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Tuesday 30 August 2011

Review: 'A Cold Day For Murder' by Dana Stabenow


This free ebook is an original setting for a murder mystery, the Alaskan wilderness, but the story itself and the writing are only so-so. There was too much description of the surroundings, and the author seems to be trying too hard to pepper her prose with local jargon, which ended up being an incomprehensible distraction rather than colourful.

The first two thirds of the book consist of the protagonist, Kate, chasing round after her vast and tangled array of family, friends and ex-lovers to interview them, and I soon got lost in all the relationships. Latterly, with the arrival of Kate's former boss (and another ex-lover), Jack, the story becomes much more focused and the pace picks up.

Overall, it's a readable story, with some humour, a few interesting characters and a simple enough plot to follow, although it paints a fairly depressing picture of Alaskan life. Two stars. [First written June 2011]

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