For anyone curious about the mystique of Alaska, this is a must-read. If you can't make a trip to Alaska, this is the next best thing. Not only for women, anyone will enjoy this book.

This is the first book of Dana's that I read and, as a Sci-Fi reader and an Alakan, it was fabulous! I've gone on to read the Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell series (since Dana and Sue Henry talked me into buying the first books of their mystery series at the Barnes & Noble in Anchorage) but Star will always be my favorite. For the non-Sci Fi readers out there, this is not a book with the unpronouncable names and unrealistic settings. Also, Star seems to be a decendant of one of the characters in the Kate Shugak series (re: the story knife). So, if you can find a copy of this well-written, plausible and enjoyable book,with a strong female protagonist, I highly recommend it!

This book should be read on a cold and rainy night with a fire going in the fireplace, When I read it I had the air conditioner on full blast because it was 106 degrees outside. The beginning was especially good as Kate prepares for a long cold winter on her isolated Alaskan homestead. She then travels to Anchorage at the request of her grandmother. The politics of the tribal council was a little dull, but then the story picks up again toward the end. Ms. Stabenow is definitely worth reading. I'll be looking forward to future books from her

This story begins with the quandry of coming out of the outhouse and finding a moose nearby.Kate Shugak solves this problem and stocks up on meat for an Alaskan winter.As the story continues she goes with her grandmother to Anchorage to help with tribal politics,family matters and corruption. Kate does a wonderful job on her boyfriend's ex-wife and gets talked into going to a party all dressed up.It is a mystery and a story of a women finding her identity. The end is quite a surprise and may bring tears. This series is terrific,informative, and most of all-well written.

With her eloquent writing style, Dana Stabenow gives you a connectedness with the main character (Kate Shugak) that many authors attempt but fall short. A well thought out story with an amazing ending.

This is the first book of Dana Stabenow's that I bought. Within minutes, I giggled. A few more pages, I laughed. Before the book was finished, I had to stop and wipe the tears from laughing so hard.

I could relate to Kate's experiences. Maybe it takes living through an Alaskan break up to understand what humans and fate are really capable of that made this so funny. Perhaps it was recognizing former headlines from the newspapers. Irregardless, it was the first Kate Shugak book I read, but not my last. I immediately went out and bought the rest and I have a copy of each new one, too.

It's not your typical mystery. The murder does appear secondary to other activities: falling 747 engines, grizzly bear encounters, parents from Outside visiting daughters. If you want a slice of authenic Alaska from a real Alaskan, you can't go wrong with Ms. Stabenow. If you want pure entertainment, you can't go wrong with BREAK UP.

Why have I bought five copies of this book? Because each time I loaned it out, I never received it back. It's one of those books that I read again and again. But please don't ask to borrow my copy. I know a lovely bookstore that will sell you your own copy.

Having read one Kate Shugak mystery some years ago (which I enjoyed), I decided to try more recently. I'm enjoying them all, but have seldom laughed as hard over anything as I did over BREAKUP. I'm guessing that Stabenow collected all the wildest tales she'd heard about breakup mishaps and adventures and rolled them together into this marvellous story. There is a mystery, and Kate does work it through most capably, but don't try to read this volume in a situation that requires quiet. This is definitely a laugh-out-loud book, or even a shriek-out-loud one. (Obviously) I loved it.

I've enjoyed all the Kate Shugak books but this one rates as the best. Kate faces charging bears, tourists from Beacon Hill, falling jet engines, the Alaskan version of the Hatfields and McCoys and the obligatory murder. And in the process the real Kate Shugak suddenly comes together and shows us the person we always knew was there. She once again demonstrates that Kate is not a person to be messed with (the more descriptive expression is not one I will write where anyone of any age can read it). But in all the daring do, in all the life and death experiences she goes through, those of us that love her know that the hardest for her to face, the one that takes the most courage is when Kate stands at a meeting of the tribal elders and acts as an advisory. She has begun to accept the heritage left to her by her grandmother. The only 'bad' thing about this book is that if you haven't followed Kate through her other books, you can't see what a victory this is for her. Thank you Dana Stabenow for giving us not just a female sleuth but a well-rounded person we can enjoy reading about and admire.

This is another wonderful installment in the Robert Carey series of (loosely defined) mysteries set on the 16th-century Scottish Border.

