Whisper to the Blood

The last Kate Shugak book, "A Deeper Sleep" ended on an ominous note: the Aunties, the real source of all tribal authority in the Park had overstepped themselves in their response to a set of murders, endorsing vigilante "justice" and leaving themselves open to blackmail.

In "Whisper To The Blood" we see some of the consequences of the Aunties' actions: people taking the law into their own hands, Kate being excluded from her normal "enforcer" role by the Aunties, resulting in more vigilante actions.

This disturbance of the equilibrium of the Park as the influence of the Auntie's changes from something positive, if a little stern, into something increasingly toxic and outside of their control, is well thought through and well described. It show more made the Park more real to me.

It also showed me the balance that Kate Shugak always brings to her actions. Kate isn't motivated by power or a need to be in control. She doesn't give way to the outrage she sometimes feels. Without having to think through why, when she acts to limit harm or protect the weak, she does so with a calm fury guided by her sense of what is right. That's what makes her respected and feared. It's also what prevents her from understanding fully the power that she has.

"Whisper To The Blood" is packed with great scenes: a snow machine trip to remote landscapes, an attack on the river, and an encounter between Kate and a proud old man living alone in the Bush whom she deals with with a dignity, compassion and anonymity that encapsulates her values.

I enjoyed the political scenes in the book. It was fun to see the normally effortlessly competent Kate, lack the skills and knowledge to discharge her new role as Chair of the Native Association. It was even more fun to see her master it and turn the tables on the people who had been trying to make her into a clone replacement for her Grandmother.

There is one very uncomfortable scene, which would normally have been enough to make me put the book aside. Jim and Kate are fighting. Jim decides to resolve the conflict and release his frustration by having sex with Kate. Kate says "no." Repeatedly. Loudly. With her fists. Jim doesn't stop. I kept expecting that he would. Or that Kate would make him. After all, we're talking about Kate Shugak here. But Jim doesn't stop and Kate doesn't make him.

Jim's reason for deciding that "No" means "Yes"was that Kate switched off the stove as Jim approached her. This, according to Jim, was implicit consent.

The most surprising thing is that, the next morning, and apparently for some hours before that, Kate agreed with him.

I wasn't sure what to make of this. In a way it was an extension of the relationship that the two of them have built: part inextinguishable desire, part refusal by either of them to give an inch and part a hope for something more and different. In another way it felt like the violation it appeared to be. An insane mix of anger and lust seems to have ensnared them both. I couldn't make up my mind if they' d both found release of if they'd both just broken something fragile and important.

Perhaps life is like that. Perhaps the fact that I can't decide is a tribute to Dana Stabenow's writing. Even so, this knocked me off-centre in a way that I didn't enjoy.

"Whisper to the Blood" is still a good read, with a mystery at its core, Alaska as it stage, and a cast of well-rounded characters giving a first-class ensemble performance. show less

Stabenow dives into another Alaskan issue--mining...with a murder or two thrown in. Kate and Chopper Jim (who hasn't seen a chopper in a few episodes) begin to solve a murder and another occurs. But, half of the book is mere babbling about bush life and catching up on things that happened in previous books (episodes). The aunties, who some have said are quirky and fun, become malevolent, Kate gets assigned the Chair of the council and runs with it. Another entry in the Kate Shugak mystery series that's a fun read.

There's gold in them thar hills. And Golden Harvest Resources Inc. is chomping at the bit to get it out. But, smart corporate entity that they are, they send a spokesperson - golden girl Talia Macleod - to iron out some of the wrinkles with the local and native population in the Park. Park rats are torn, none more so than Kate, who, strong-armed into chairing (temporarily) the board of the Niniltna Native Association, has to keep a neutral face on things. When one of the mining companies vocal opponents turns up dead, and Macleod soon after, Jim and Kate are left with few leads to follow.

Complicating matters, snowmobile hijackers are hitting Park residents, the aunties are taking things into their own hands, and Louis Deem's murderer is show more still at large.

I'm glad the loose ends are finally getting wrapped up - Stabenow's done her usual fine job of character-driven plotting. Not too many laugh out loud moments in this one, but it still kept me up far to late on a work night. show less

Take a trip into life in the Alaskan bush with Kate and her fellow Park rats in this latest installment in the Kate Shugak series. Gold, and lots of it, has been discovered in the hills of the Park and a large mining operation is preparing to open operations to dig it out. This plan is not being happily accepted by many who enjoy their bush way of life away from the trappings of more modern life. Further, there have been attacks on people taking supplies home on the frozen highway of winter life. The two people are found dead by different means. And Kate, burdened with responsibilities she did not seek, sees the difficulties that change will bring to the Park. While this was another good addition to the series, it required remembering show more details from the previous book which this reader read over a year ago and forgot. show less

I received this book as an advance reading copy through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I've been reading this series for a while now, and even in order (so you know I really like it). This is the sixteenth Kate Shugak mystery. I strongly encourage you to read the previous 15 (in order!) before starting this book (the first book is A Cold Day for Murder, just to get you started). If you like Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski mysteries, I think you'll like the Kate Shugak mysteries.

Kate's an Alaskan Native, part-time PI, and full-time "Park rat" (residents of a generic national park in Alaska, based on the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park). She’s nearly always accompanied by the mostly faithful Mutt, her half wolf, half husky. show more In Whisper To the Blood, a gold mining company is buying land and preparing to dig a massive open pit mine in the Park, while the Aunties shanghai Kate (more than the Aunties usually do, that is). During the first half of the book, I found myself getting cranky at Kate and companion (can't say who that is, as it could detract from your enjoyment of the previous 15 books). But the last half of the book took me by surprise, swept me along, and left me looking forward to Book 17!

I highly recommend this series, not only for the vivid characters and intense action, but also for Stabenow's clever writing and insights. show less

I have read a couple of Stabenow's Kate Shugak books and I'm always struck by how clearly she's able to paint a picture of rural Alaskian life. The images she creates are vivid and compelling, and her characters are multi-layered and complex.

That being said, I wouldn't start reading these books this far into the series. If this book intrigues you, go back and start with book one: A Cold Day for Murder. Recommended for readers that enjoy reading great stories about rural life and hard female detectives.

I am drawn to mysteries that have a strong sense of place: Julie Smith in New Orleans, Elizabeth George in England, and Marcia Mueller in San Francisco. Therefore I was delighted in reading about the back country (and Native Lands) in Alaska. Since Dana Stabenow is an Alaskan, I am assuming that the details are done correctly, though it is hard to comprehend how people can live in such wilderness.

The story itself is well told, with strands from several personal histories coming together and Alaskans from many walks of life having a place in the whole tapestry. If there is any slight reservations on my part, it is that this is the sixteenth book of this series, so there are dozens of back stories (the detective, Kate Shugak's, previous show more partner; the burning of her house; her relationship with her friends) that are only slightly touched on. I felt a bit like I had come into a theater in the middle of a movie.

Still, if you have any interest in foreign settings and well told tales, you should try Dana Stabenow. However, you might want to start at the beginning with A Deeper Sleep and work your way up to Whisper to the Blood as I will be doing now. show less