Rating: 
Summary: Not her best but enjoyed the description of Alaska Hwy
Review: I recommend Sue Henry's books often. My interest in dog sledding drew me to her novels but I also enjoy her descriptions of Alaska. She does a great job of describing the trip along the Alaskan Highway. My wish to take that very trip was definitely reinforced. But I still rate this book lower than the others I have read. The story was difficult to accept and I found myself disliking Jessie Arnold. I agree with a previous review that she comes across as self centered. But more than any of that, I missed the dogs in this book. I believe Sue Henry writes best when she is telling us about Jessie's love of her dogs and sledding. She portrays Jessie's enthusiasm very well and brings tears to my eyes with descriptions and anecdotes about her dogs. Sue Henry writes for lovers of Alaska, winter and dogs.
Rating:
Summary: Alaskan Highway Travelogue/Mystery
Review: I sometimes think that Sue Henry should have been a travel writer. The best of her books mix murder with intricately described journeys in which learning the details of the trip itself are half of the reason for reading the book. If you're not interested in the trip, you're probably not going to be interested in the book. That is probably the reason for the hot-and-cold reviews this one has been receiving--especially because this book's topic, an RV journey up the Alaskan Highway, is considerably less exotic than the dogsledding stories that built the author's reputation.Because they mix travel with mystery, Sue Henry's books tend to be relatively gentle stories in which pleasant but not deeply drawn characters provide amiable companionship for the armchair traveler. (If you want heart-pounding thrillers, read Dean Koontz.) Nor are they complex Agatha Christie - style puzzles. Oh yes, there's always a villain, sometimes a pretty cruel one, but Henry seems to be one of those people who genuinely likes most of her fellow humans, and she does not delight in giving readers a whole roomful of unsympathetic characters from which to attempt to identify the villain. So is this book any good? That depends mostly on how interested you are in learning about the Alaskan Highway and RVing, because the reviewers below are correct in pointing out that the book is chuck-full of details that have no relevance to the plot. Nor are you going to find deep insights into human nature. Even the villain is a bit of a stock psychopath, although he does have other motivations. The biggest flaw involves the plot machinations Henry needs to use in order for her characters to repeatedly cross paths as they move up the highway by disparate modes of transportation (RV, hitchhiking, pickup truck, bicycle, 18-wheeler) that should have them traveling at quite different paces. Also, none can be allowed to realize that anytime they want, they can separate themselves from this dangerous, traveling circus simply by holing up for a couple of nights as everyone else moves north. Still, this is a fun read, and I'm already partway through the next book in the series. Fasten you seatbelts and enjoy the Alaskan Highway!
Rating: 
Summary: An action packed thriller
Review: In Cody, Wyoming, the police hide the abusive nature of one of their own. Officer McMurdock beats his spouse and his teenage stepson Patrick. However, this time things go too far. When the cops arrive, McMurdock claims his stepson knocked him unconscious with a baseball bat, killed his mother, and fled to places unknown. Detective Daniel Loomis investigates the domestic incident, but McMurdock's story seems off kilter. At about the same time, Alaska native Jesse Arnold accepts a job to transport a Winnebago home from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. With her home destroyed by an arsonist, Jesse feels the trip will help her rebound. She takes her lead dog Tank with her for companionship. On the way back, Jesse picks up a hitchhiking Patrick, not realizing that danger follows him North to Alaska. DEAD NORTH is an action-packed thriller that shows why award winning Sue Henry knows DEAD NORTH with her Alaska mysteries. The story line is exhilarating as the wilderness serves as a safe zone and a potential killing field from an enraged predator. Fans of the Alaskan mystery will take pleasure in this wonderful tale even as they cheer that McMurdock finally receive his comeuppance. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: RVers will like this one!
Review: Jessie Arnold seems to be getting her life on track in this episode. Frankly, I wasn't fond of Alex Jensen in Death Takes Passage, the only other Sue Henry book I've read. He seemed a stereotype, and the romance didn't ring true. Now Jessie seems stronger and more capable. RVers are sure to enjoy the descriptions of Jessie's and Maxie's motorhome adventures. I confess that another reason I particularly enjoyed this book is that it was given to me by David Hett and Carolyn Allen, whose Dawson Peaks Resort and RV Park is the setting for the story's climax! Just another example of Sue Henry's careful attention to real Alaskan backgrounds.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: Since discovering Sue Henry last December, I've read everything I can get my hands on, and have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book. What would Jessie get involved in now? Would Jessie and Alex finally come to their senses and get back together? What about the dogs? To answer the first question - she's driving a Winnabego through the Northwestern United States and Canada toward Alaska where she runs into a desperate teenaged runaway and a spunky, older woman named Maxie (who bears a striking resemblance to the author's own portrait on the inside jacket cover). There's the usual tension - including a *chilling* description of a car accident with a tractor-trailer and angst set against beautiful descriptions of the country-side which make Henry such a compelling author. The end has a twist that I saw coming, but only in the last few pages. To answer the second question . . . well, let's just say that was the book's only flaw. And the third question - Tank is his usual, brave, intuitive, and loyal self. But for the notable absence of Alex, and the possible conceit in the character of Maxie, this book more than lived up to my expectations, and I'll now, infortunately, have even longer to wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Dead North is Dead On.
Review: This is one of, if not, the strongest novels of the series; although, I must admit, I missed the sledding. Her secondary characters are great as is her description of the Alaskan Highway. Her characters have real depth and there is ambiguity in the plot which reflects reality--this is decidedly not a "paint by number" mystery.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!
Review: This is the first Sue Henry mystery that I have ever read, thinking that the idea of the dog sled races wouldn't be all that interesting. While this novel doesn't primarily use that aspect of the characters life to forward the plot, I have been really impressed by the author's writing style and attention to detail.
Her sense of environment and character is entracing, and completely draws you into the story. She develops all of the necessary characters really well, an unlike other mystery series, doesn't simply overlook or skip over secondary characters lives. It's quite refreshing.
She builds up an environment of tension quite well, and makes the reader want to know what is going to happen next. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!
Review: This is the first Sue Henry mystery that I have ever read, thinking that the idea of the dog sled races wouldn't be all that interesting. While this novel doesn't primarily use that aspect of the characters life to forward the plot, I have been really impressed by the author's writing style and attention to detail.
Her sense of environment and character is entracing, and completely draws you into the story. She develops all of the necessary characters really well, an unlike other mystery series, doesn't simply overlook or skip over secondary characters lives. It's quite refreshing.
She builds up an environment of tension quite well, and makes the reader want to know what is going to happen next. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing 'mystery' in the north
Review: This was the first Sue Henry book I've read or listened to, and I don't think there will be a second. The book was just dull, filled with two many lists of items and tasks. I felt like I was reading someone's grocery list or an RV instruction manual, or the fine print on a road map. The characters were boring spunky cutouts, and I found it hard to believe how excited Jessie got when thinking about buying a can of beans. Her self centeredness even after the murder in the campground, with her major gripe being that it interferred with her trip, was something else. This was so banal (including the cover art) that I thought it was a vanity press/self published book. Mrs Henry's other books have got to be better!
| 
