Melanie McGrathRezensionen

Sweet little story. Obviously more interesting if you know the characters and setting.

Such a smart series, sometimes depressingly believable, with a very compelling heroine.

Solid, good writing by every metric. I found this mesmerizing for a crime novel and the scene-setting was particularly well-done. I felt like I was reading it very slowly, and although I'm sure there's room for improvement, I think my reluctance was actually just that I didn't want to see anything bad happen to these people; a credit to the characterization.

Excellent.

En la remota isla de Craig, un vasto territorio helado, dos turistas cazan patos. Los acompaña Edie Kiglatuk, de origen inuit, una de las mejores guías del Ártico. Pero cuando uno de ellos es asesinado en medio de la tundra, sin nadie en las inmediaciones, el consejo de ancianos de la comunidad niega que se trate de un accidente.
Paralelamente, Edie vive una tragedia impensable. Y ese giro la decide a intentar descubrir qué está ocurriendo en los confines de la tundra.

Cuando Edie Kiglatuk, guía de caza en el Ártico, tropieza con el cadáver congelado de un niño en un bosque de Alaska, poco puede imaginar a dónde le conducirá su descubrimiento. La policía local tiene la convicción de que esa muerte está relacionada con los Oscuros Creyentes, una siniestra secta rusa, y los amigos de Edie le recomiendan que deje la investigación en manos de las autoridades competentes. Pero, durante su estancia en Alaska como integrante del equipo de su ex marido Sammy, que está disputando la famosa carrera de trineos Iditarod, Edie no consigue quitarse de la cabeza la imagen del niño congelado. Mientras Sammy recorre algunas de las regiones más difíciles y peligrosas del planeta, Edie emprende una investigación que la llevará al turbio mundo de la política, la corrupción y la codicia, y que hará emerger también un doloroso secreto de su propio pasado.

Good mystery, but incredibly depressing in its realistic depiction of the disappearing Arctic and the disenfranchised natives who live there. Alternatively fascinating as a look into another culture, and just damn sad.

Having read all of Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak mysteries set in Alaska, MJ McGrath's Edie Kiglatuk series seemed quite similar although the latter is based on arctic Quebec, across the sea from Greenland. Edie has some of the same issues of alcoholism and a dysfunctional love life, but is more of a hunter/guide and less of a detective. Her police contact Derek Pallister was pretty weak, and had to be constantly prodded to action by Edie. Two men, masquerading as tourists, die under mysterious circumstances and then Edie's stepson appears to commit suicide as a consequence. The local characters are quite colorful, especially Aunt Martie and old man Koperkuj, and the book delved into some of the serious problems faced by the Inuit. The underlying rationale for the deaths, when finally clarified, seemed far fetched. Unlike Stabenow's focus on tasty foods, like fry bread, the meals in White Heat were gross.

This was a nicely complex mystery, set in unique and intriguing surroundings. I also really liked the characters--they came across as real people with complex emotions and motivations. The main character was feisty and strong, yet she had her weaknesses, as well. It was an addictive read (listen) and kept my interest right to the end. A great read!

M.J. McGrath's Edie Kiglatuk series ended at three books, but as far as I'm concerned it could have continued for much, much longer. The three books (White Heat and The Boy in the Snow are the first two) not only have absorbing mysteries to solve, they also give readers a vivid, fascinating picture of life in the Arctic Circle and of the Inuit culture. (Please do not call them "Eskimos" because that word means "lice" in another language.)

It's summer in the Arctic, and one of the things McGrath has her characters show us is how people deal (or don't) with twenty-four-hour-a-day sunlight. Camp Nanook is a summer military encampment not far from the village where Edie is teaching, and I was shocked to learn that "...thirty per cent of Arctic postings returned to the south with some kind of mental disorder." Scary stuff, right? The mystery is a good brain teaser for armchair sleuths since it involves the history of the Distant Early Warning line formed by Canada and the U.S. during the cold war. Not only are there Inuits involved in Martha Salliaq's murder, but readers also have to navigate suspicious governmental goings-on.

The investigation is hampered, as always, by the government consistently giving the Inuit the short end of the stick. Edie and Sergeant Palliser have to wait days to receive extra help such as the most basic forensics equipment, and all the while, officers in nearby Camp Nanook are working in the shadows to find out what Edie and Palliser know-- and how to prevent them from learning anything more.