Anyone tired of twee, cutesy historical mysteries should read these immediately. Chisholm writes in a spare style which successfully infuses both humor and drama into the story. The characters, particularly the secondary characters, are endlessly appealing and the pacing of the plot is high-tension and breakneck. The hard-luck Border setting adds interest.

Season of Knives starts only days after the end of A Famine of Horses, the first book. Carey is trying to seduce the married Lady Elisabeth. Everyone in the area is struggling to get their hay harvest in -- except for Carey's enemies, who plan a raid to kidnap the Lady. Meanwhile, a local man is killed, and the list of possible culprits grows. There are some especially wonderful scenes here -- one in which corrupt rations dealers are offered their own wares is almost worth the price of the book by itself. There's plenty of fast-moving action and a bittersweet end. Here and there plausibility falters (would a woman theoretically outraged enough to cut her husband's throat really hesitate because it would mean washing all the sheets?) but overall this book sets a very high standard.

Patricia Finney is P.F. Chisholm. Residing in Cornwall, England, P.F. Chisholm is no stranger to writing, having begun when she was seven and first getting published at 18. A Season Of Knives is her second adventure based on the life of Sir Robert Carey, a Deputy Warden who really lived during the reign of Queen Bess in 1592. Sir Robert has just become Deputy Warden of the West March, and has just come off of an adventure with horse rustling and treason (which is the subject of A Famine of Horses. P.F. Chisholm continues his adventures with A Surfeit of Guns and A Plague of Angels, and is presently working on her fifth Sir Robert Carey adventure.

Sir Robert Carey is supposed to enforce peace along the border of Scotland and England. He is handsome, chivalrous, intelligent, and is trying to avoid his creditors. He is also deeply in love with a married woman, Elizabeth Widdrington, who returns his love but is duty bound to her nasty husband. When Sir Robert rushes off to stop an attempted kidnaping of his beloved, he returns to find himself accused of the murder of the paymaster who has just been fired. Sir Robert's servant Barnabus has been imprisoned, and it is up to Sir Robert to investigate the crime to clear his good name and free his servant. His enemy, Sir Richard Lowther, is obviously in the middle of a scheme to undo Sir Robert:

"'On what evidence, Sir Richard, do you base your accusations?' he demanded, hearing his voice brittle with the effort not to shout. 'On the evidence of a knife owned by your servant and a glove owned by yerself that I found by the body.' 'How frightfully convenient for you,' Carey drawled. 'Did you have much trouble stealing one of my gloves?'"

Sir Robert Carey is a double-edged hero suitable for the best period novels: he is languishing in love with a married woman while every single woman within reach sighs with longing for him; is a poor aristocrat who has to take grief from both sides of the fence because of not really fitting in; and has to perform a job that would undo many a man. P.F. Chisholm has found a historical figure who will provide grist for the mill for many adventures to come.

Shelley Glodowski, Reviewer

I thought Kate lost a lot of her sparkle in this latest story. Perhaps I'm spoiled, but Kate's character did not seem to progress in this novel. There were many unanswered questions from the previous Shugak mystery. For example, Kate has come into $50,000. What is she doing with it? Also, I did not like the combination of a Sci-Fi character with Kate. I think Stabenow is one of the most talented authors I've ever read, and Kate is a great character. Perhaps Stabenow was just pressured to create a new novel more quickly than was advisable. Whatever the reason, while a good read, I cannot give this novel 5 stars like I do the others. Though unhappy with this one book, I'm anxiously awaiting the newest Stabenow series, and will try Kate again.

I just can't get enough of Dana Stabenow's humorous and clever style of writing. I loved Break Up and this one is even better. It's the kind of story you want to read out loud to someone else so they can laugh too.

Having lived in Alaska for over thirty years now, I usually find books set in Alaska a disappointment. Stabenow's Alaska is the real thing, in all it's complex and contradictory detail. Her characters are people I know, and her settings are right-on. This book is no exception to her tradition of excellence. The plot is intriguing and keeps the reader guessing, and Stabenow's humor will make you laugh out loud.

This is the 11th in the Kate Shugak Series, and the second one since Kate's sole mate was brutally killed while helping guide on a hunting trip.

