Beth Rivers moved to the small village of Benedict, Alaska, because she needed a place to hide where no one would find her, especially not the man who abducted her back in St. Louis. She can't remember much about him, but she fears he's still out there, hunting for her. But she feels safe in Alaska. Gril, the sheriff there, knows her story and keeps in touch with the police in Missouri. Beth's made a few friends in town, including Orin, the librarian, and Viola, who runs the halfway house where she rents a room. She's even got a job putting out Benedict's newspaper, Petition. And she's writing her thrillers again.
All is good until there's a mudslide outside of town and two young girls show up on Beth's doorstep, mute and covered in mud. No one seems to know where they belong. Then the frozen body of an unknown woman is found in a trapping shed outside of town. It looks like she's been dead for awhile, and that she didn't die of natural causes. And once again Beth finds herself involved in a murder investigation.
I really enjoyed Paige Shelton's previous novel, Thin Ice, where I was first introduced to Beth and the town of Benedict, and I thought this second book was equally good. I liked how Beth is getting to know Alaska better and how she's fitting in with everyone in town, and I thought the two young girls were cute. (I liked their father, Tex, too.) The mystery surrounding them and the murdered woman does get a bit convoluted towards the end, and I questioned the killer's motive and some of the timing of everything, but overall I thought this was an entertaining book. And I'm looking forward to reading Shelton's next book set in Benedict, Alaska, which should come out this December. If you want to try this series, I recommend reading Thin Ice first.
Happy Reading!
Coming soon:
so many authors i've never heard of... this sounds like a pretty good one...
ReplyDeleteIt was an enjoyable read. And I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. :)
DeleteI don't read enough books set in Alaska. It's such an interesting place to read about. I'll probably never see it in person, but it's so nice being able to "visit" it with books. :)
ReplyDeleteI love reading books set in Alaska! It makes for such a great setting. :D
DeleteI had not heard of this series, but it does sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed both the first book and this one. Mostly because of that Alaskan setting and the quirky characters. :)
DeleteThat sounds like an intriguing mystery.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun read.
DeleteI need to pick up this series. I like Shelton's other books, but thought this one might be a bit too thriller-y. Sounds like I'd enjoy them though.
ReplyDeleteIt's not dark or too thriller-y at all. I think you'd like it. The setting is great, and the characters are a lot of fun.
DeleteInteresting series. Even though some of this one sounds a little shaky from what you say, I usually enjoy books set in Alaska, so I'll have to take a look at this new series.
ReplyDeleteThe mystery part was a little shaky there at the end. But I like the characters and the setting a lot.
DeleteAlmost exactly the way I felt about this one! I did find it overly complicated and was a little disappointed in the conclusion, but enjoyed most of it. I never got around to reading the first book, but I may look for Thin Ice. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought Thin Ice was a little better than this one mystery-wise. And I'll be checking out her next one when it comes out this December.
DeletePaige is a sweetheart (she lives in the Phoenix metro area, too), and I was happy to see her "branch out" with this series. I'm looking forward to reading Dark Night.
ReplyDeleteI want to try some of her other books. I like the way she writes. :)
DeleteSounds exciting. I was supposed to travel to Alaska last year... but COVID, so I'm always interested in books set in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteCOVID upset a lot of travel plans. I didn't take the road trip I wanted to last summer either. But at least I can still read about places I'd like to visit. Someday. :)
DeleteLove it so much
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteI like the idea of the protagonist going to Alaska to hide and start anew. Great premise, and glad these are so good!
ReplyDeleteI always like that small town Alaskan setting. And Alaska's certainly a good place to hide.
DeleteI'd imagine Alaska would be a good place to hide.
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly big enough to get lost in! :)
DeleteBetween the abduction and the murder it sounds a bit dark. Alaska is a nice setting for a novel like this!
ReplyDeleteThat Alaskan setting works really well for mysteries, doesn't it?
DeleteOh, I love books set in Alaska and you know I can't resist a good mystery. I'll have to check the series out.
ReplyDeleteI really love that Alaskan setting, too! It makes these books even more fun.
DeleteI am glad to hear this second book was as good as the first! I love the Alaska setting and want to give this series a try.
ReplyDeleteIt's been fun; a little flawed, but fun. :)
DeleteI have the first two books in the Scottish Bookshop series by this author, but I have not tried them yet. This series sounds more to my taste, both the premise and the setting.
ReplyDeleteI've seen her Scottish Bookshop series, but I've never tried any of them. This is the first book by her that I've read, but I like the way she writes.
DeleteWell, who better than a thriller writer to solve mysteries, eh? As always, you find books with the most interesting premise. And "Petition" as a name for the newspaper is an excellent choice.
ReplyDeleteI lucked into this series, and I'm really glad I did. :)
DeleteI have to say whenever there's a small town library or bookstore, well you can't help but want to read the book too right? Sounds like an entertaining series.
ReplyDeleteIt's been fun. I'll definitely be reading the next one. :)
DeleteAnother new-to-me author to explore! Glad to hear you're enjoying this series. 😊
ReplyDeleteIt's been fun. And I really like the setting.
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