First published 2013
Kate Shugak stands five foot one with a scar across her throat and a half-wolf dog named Mutt at her side. The native Aleut private investigator knows Alaska's wilderness can kill you, but so can old grudges. A young man from Kushtaka village turns up dead, wedged in a fish wheel. Sergeant Jim Chopin suspects someone from rival Kuskulana village, especially a man caught loving across tribal lines. When the suspect vanishes and a second body appears, both villages go silent. Jim calls Kate for help. She must dig through a century of hatred between the communities, sorting village stories of tragedy from revenge. Two murders look like payback, but Kate knows the truth runs deeper than tribal feuds. Time is running short, and the killer may not be finished.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Alaska, Kushtaka Village, Kuskulana Village
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
288 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books