Kate Shugak & Alaska

My vacation has been extended by two days, so this morning I got up and had time to read non-stop for three hours. Not every book will hold my attention for such a length of time, but Dana Stabenow's first mystery in the Kate Shugak series, A Cold Day for Murder, had me enthralled.

Two weeks ago I was at the library and picked up the most recently published book in the series for Ken, knowing how he loves novels set in Alaska. He was mesmerized by it, finished it quickly, and urged me to get more of Stabenow's books for him.


I knew nothing of Dana Stabenow or Kate Shugak when I picked up the book for Ken, so yesterday I did a bit of research and discovered that Stabenow's first book in the Kate Shugak series is available for download via Kindle or Nook for just 99 cents. Good move on Stabenow's part, to make her first book available at such a low price! (She wanted to offer it for free, but you know Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)

I downloaded A Cold Day for Murder without hesitation last night, and I think I'm hooked on the series. At least I'm loving this first novel, which won an Edgar Award for best debut mystery in a series. (It was published in the early 1990s.) I read 175 pages today, a great deal for me on a sunny day in spring at the peak of bird migration. I hope I wake up early tomorrow, too, and while the house is quiet, I'll tiptoe around while I fix my cup of strong darjeeling tea, settle myself on the couch, and take wing to Alaska.