Termination Dust: An Alex Jensen Mystery

Sue Henry writes another winner in "Termination Dust", the second book of her Alex Jensen Mystery Series. Canoeist Jim Hampton is on a trip down the Yukon River when he discovers the bones and the journal of a prospecter, Addison Riser from the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. While pondering the question of what may have caused Riser's death, Hampton is attacked and left for dead himself. He escapes and is discovered by Detective Alex Jensen and Inspector Charles Delafosse who are investigating a stolen car ring and the murder of a prominent man. There is evidence to suggest that Hampton committed the murder and the two lawmen investigate that possibility. The story continues with the constant weaving of Riser's story from the 1800's with that of modern-day Hampton. The story includes lost treasure and a further murder. Henry makes the story rich and complex, yet manages to convincingly tie up all of the loose ends at the end. The reader is also treated to the rich background of the Yukon and a history lesson about the Gold Rush.

I particularly enjoyed this book, I think because of the interesting contrast between the present and the past. The author skillfully switches between the two stories, and she is adept at conveying both a sense of time and place. I've already finished Death Takes Passage, another one containing lots of interesting historical information, and I'm looking forward to more by Sue Henry. Thanks for taking me away!

Sue Henry's second book is every bit as good as Murder on the Iditarod Trail. Set this time in the Yukon, she weaves the story of an unfortunate gold prospector of 1898 into a modern murder mystery. While history doesn't exactly repeat itself, it certainly won't let the modern characters escape from what happened way back then.Ms. Henry intersperses today's mystery with passages from the journal of Addison Harley Riser, whose journal and bones were found by Jim Hampton, an outdoorsman on his dream vacation. The vacation turns into a nightmare when he's suspected of killing a controversial ex-senator. Alaskan State Trooper Alex Jensen, detailed to assist RCMP Inspector Charles Delafosse, is not convinced of Hampton's guilt, and soon is also fascinated by Riser's journal. The crimes are awfully similar.You will not be able to put this book down, so just get comfortable. It's another keeper.

Sue Henry came as a fresh Arctic wind into my Old Kentucky Home. Three times I have visited Alaska, and on two of those occasions, I hit the Yukon Territory. This book is especially meaningful for anyone who has been to Dawson City. She has caputured the spirit of that small isolated town so rich in history. And no one writes as well about the dangers of an Arctic winter. This book led me to all her other novels, and I enjoyed them equally as much. I never thought I would find anyone to equal Robert Service in conveying the feel for the frozen North, but Henry has come very close. Perhaps this work will make more of us in the lower forty-eight realize that the Yukon is a place apart from Alaska, with exciting tales and rich culture all its own. Certainly it demonstrates that crime knows no national boundaries, and Henry writes about it equally well on both sides of the line. Mush on Sue.

How aptly she named this book! I enjoyed how she put together the Alaska State Trooper and the RCMP for this one. I especially liked that her good guys really felt that the initital "bad guy" really wasn't bad at all. It's refreshing to read a murder mystery where the cops are trying to prove a suspect innocent. I hope Ms. Henry continues with many more books!