campaign to get his job back. When two of Kate's grandparents's friends, Ruthe and Dina are attacked, Dan's hands are covered with blood. With Dina gone and Ruthe clinging to life, it's up to Kate and Jim to figure out who done it and why, especially when someone else is killed, and before Kate's next. With a close knit of suspects, it's anyone's guess.