In this story Kate is "talked into" acting as a bodyguard for a Native Woman who is running for s state senate seat. The biggest drawback is that it involves dealing with a woman she knows from college. Let's just say there is no apparent love loss here. At the same time Johnny is now living with Kate, or at least Kate's friends.

Stabenow has also given us a look into the past with this book. This is really 2 stories in one. Yes they are tied together. But, you learn a bit about the beginning of the state's history (Alaska) and the type of people that brought her into statehood. You also learn a lot about the difference in politics in a land that is vast and wide.

I loved the way the Dawson Darling was brought to life. Though I did find the switching back and forth a bit annoying. (Which is the 4 star rating) I would have liked to see this one as a separate story.

I also love how you see the pleasure that books bring people and the joy of reading (as many of us do) thought the eyes of Kate and Paula.

If you like a good murder mystery you will like this one! But, if you are new to the series I suggest you start with an earlier book first.

In the 11th. book of the Kate Shugak series, Dana Stabenow weaves 2 parallel stories into an interesting whole. The story with the current setting tells of Kate's new job as a security guard for Anne Gordaoff, a candidate for state senator from Kate's district. During the course of the campaign, the candidate's future son-in-law is murdered. This brings a new urgency to Kate's job and causes her to align with sometime friend and lover Jim Chopin to solve the case. When another body appears, the campaign workers' concerns deepen. The parallel story is told at the turn of the 20th. century with its central character being a "good time girl" during the Gold Rush days. She earns her living in the only way she knows how and supports her son through hardships and associations with abusive men. Her death has never been solved, but Kate connects it to her current case and discovers both killers at once. This is a good read and gives Stabenow's usual insider's view on Alaska.

This is the 11th outing for Kate Shugak, former Anchorage police officer and now private investigator in the Park in the Alaskan bush. The series took an unexpected turn in book 9, and with the last two entries, author Dana Stabenow has kept us on edge wondering if Shugak would survive.

In this book, Shugak returns to her homestead in the Park for the first time in months. She is promptly offered a job as a political candidate's protection after the candidate, a Native Alaskan, begins receiving threatening letters. Shugak, like most police officers, believes that the writer of the letters will go no further than the written word. But when one of the candidate's staff turns up dead, Shugak is forced to reevaluate her position. From that point, the book goes into high gear!

The characters, especially the ones we've grown to know over the years, are well-drawn and continue to grow and change. Stabenow gives us some history of Alaska, this time involving a prostitute of the Klondike era. She keeps you guessing about who did the foul deed although she is such a skillful writer that you find yourself hoping it's one of the campaign staff whom you come to love to hate. Stabenow's writing remains outstanding so much so that you can feel autumn slipping away with each turn of the page - in the back of your head you'll begin to wonder where you can lay your hands on a sweater - even if you're in 90 degree weather.

The reader for this book is impossible for me to listen to without gritting my teeth. Maybe this series is better in written form.

I'm not that I understand why so many other reviewers gave this book 5 starts. The book was good but not great. This is my first Liam Campbell mystery and, sorry, I didn't find Liam Campbell to be an exceptionally compelling or inventive character.

Ok, that said, this is a very good read. I really enjoyed the picture the author paints of the Alaskan bush. What a setting for a murder mystery? Beyond Liam Campbell, we meet a number of characters who are riddled with their own problems and connected by a series of creepy deaths. This book reinforced the notion that one wouldn't want to get lost in the rugged Alaskan outback amongst the frigid temperature, the lack of daylight, and the beers.

I look forward to reading more from Dana Stabenow.

This is the third story in the Liam Campbell series by Stabenow.

If you like the Kate Shugak stories you will also like this series. I admit that I jumped in at the third story here but I am now going back to get the rest.

Liam is forced to solve a serial murder case though at first no one is sure that it is a serial case. It seems with different weapons and the distances apart that they are not connected. But, as the story progresses you see how they are connected and how eventually things come together. As usual Stabenow also makes the characters very real as well as the difference in the remote parts of Alaska and family values. She describes the setting as well as the lifestyles fantastically.

Another winner by Stabenow.

"If it looks like a motive, if it acts like means, if it quacks like opportunity..." That ducky paraphrase is one of the good things about this mystery, Dana Stabenow's first in the "Liam Campbell" series. This time, it's as if Alice's Queen of Hearts ("Off with their heads!") is loosed upon an airport in Southwest Alaska. Beware the prop blades!

