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Rating: 
Summary: Dana Comes Through Again!
Review: After reading Hunter's Moon, I went back and bought all of Dana's previous Kate Shugak books, as well as those in Dana's Liam Campbell series. I got up-to-date only a couple of months before Midnight Come Again. Dana has come through again with another great story about Alaska and some very interesting and sometimes (in the cases of the "good guys") endearing charcaters. If you haven't read Dana's books, give them a try -- but be forewarned -- you, too, could become hooked on her wonderful books. (PS: I'd like to marry Kate Shugak, but I'm not sure I could keep up with her.) (PSS: Thanks, Dana, for the email recommendation for the bar near the Anchorage airport where you can sit and watch sea planes land and take off -- I'm coming back to AK in August and plan to go there again.)
Rating:
Summary: Kate Fights Her Loneliest Battle
Review: Far away from kith and kin, Kate Shugak is holed up in Bering with a false identity and a broken heart. No spoilers as to why: Midnight Come Again serves as a flawless continuation of the horrifying Singing of the Dead, and I have no wish to spoil the former in order to praise the latter.
Suffice to say that Kate has survived--but barely. She is sick at heart, sick in her soul, and so unlike herself that Chopper Jim, who is ostensibly on an undercover mission but really searching for his old and dear friend, is horrified when he finally meets up with her again.
It is Jim's undercover mission, however clandestine he tries to keep it, that sparks the first modicum of interest in Kate since the unspeakable events the year before. As she and her trusty sidekick Mutt (who thankfully has survived as well) get embroiled in the doings of Russian Mafia members who may be hiding a stolen cache of plutonium, she seems to come back to life, slowly but surely.
Along the way are a pair of bumbling FBI agents who are sure that Kate is among the bad guys; and from afar, the call of Kate's nearest and dearest, all of whom pull her back to the world of the living.
A superb entry in the series!
Rating: 
Summary: Midnight Come Again
Review: I didn't think I would be very interested in a story concerning the Russian Mafia, but Stabenow changed my mind. Although I missed reading about the folks back in Niniltna, the introduction to the people of Bering was a true joy. Jim Chopin has a prominent role here and the insights into his character are very reveling. I also enjoyed a surprising revelation concerning Kate's grandmother, Ekaterina. The descriptions of Kate's dog, Mutt (one of my favorite characters) are, as always, vivid and alive. A word of warning: if you are a big fan of the FBI, you should know that the two FBI agents in this story are not portrayed in a very favorable light. I have read all of Stabenow's previous Kate Shugak mysteries, so it was easy for me to pick up where the story left off last time, but this probably isn't where a reader new to the series should begin. For a true understanding of Kate, it would be best to start at the beginning (A Cold Day For Murder). It was easy getting into this story and it held my attention throughout. The ending was spectacular.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular Ending
Review: I didn't think I would be very interested in a story concerning the Russian Mafia, but Stabenow changed my mind. Although I missed reading about the folks back in Niniltna, the introduction to the people of Bering was a true joy. Jim Chopin has a prominent role here and the insights into his character are very reveling. I also enjoyed a surprising revelation concerning Kate's grandmother, Ekaterina. The descriptions of Kate's dog, Mutt (one of my favorite characters) are, as always, vivid and alive. A word of warning: if you are a big fan of the FBI, you should know that the two FBI agents in this story are not portrayed in a very favorable light. I have read all of Stabenow's previous Kate Shugak mysteries, so it was easy for me to pick up where the story left off last time, but this probably isn't where a reader new to the series should begin. For a true understanding of Kate, it would be best to start at the beginning (A Cold Day For Murder). It was easy getting into this story and it held my attention throughout. The ending was spectacular.
Rating: 
Summary: better than last time
Review: In the best Shugak tradition this one goes straight for the gut and then kicks you in the crotch. Unlike other Shugak books this one spends more time from Jim Chopin's point of view than Kate's, but it gives a better feel for the action that way. Like all mysteries there has to be some difficulty in solving the crime and this time it's Kate and her grief. That is when it's not Chopin's emotional issues getting in the way.I knew after "Hunters Moon" that the next book would be a real emotional wringer and this book did not let me down in the least. While the mystery here is easy to solve the reason I couldn't put down the book until I finished it is that Kate is so real and so spell binding. I can't wait for the next one. I rate Dana Stabenow up there with Dick Francis and Kate Shugak with Travis McGee.
Rating:
Summary: Gutsy
Review: In the best Shugak tradition this one goes straight for the gut and then kicks you in the crotch. Unlike other Shugak books this one spends more time from Jim Chopin's point of view than Kate's, but it gives a better feel for the action that way. Like all mysteries there has to be some difficulty in solving the crime and this time it's Kate and her grief. That is when it's not Chopin's emotional issues getting in the way. I knew after "Hunters Moon" that the next book would be a real emotional wringer and this book did not let me down in the least. While the mystery here is easy to solve the reason I couldn't put down the book until I finished it is that Kate is so real and so spell binding. I can't wait for the next one. I rate Dana Stabenow up there with Dick Francis and Kate Shugak with Travis McGee.
Rating: 
Summary: Kate recovers from Jack's death
Review: Kate Shugak is missing. The gutsy, female, Aleut PI is trying to recover from the death of her soulmate, Jack. She runs away to Bering where she joins the ground crew of a small airline. Jim Chopin, a state trooper who has worked on several cases with Kate, is asked to find her and to uncover a Russian smuggler who is operating in Alaska. In one of those wonderful coincidences which only happen in novels, Jim finds both Kate and the Russian. Kate is in a state of apathy, but finally her investigative instincts rise to the surface and she begins to check into a scheme which seems to connect the Russians with a local banker and a local politician. As always, this book has the splendor of Alaska as a background. It's interesting to read the first part of the book through Chopper Jim's eyes and to see his character developed a bit more.
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Summary: Who's Johnny?
Review: This was my first Dana Stabenow/Kate Shugak mystery. The Alaska Geographic Society type information is very interesting. Generally, there wasn't a problem "jumping in mid-stream" in this series - the author does a pretty good job of providing background information for the new reader except that I didn't "get" the ending. Did I miss something? Or is it a loose end or trailer enticement to read the next book?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: This was the first book I've read by Dana Stabenow but it won't be the last! I was captivated from beginning to end. I will definetly be reading the rest of the Kate Shugak series and anything else by Dana Stabenow I can get my hands on.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: This was the first book I've read by Dana Stabenow but it won't be the last! I was captivated from beginning to end. I will definetly be reading the rest of the Kate Shugak series and anything else by Dana Stabenow I can get my hands on.
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