The Bone Seeker benefits from an exceptionally strong cast of characters. Derek Palliser, derisively called "Lemming Police" by the locals, finds himself upping his game in light of Edie's passion for the truth even though he's hampered by insomnia. Edie's hunting skills translate well into a homicide investigation, and well, she's just a force of nature. "Only set of rules I know is mine...And I don't have any." A welcome addition to the cast is the lawyer Sonia Gutierrez from Guatemala. She has her own shadowy past, and after working for years on a lawsuit to force the government to clean up this area of Ellesmere Island, scarcely anything gets past her razor-sharp intellect and unflinching gaze. Whatever you do, don't mess with Edie and Sonia!

There's more than meets the eye to the title of this book, and when you come to that part (as I hope you will), you may find a chill running down your spine and a tear in your eye. The Bone Seeker works well as a standalone, but if you love mysteries with strong unconventional characters and learning about other cultures, I highly recommend that you read all three books in order. Then you will join me in wishing Edie Kiglatuk would appear to solve another mystery up at the Arctic Circle.½

Edie Kiglatuk is a half-Inuit, half-white, ex-polar bear hunter turned hunting guide who lives in the small settlement of Autisaq at the southern tip of Ellesmere Island, high above the Arctic Circle. Disaster strikes when she takes two men out on a hunting expedition to Craig Island where one of them is shot and dies. The incident is hushed up and called an accident by the tribal elders who don't want anything to hurt the small tourist trade.

Some time later, her former husband and stepson take out a second party who are seeking the remains of the legendary explorer, Sir James Fairfax. Disaster strikes again and the tribal elders agree once more that it must have been an accident. Edie is unwilling to accept the verdict and starts her own investigation.

In another, less interesting subplot, we follow the daily life of policeman Derek Palliser, a man who is researching the behavior of lemmings in the hope of publishing a scientific article and being depressed about his lost love Misha.

I loved the character of Edie, but she's not likable. She's a recovering alchoholic, who is fiercely devoted to her stepson. She watches Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd movies on her DVD player while enjoying her favorite supper of maktaq, which is described as a thick, chewy whale skin underscored with a layer of creamy, slightly sour fat,

I listened to the audio, narrated by Kate Reading. I preferred this because so many of the words were unpronounceable. When I alternated the book and audio I got a better understanding of the Inuit words. There are many chapters that don'

My first murder mystery of the summer. I learned a lot (because I know very little!!) about the Inuit and plan to read more that’s nonfiction. This reminds me of a lite-version of Smilla’s Sense of Snow, one of my absolute favorite reads of this genre.

All the unexpected twists makes this a fast-paced, fascinating read. Plus a bit of historical truth woven in the story compels me to do a bit more research on this book’s plot and setting.

One of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while. It has so many unexpected twists and is a very satisfying read. Can’t wait to read the next in the series.

I was fascinated by the descriptions of Alaska and the interactions between the native population and various immigrant groups, but a member of my book group who had lived in Alaska for many years thought it was inauthentic.

I received this book for free from the goodreads first reads program.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book. An Inuit community in the town of Autisaq, in the Arctic. I felt that I was getting insight into a culture so different from my own. I have always been fascinated by the Artic and the people who live there.

The story was a little slow moving for me, but the pacing did seem in keeping with the unhurried lifestyle presented in the book. I liked the main character, Edie, and I wanted to see a more romantic relationship develop between her and the policeman Derek. But is seemed like their relationship was a little shallow. The characters all seemed very self reliant and stoic.

The mystery itself was very convoluted. It involved big oil companies, Russians, scientists, and the historical adventures of Sir James Fairfax. At times it was a little hard for me to follow the logic of why things were happening. The author did make an attempt at giving a scientific background for the events. This also seemed like a cautionary tale, how life in the arctic will make an outsider do desperate things.

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A mystery that left me curious until the very end. A psychological paradise of a thriller that captures people at their very worst, right when they realise their lives are at stake. These people did nothing. But that doesn’t mean they’re innocent…

Four friends are returning from a festival, and they see a woman being raped in the forest. They all decide to do nothing about it. A few days later, her body is found in the river. Are they guilty for not doing anything? If it was you, what would you have done?

