Killing Grounds

Following hard on the heels of her Edgar award winning BREAKUP, Dana Stabenow gives her fans a deep look into the world of salmon fishing with KILLING GROUNDS. This story is tightly woven around many of the minor characters of the series as they ply their ancestral fishing grounds for both substance and livelihood. Kate with Jack Morgan's son Johnny join Old Sam on the Freya to weigh and haul the catch to market. But part of the catch is the body of the most despised fisherman on the waters and no one is grieving at his loss. This one moves at a rapid pace from the culture, to Kath & Jack's romance, then to the murder and its solution. Stabenow is a writer for "keepers" of fish or books. Nash Black, author whose books are also available in Kindle editions. HaintsWriting as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers

Top-notch author and another winning story. Alaska is featured and described with accuracy and affection. Just one of the many stories in this land of mystery and challenges.

I just can't get enough of Dana Stabenow's humorous and clever style of writing. I loved Break Up and this one is even better. It's the kind of story you want to read out loud to someone else so they can laugh too.

Having lived in Alaska for over thirty years now, I usually find books set in Alaska a disappointment. Stabenow's Alaska is the real thing, in all it's complex and contradictory detail. Her characters are people I know, and her settings are right-on. This book is no exception to her tradition of excellence. The plot is intriguing and keeps the reader guessing, and Stabenow's humor will make you laugh out loud.

Once Alaskan native Kate Shugak was a sex crime investigator, working out of the Office of the Anchorage District Attorney. However, five years of coping with abused women and children have taken their toll on Kate. She retreats from the craziness of the city to make a life for herself on her family's homestead. Though the area is quite a bit more isolated and less populated than Anchorage, crime still exists, and Kate is ready to take on those individuals who threaten her native soil. To supplement her income, Kate hires on as the deck boss on the salmon fishing vessel, the Freya. When the food processing firms lower the price per pound for salmon by fifty cents, the fleet goes on strike. The only scab is notorious spouse and child abuser Cal Meany, whom is a person despised by everyone who knows him. When his mutilated body is found floating along side the Freya, Kate begins to investigate a case in which everyone has a motive for murder. KILLING GROUNDS is a mind boggling mystery that is filled with many characters with ample reason for killing the culprit. This makes it almost impossible to determine who the murderer is. As usual, Dana Stabenow affords readers a special glimpse into Alaska as seen through the eyes of the state's Native Americans. A Kate Shugak tale always seems to be an emotional experience that takes readers in an environmental and civic roller coaster ride that is both thrilling and illuminating. Harriet Klausner