The Singing of the Dead

"The Singing Of The Dead" is my least favorite of the Kate Shugak novels so far. It delivered a good plot, some strong characters and a few excellent scenes but I couldn't become as emotionally engaged with this novel as with the others.

Kate, still recovering from the loss of Jack Morgan, is not her usual self in this book. She is more passive than usual and perhaps a little more vulnerable. I applaud this in terms of character development but it left a hole in the book that no-one else filled. Kate was far more damaged in "Midnight Come Again" but there Jim Chopin filled the gap.

I was also out of sympathy with the "historical" parts of the story which were bleakly accurate. Each passage was well written but I struggled to overcome my show more aversion for the brutality of the period.I also found the passages hard to integrate into the present-day story. There was a plot link but not much more.

Of course, as with any Kate Shugak novel, there were some wonderful scenes: the broadcast and interview from the chaos of Bobby's house, the atmosphere and content of the political meeting in the school gym and the peculiar auction that kicks off the book.

The political setting for "The Singing Of The Dead" provides a great vehicle for reviewing the Alaska's political issues and the factions that work on them. I thought the speeches, given by plausible politicians competing for votes, were particularly well done.

The most uplifting part of the book was the way in which the Park Rats and even State Trooper Jim Chopin come together to support Kate in protecting Jack Morgan's son from his mother. This kind of practical support for the vulnerable is a constant theme in Dana Stabenow's books and she always does it well.

In the end, my main reaction to the book turned out to be sadness: for the treatment of Angel Beachem in the Gold rush and for the violence done to the researcher who brought her story to life.

This is the only Kate Shugak book not available from audible.com. I gave up waiting for them to add it to their catalog and went with the ebook version instead. This was my first ebook. I was pleasantly surprised at how natural it felt to read this way and how easy it was to move about. I miss that with audiobooks. Yet I missed Marguerite Gavin's voice, bringing Kate and her world alive in my ear. I'll be doing the rest of the series as audibooks. show less

4.5
Oh my, what a fantastic twist at the end ! I adored this duel time historical mystery. I thought both time periods and characters where excellently done. The world has changed so and yet it hasn't. Kate struggles to balance her new world, with a job, a teenageer on the run, a crazed mom, a killer or two, a wonky heart, and an upset Mutt.*Amazing job Ms.Stabenow*
Kate, she's stubborn, healing, and too damn stubborn. I just want her to be happy again, with the one I want her to be happy with, not the one she's noodling with on the porch ! I can't wait to see what's in the next book. :D

This book interweaves an historical tale with a "present day" one, creating dual interest. However, there are so many dates and names and places to keep straight that ultimately it's confusing. Undaunted, I backtracked and diagrammed the characters of interest, but even then there remained too many gaps for the denouement to be satisfying.

My least favorite of the Kate Shugak novels -- probably because I've listened to them all and then doubled back on #11 here. Kate's job is security for a Senatorial candidate and there are a couple of murders. Flashbacks to the early 20th century are sprinkled in, too. The many characters confuse somewhat. There are so many dates and names and places to keep straight that ultimately it's confusing.

Not sure where this comes in the series, but I read it out of order. Interesting for the usual complicated mystery and social setting, as well as Alaskan history that becomes more and more relevant to Kate herself.

Lots of throwback information as Shugak, not enthusiastically, become the bodyguard for a an Alaskan senatorial candidate.

Kate is hired as security for a Native Alaskan female politician. The current murder mystery has links to a past murder which happened during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1915. Not the best book in the series, but Kate's and Jim Chopin's exchanges are always appealing.