Rating: 
Summary: McKnight is an idiot
Review: ...Alex McKnight (boy, a clever name) comes across as a complete idiot. Let's see - drive up to your remote cabin and see the door open, so just mosey on in. I mean, it's not like he has any reason to suspect anything's wrong.The guy who tried to kill you has been spotted in Canada? Well, since you're just out of the hospital with a collapsed lung, why not drive on up there for a showdown? To be really clever, let your moron partner give you zero information before you go in for the confrontation. And then ultimately, the plot in these McKnight books is so obvious, material for one book is stretched over three, McKnight bumbles around and then has a gestalt in the last few pages and everthing is so formulaic. Gee, I wonder if Alex and police chief Maven (hey, another clever name) will end up with a grudging respect for each other? I'll never find out, though, because after reading two of these awful books I, unlike Alex, won't be bumbling back for more.
Rating:
Summary: Winter of the Wolf Moon
Review: A disturbing disappointment from a promising author. Hamilton asks us to suspend disbelief just a little too far. The work is full of unbelievable incidents, not the least of which is the presence of (anti)hero,Alex McKnight. The author gives us nothing on which to build a belief in the characters or the scenario of the book. Raymond Chandler should sleep soundly. A random piecemeal work, not given to luring the unsuspecting reader into the mistake of expecting drama, excitement or a finely honed, masterfully crafted mystery. This one goes to the local library second -hand sale table.Two stars is, I believe, being charitable.
Rating: 
Summary: ICY READ!
Review: A number of years ago, Steve Hamilton, introduced his character Alex McKnight to the reading public in the award winning book, A Cold Day in Paradise. This book was met with much praise and readers waited anxiously for his next book. Now in the Winter of the Wolf Moon, Mr. McKnight provides his old and new readers alike with a most worthwhile successor to this title. Choosing to return home to Paradise after being injured Alex, is surrounded by the physical world of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as some charactes. Winters are fierce and Alex spends time taking care of his father's cabins, policing the area from recreational snowmobilers and playing ice hockey with hsi old friends. Inevitably there is a mystery which he must help solve as he also deals with the emotional fallout of watching his partner get killed during a botched robbery. While the mystery angle of the book keeps the reader truning the pages I found the conversations between Alex and some of his cohorts as well as the customs and mores of inhabitants of this area more intriguing. I did particularly enjoy Hamilton's attention to detail which is so vivid that I imagine other readers felt the cold as I did, hear the ice crunching unerneath the snowmobiles and shiver as short days turn into long nights. Now once again, I am faithfully waiting for Mr. Hamilton's next title.
Rating:
Summary: A Second Winner
Review: After Cold Day in Paradise, this one is an equally fine read. If you don't feel the cold and want to find Alex a blanket, you are not into the book. This guy has a big heart which he keeps next to his personal bullet. Some of his character descriptions are still a little shady but you have to love this guy. From time to time he really needs a great big hug. On to this next book. Good on ya, Steve!
Rating:
Summary: Another good one!
Review: Again, this writer continues to remind me of William Tapply (in a good way!) And again, like the first book in the series, we are left slightly hanging at the end, without the real bad guy getting his due. And again, a hint that the villian will get his in the next novel...so I am reading away!
Rating:
Summary: Zero at the Bone
Review: Alex McKnight's second outing is a little more light-hearted than his first. He is still an accident waiting to happen, but he's getting a grip. The action again takes place during winter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula right on Lake Superior. The author can and does give us a whole new definition of cold. The story line is a stretch at times, and some things are never satisfactorily explained. It is more than surreal to meet a cultivated Russian gentleman in an ice shack in the wilds of upper Michigan. We are never told how and why he is there. Mr. Hamilton is a very good writer and paces the story well. There are no "dead" spots where nothing happens and the story stagnates. The reader's interest is engaged at all times with the interesting characters, Alex's actions and reactions, and the descriptive passages. What I needed is a more coherent plot that doesn't fall flat at the end. I'm looking forward to Steve Hamilton's future efforts. He is too good a writer to disappoint us.
Rating: 
Summary: Second Outing Disappoints
Review: Although I found A Cold Day in Paradise fresh and engaging, too often the author's second effort made me feel as if I'd come upon Donald Westlake having a bad hair day. Obviously, anyone who has never read Donald Westlake wont't have this reaction and may find the goings on other than cartoonish. On the major plus side, Hamilton does have a way with cold.
Rating: 
Summary: Alex McKnight's Winning Return
Review: As a mystery writer with my first novel in its initial release, I greatly admired Steve Hamilton's COLD DAY IN PARADISE. It won a most deserved Edgar, and WINTER OF THE WOLF MOON is just as fine a novel. As the book opens,Alex McKnight wants to retreat from the world. He wants to take it easy and attempt to come to terms with what he views as his past failures in life. He finds himself roped into playing goalie on a local hockey team, and that involvement leads to a number of complications. This book has a twisting and turning plot that deals with the hardships of Native Americans, drug dealing, domestic abuse, and a number of other wrongs. It is a serious book with serious concerns. Mr. Hamilton has written himself another top-flight mystery.
Rating:
Summary: A richly textured and interesting novel
Review: As an avid reader of crime fiction I'm always looking for a new author to add to my growing list. Steve Hamilton writes in an intelligent and interesting manner with great characters and credible storylines. I just love the weather descriptions. I'll be looking forward to the next Alex McKnight adventure.
Rating:
Summary: white powder on the reservation
Review: excellent sense of place-upper peninsula of michigan. engaging cast of small town characters. tone is that of an outdoor men's club. comic interplay of p.i. partners. main character has a nearly insuffrable tolerance for pain.
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