The story begins with the event mentioned above. The plot opens straight ahead, and I loved that fact. We witness the story through the eyes of all these four friends. They have always been together and stood for one another, but after so many years, their friendship has turned into a group of frenemies, a group of proving to each other, lying all the time and negative emotions.
Because nothing is straightforward, least of all the human heart. At some point or other, we all become mysteries to ourselves.

Even though we get to see through the lives of Anna, Bo and Dex, Cassie is the one member of this group that gets the most exposure in this book. She is the one that seems to feel the most guilty about not doing anything to intervene that night, and she is the one that keeps bringing this subject to her friends, even though they refuse to listen. Cassie is the most reasonable one, but this seems to bring her into more trouble. The more she pushes the group, the more she realises how capable they are of stopping her from sharing their secret

Anna is the person that leads the group. She seems to control everyone and everything, and they all seem to obey her and be fine with this. She comes out as this controlling and annoying person, the one hard to ignore or say no to. But when she feels threatened and scared, she is prepared to do anything.

Bo and Dex, for me, didn’t have much direct impact to the story, except one of them right at the very end. They seem to have snuck out throughout the book quietly, without any direct noice, but leaving a mess behind them.

We have four characters, all different and unique, all really complicated, with their own thoughts and lives. And we have one evening, and all their actions indirectly result in this girl’s death. None of them killed her, but all of them are guilty. They all have their own secrets, that they don’t tell to anyone, and they all are ready to go until the very end, keeping their secrets safe.

I loved how the plot and what actually happened on the nights slowly reveals itself, where we have two parallels happening – one from the night of the incident, and from everyone’s perspective, and one from around a month later, when they gather around together for a weekend. The chapters were so well made that made you keep going, and right when you think you know something, you get another point of view with a bit more information and another plot twist. Very smart and enjoyable to read.

And even though a mystery, and a thriller, this book was also hilarious and made me laugh out loud at times. Needless to say anything, I will let you read the quote below and judge for yourselves. This quote was so unexpected and I think it highlighted my year so far… Amazing!
Ink Man’s real name is Jake but for the purposes of sex he likes to be called Gandalf. Really. Being Gandalf is what turns him on. That and the ink of Middle Earth on his back.

I really enjoyed this book, and I am looking forward to reading more books from Mel McGrath. A huge thank you to HQ Publishers, and Joe Thomas for sending me a hardback copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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A story about four friends who, on their way home from a music festival, witness a rape but neither intervene nor call the police. A few weeks later, on a group weekend away, Cassie (one of the four) reads that the woman's body has been found in the Thames. The narrative switches between Cassie in the present day and all four friends in the run up to the night of the festival. Gradually it becomes clear why each of them was reluctant to help the victim.

I liked the way the group's secrets were revealed, but on the other hand they were four of the most appalling human beings ever to appear in fiction. They also managed to drink unimaginable amounts of alcohol, without getting started on the drugs. An entertaining read with a satisfactory ending, but one which leaves you feeling bit depressed and grubby.

Child psychologist Caitlin Lupo has a history of psychotic behavior associated with her long-ago pregnancy with her daughter, Freya. Despite her fear of a repeat psychosis, Cat would like another child. But her husband, Tom, is reluctant.

An early-morning visit by the police throws Cat’s life into turmoil. Ruby Winter, a child about the same age as Freya, has lost her mother in a tragic accident and has asked to be taken to her father’s home. And so Cat discovers that her husband been unfaithful and has a child from that relationship.

Soon after Ruby arrives, strange occurrences begin taking place and somehow Tom manages to twist everything so that it appears as if Cat has had a psychotic relapse and is responsible for them. He’s adamant in his refusal to consider counseling for Ruby even though it is becoming increasingly apparent that the girl would benefit from this.

It’s not long before Cat finds herself out of her home and legally forbidden to see her daughter. But she’s certain there’s something not quite right about Ruby . . . and that her daughter is in danger. Can Cat find the answers and save her child before tragedy strikes again?

The story, told from Cat’s perspective, tends to unfold through narrative rather than through action. Readers are sure to struggle with the woman’s questionable choices and her failure to question all the obvious lies. Readers will find her continual failure to recognize the manipulation directed at her to be extremely frustrating.

