Dead North by Sue Henry
An Alaska Mystery, No. 8
William Morrow- June 2001
ISBN: 0380978814 - Hardback
Cozy Alaskan Mystery

Reviewed by Mary Lynn, MyShelf.Com
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While waiting to break ground on the site where she plans to rebuild her cabin, musher, Jessie Arnold agrees to drive her contractor's mobile home from Idaho to Alaska. Accompanied by her lead sled dog, Tank, Jessie expects to spend a week or so enjoying the scenery and generally taking life easy.

Instead, she crosses paths with Patrick, a young man who is hitch hiking to Alaska. Patrick is clearly hiding something and Jessie soon learns that two young men, who claim to be his friends, are looking for him. Before long, one of the young men is killed, an attempt is made on the life of the other young man, and Jessie herself is attacked. Is the person Jessie was pursuing at the time of the attack, a victim, or her attacker? And what about the cyclist that shows up at her door late one night in an RV park? Unsure who to trust, Jessie just wants to get home. She finds the long way home is filled with peril.

This book grabbed me from the beginning with it's intriguing opening told from the viewpoint of an elderly man. I immediately wanted to know more about the family next door. Like all Alaska Mystery novels I've read, this one is full of the standard Henry detail given to the beautiful scenery. However, I found myself rushing through those passages, eager to get back to the action.

I particularly liked the way Ms. Henry fully developed all of the people inhibiting Dead North. As each new person was introduced, I wondered if they really were what they seemed and if somehow Jessie would regret trusting them. Not only does Ms. Henry nicely tie up all the loose ends, but she also added an unexpected twist that I particularly enjoyed.