The Stabenow oeuvre (Campbell and Kate Shugak, who will subsequently team up in "Midnight Come Again" ) offers moving verbal snapshots of Alaska along with ice-cracklin' good "Whodunnits." At times, this one tilted too much toward Harlequin bodice-buster for my tastes. And "Doing the box thing" (Campbell's diagramming of people and interrelationships involved in a case) would be much more effective if, like Ed McBain's 87th Precinct books, the author and publisher actually visually (not just a verbal description) SHOW the reader the document to which they refer.

I have not read all the series, nor read them in order, but I'm going to give it a go. The inhabitants are an interesting, entertaining, quirky bunch with whom I look forward to getting better acquainted.

The book hit the ground running with action. It gave an excellent insight to the Alaskan geography, inhabitants and infrastructure. I found the main character, Trooper Liam Campbell to remind me of Dudley Dooright on more than one occasion. I look forward to reading the sequel, So Sure Of Death. I would like to get to know the main characters better.

Also, I found the writer's style a little difficult to get used to and found myself rereading sentences to glean the meaning. All in all a good book.

Like many other reviewers and fans of Kate Shugak, I was a bit reluctant to read the Liam Campbell series. It couldn't be as good. Well, I was wrong. It may even be better.

I suspect that Stabenow was simply getting bored with Kate and wanted to write something a little different. Well, in Liam she's created a great format to tell us about that unusual species, the Alaskan Male. (Hey, they even have - or had - magazine about the phenomenon.) A healthy chunk of this book is about the war between the sexes, Alaskan style. Sure, the mystery takes a back seat but the humorous observations more than made up for it.

As for the mystery, Liam is literally landing at the airport when the first suspicious death occurs. By the time the mystery is resolved, the reader has met a cast of eccentric characters that somehow ring entirely true, learned A LOT about herring roe fishing, and gotten under the skin of a macho man dealing with his world seemingly falling apart. There's plenty of crime in Newenham, much of it falling into the boozed up small town variety (shooting the jukebox and the post office) but something deeper and uglier is going on. There's an amazing amount of money at stake in the herring season. Could that be the cause? Or is it just small town romance gone wrong?

Bottom-line: A genuinely enjoyable read even if Stabenow digresses from the mystery plot at times. Liam Campbell is a nice mix of too good to be true and 1990's angst inside. I'll be reading the next book in the series soon.

I enjoyed this book. I will probably buy more in the series. I liked the strength of the lead character and found the mystery compelling.

A rookie federal Park Ranger/son-of-a-congressman, and an investigator sent to find him, go missing in the cold expanse of Kate Shugak's Alaskan Park (occupying "twenty million acres, almost four times the size of Denali National Park but with less than one percent of the tourists.") Reluctantly, Kate, a former D.A's investigator herself until a run-in with a child molester left him dead and her soured her on the job and a major portion of "civilization," is on the case.

This is the first of Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak mystery series, and I'm glad I went back and started at the beginning. The reader is introduced to Jack Morgan, the aforementioned D.A., with whom Kate had an affair before leaving his employ in Anchorage to return home to the environs and inhabitants of her native Village and Park. The characters and locale will become old familiar friends as this series wends on.

The introduction to Jack Morgan is particularly resonant:"He looked like John Wayne ready to run the claim jumpers off his gold mine on that old White Mountain just a little southeast of Nome, if John Wayne had been outfitted by Eddie Bauer." (If you are clueless about the humour, I suggest you go over to videos and get a copy of the movie "North to Alaska" - pay attention to the song being sung during the credits.) That Johnny Horton song is on jukeboxes everywhere here in our part of the Tundra, and everybody sings along ;-) And, speaking of jukeboxes and bars, the scene at Bernie's Bar in the book is really a hoot!

Along the way to finding out what happened to the Ranger and his would-be rescuer, Stabenow gives the reader an overview of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and life in the villages. It's a good start to a good series and I recommend it.

Having spent two weeks in Alaska last summer, I thought I would give this author a try since she was recommended on this board. What a find! Kate Shugak is very solitary and strong. The mystery kept me riveted and guessing. Very unusual. Glad I began at the first in the series. Hope most of the characters show up in the following books. A fast and exciting read.