Despite the intriguing premise and some unexpected twists as the story unfolds, none of the major characters in this exceedingly dysfunctional family [except Freya] are particularly likable. Although Ruby, annoyingly referred to throughout the narrative as “Ruby Winter” [as if the reader wouldn’t know who she was without the inclusion of her surname] is malevolent and creepy, the ending is somewhat predictable.

All in all, it’s an interesting take on the often-used gaslighting gambit.

I think I may have lost a little bit with the audio version of this, as I couldn't SEE the words. There were a lot of Inuit names/words that I instantly forgot. I really like the reader, though, who did an excellent job of distinguishing characters.

This is one of those books that start weirdly, and ends weirdly, but the middle part is really really good. We have Edie Kiglatuk - an Inuit from Canada who is support for her ex-husband racing the Iditarod. The beginning is odd for two reasons - 1) I don't know why Edie was where she was when she found the baby's body - something about scouting, but as far as I can tell - the race didn't go through those parts. The second reason is, who comes running and screaming at a press conference about a body found - Just because Edie is from a very small village in the Arctic Circle, it doesn't mean she knows how the world works.

The middle section was well done - Edie's reasoning for investigating the death goes with her tenacious personality and want of Justice. The twists and turns were a bit unexpected, and it kept me guessing. But the end of the story, after the mystery was solved, was tacked on and unnecessary. Also, everyone survived, including the dogs, which seemed a bit ... out of character for the story.

The setting of the story was well done - showing the difference between living in the far arctic vs Alaska - the cold, the dangers of living in a place where you will die in a very short time if you don't wear the proper clothes.

This is really a 3.25 book, but since it kept me reading, I've rounded the rating up to a 3.5.½

Can a child be truly evil? Are they born that way or does it develop through their childhood?
Cat is a neuro-psychiatrist and studies children with extensive behavioural issues. When her husband Tom’s unknown love child is sent to live with Cat, Tom and their daughter Freya, it’s difficult enough to accept this child she never knew about but is there something wrong with Ruby?
Circumstances and events are disturbing Cat and she’s concerned about Ruby being around Freya and the affect it is having. Tom is not supportive and won’t listen to her. He thinks she is crazy and soon manipulates everyone into thinking she’s the violent and crazy one and she soon finds herself out of the home and away from the daughter she needs to protect.
Is there more to this that what she knows? Was Lilly’s death a tragic accident or was there something more? And why has Tom turned into someone she doesn’t even know?
Cat is left on the outside, and since no one is listening, she does some detective work on her own even at the risk of losing her daughter.
I would give this a 3 1/2. Not an edge of your seat thriller but still a great story and easy read. A couple coincidences I didn’t really find plausible but didn’t take it away from the story. I will be looking for more from this author.½

An above average mystery made better by its Arctic setting, and the author's artful weaving of Inuit culture into the story.

I don't know what to say about this She can write but I don't know what her goals are Every NEWAGER she meets is a poor and uneducated American Friendly but boring her travels are interesting NEVADA UTAH NEW MEXICO ARIZONA Maybe her parents were hippies and she's looking for them½

Too many words. The underlying structure of the book seems sound enough, for a run-of-the-mill genre crime novel. But it doesn't seem to have had much editorial input. That got me to wondering just how the publishing houses work nowadays. Many older well established authors have complained a lot over the past few years how book editing has drastically declined. It seems that for most authors, they get more of a copy edit of their book only, and then it's out to the marketing dept. This book badly needs some serious chopping and trimming; much of it reads more like a second draft than a finished polished product. There are just too many words doing too much explaining of mundane boring stuff. And they are hiding the interesting core.
I have always wondered why the name of the editor is not included in the book. The book will credit the cover illustration, the translator, but not the editor. And yet it seems the quality of the editor could make or break a book.
There was an interesting article about the lost art of editing in The Guardian last year: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/11/lost-art-editing-books-publishing

This was promising -- a crime novel set in Alaska, with an Inuit ("we call them Eskimos in Alaska") woman (with Baggage of course, including that old reliable one of Battle with Alcohol) as the main character. She stumbles across a frozen dead baby (or is she lead to it by a Spirit Bear? -- she is indigenous so there seems to be a need to have a mystical spiritual overlay; boring and predictable). The book founders in the plodding narrative which successfully blunts any tension.
ARC from Penguin.