Kate Shugak #23
Kate Shugak has been around for awhile now, and she’s made a space for herself on the planet. She’s a fully realized, fully detailed character. As I was reading this book, number 23 in a beloved series, I couldn’t help but think about the spectacular very first book, A Cold Day for Murder. Dana Stabenow has always had a love for the traditional mystery in terms of plotting, and that hasn’t changed, though Kate’s universe has gotten more expansive.
At the moment, I’m re-reading (as time permits) Margaret Maron’s wonderful Deborah Knott series, and it struck me as I was reading that there were few series that actually resemble each other more. Sure, Maron’s books are set in North Carolina, not Alaska, but the surrounding sense of community and family are very, very similar. At this point I very much enjoy an outing with the “Aunties” or a look at the way Kate, Mutt and Trooper Jim spend their evenings. But it’s a different type of read from the first couple of tightly plotted novels. It’s more of a meander than a rocket.
The plotting is still tight and complex, however. The book opens with an unpleasant and obviously racially motivated encounter for one of the series regulars, Bobby, and it’s followed by an unpleasant encounter at the general store between Kate and a new family in town. The new family clearly doesn’t want to speak to Kate because she’s native.
As the story proceeds, there are some tragedies, including a midair collision resulting in fatalities. The “midair” really strikes home as so many Alaskans get around on small planes, thanks to the vastness of the landscape, and it’s a horror they are all afraid of. The midair turns out to have some layers. The family of one of the pilots, an 87 year old man (who everyone is blaming for the accident), wants to hire Kate to prove he wasn’t at fault, and Kate agrees.
The layers spread to include an arson and another, extra, body at the crash site as well as the discovery of the body of a man who everyone thought had retired to “outside” (the Alaskan word for everywhere but Alaska). There’s also a layer of the outside coming in, as the racial incidents are tied to a secretive group who keep to themselves and seem to be acquiring a lot of land. Kate, of course, manages to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle.
I love that Stabenow is such a beautiful writer of the English language – for example, she uses the word “affronted”, a word I last remember encountering in a Beatrix Potter book. She’s wonderful with character and plot, and she creates a matrix of setting and community around Kate that enrich the story. There’s also Mutt. I love Mutt, Kate’s half husky, half wolf, but she’s gotta be around 30 years old now. Obviously Stabenow loves her too, and she’s one of the great dog characters. But she should be enjoying a peaceful retirement at this point.
These books are a delicious experience – a virtual visit to Alaska, a classic main character, and a wonderful story, plus a thoughtful take on current politics and the state of our national community. I hope there are 23 more. — Robin Agnew