Winter's End

July 1, 2022

Spring has arrived in remote Benedict, AK, as have two strangers. So Orin tells friend (and series star) Beth Rivers as they check on a far-flung neighbor to see how he has fared during the winter. Not well, as it transpires, and Orin must quickly return to town for help. Then he vanishes, and Beth and police chief Gril learn that he's been involved in some top-secret research. Next in Shelton's LJ-starred "Alaska Wild" series.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 24, 2022
Mary Higgins Clark finalist Shelton’s captivating fourth Alaska Wild mystery (after 2021’s Dark Night) finds thriller writer Beth Rivers, who moved a few years earlier from Missouri to remote Benedict, Alaska, after a traumatic incident, still getting used to local customs, such as the annual Death Walk. Each year, with the approach of spring, all citizens living in or near the town are asked to report in, so that local law enforcement teams can make sure everyone survived the winter. (A search is mounted for those who don’t turn up.)This year, searchers are scouring the area for quiet, unassuming Kaye Miller, a dog-walking companion of Beth’s, whose body turns up by the creek behind the community center, her head bashed in with a rock. Beth is shaken by the woman’s death and sets out to discover why Kaye was targeted for murder. The rugged Alaska landscape lends atmosphere, and while this entry can be enjoyed as a standalone, there’s great pleasure in reading the series from the beginning and observing Beth, a wonderfully complex character, growing stronger and more confident with each book. Hopefully, she’ll have a long run. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds.

November 15, 2022
A remote Alaskan town is a good place to hide, but no place is safe forever. After being attacked and kidnapped by a deranged fan, novelist Beth Rivers is sheltering in Benedict, where only a few people know her real identity. While waiting for the St. Louis police to catch her assailant, Beth has put down roots. She runs the local paper and has helped the local law solve several murders. During the town's annual springtime Death Walk, designed to check up on everyone in the area at the end of the long winter, she and her friend Orin discover an elderly man in dire straits whom they get to the doctor in town. Beth lives in a halfway house usually reserved for women with nonviolent felony convictions and run by Viola, a source of knowledge on all things Benedict. The only other person living there now, however, is Chaz, a cocky male embezzler with prodigious cooking skills and little interest in reforming. Beth's dog-walking companion, Kaye Miller, comes from a family whose long-simmering feud with another local family, the Oliphants, occasionally spirals into violence. Kaye's husband, Warren, hasn't been seen for a while, so when Kaye's found murdered, he's a leading suspect. In addition, Beth is worried about Orin, who's gone missing, perhaps for reasons concerning his hush-hush government job. She's also concerned about her mother, who's busy tracking her abductor, and her father, who never returns her calls. Could Kaye have been romantically involved with an Oliphant? Beth, who won't rest till she discovers her friend's killer, puts herself in grave danger. An excellent adventure tale set against the stunning backdrop of Alaska.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2022
Popular thriller writer Beth Rivers is hiding in remote Benedict, Alaska, after escaping kidnapper Travis Walker, who was never caught. She is working incognito at the local paper and renting a room in a halfway house for felons. During the town's annual Death Walk, where residents from the surrounding area gather to make sure everyone survived the winter, several people don't show. Although Kaye Miller's name is marked off the list, no one remembers seeing her, and later, her body is found near the community center. Beth, who was beginning a friendship with Kaye, feels compelled to find Kaye's murderer. Kaye was married to a Miller, and the Millers and the Oliphants have been feuding for years, leading to multiple suspects, even within the victim's own family. Beth also helps to rescue an elderly man and tries to determine what happened to a local resident who disappeared. The meaty plot lines, combined with the beautifully described rugged setting and the crisp depiction of the characters' individualistic lifestyles, add up to a satisfying mystery.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2022

It's been almost a year since author Elizabeth Fairchild fled from her kidnapper, moving to Benedict, AK, hiding as Beth Rivers. She's made some friends, including Kaye Miller, who's been walking with Beth some mornings. But at Benedict's annual Death Walk, when Gril, the police chief, takes the head count to see if everyone survived the winter, Beth doesn't see Kaye or her husband. The rest of the Millers are there, along with their feuding neighbors, the Oliphants. Beth's concerns are set aside when she and Orin, the local librarian, find a 94-year-old neighbor who's barely hanging on, but when Orin heads for help, he doesn't return. Instead, Gril shows up and reports Orin disappeared on one of his secret government assignments. Beth worries about Orin, only to have bigger concerns when Kaye's body is discovered. She forces her way into the middle of feuding families, each blaming the other for Kaye's death, but she only wants to find out who killed Kaye and why. VERDICT Distinctive, interesting characters populate the fourth "Alaska Wild" mystery (following Dark Night), which is as descriptive and beautiful as always. Series readers will be happy for the resolution to several overarching storylines.--Lesa Holstine

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.