A Grave Denied"A Grave Denied" is not quite as light-hearted as "Breakup" was (duh! It has the word Grave in the title) but it is more upbeat than any book from "Hunter's Moon" onwards.Kate is no longer lost. She is coming back to herself and coming home. Of course, this being a Kate Shugak book, that turns out to have a great deal of trauma and risk associated with it.The story revolves around the discovery that someone has shot dead a local handy man and hidden his body in a glacier. At the overworked Jim Chopin's request, Kate gets involved in the investigation of the murder. This quickly becomes personal and puts her and those around her at risk. The plot is a bit spookier than most Kate Shugak books, more like the things Liam Campbell deals with, it's complicated and unpleasant and has quite a slow reveal.The murder investigation is an enabler in the novel, not the heart of it. What I particularly liked about this Kate Shugak novel is that it is an ensemble piece, with all the major characters playing a part and almost everyone else getting at least a cameo. Johnny Morgan is growing up and his Journal entry opens the book and other entries give his perspective on what living with Kate it like. Bobby faces his own problems with the family he left behind and broke contact with when he came to Alaska, Dinah shows her metal as a wife and mother and a staunch friend, and Jim Chopin get's more from Kate than he expected from her and is scared silly by it. Kate's life IS the people she loves, as much as it is the place she lives in. This book makes that clear in a very dramatic and emotionally moving way.There were three things I liked about Kate in this book. The first was her confrontation with Johnny Morgan's mother. Kate is direct, forceful, ruthless and fearless - and not above fighting dirty if that's what it takes. This is the Kate Shugak that has the Park's respect. It was fun to watch. The second was the pleasure Kate takes in her new-found power over Jim Chopin. It was wicked, and funny and I hope to see a lot more of it. The third was Kate's recognition of her own roots in the house her father built. We've heard relatively little about her parents. It was good to see her attached to positive memories.It was much harder to watch Kate's shock after the ultimate "involuntary Potlatch", it was like watching a great forest burn, it may bring renewal but while its happening it feels like a tragic end, not a new beginning. Watching Kate's friends responded was a welcome relief that lifted my mood.Despite the threats to Kate and Mutt, despite the unpleasant motivations of the various parties involved in the crime, this feels like a book of healing: taking Kate back to a new beginning from which she can thrive.
I am so enjoying this series. Kate Shugak is a three dimensional character who fights her own inner demons, and helps fight the external demons too. This is the 13th book in Dana Stabenow’s evolving series that is set in Alaska. I like this series because the characters do change and grow as they face the ups-and-downs that all of us face in life. Kate Shugak isn’t spared any of those life experiences. In fact compared to her, my life has been pretty tame.In this outing, Kate is trying to help find the killer of the Park’s handyman, Len Dreyer. He was found in a glacial cave in a glacier that had been moving forward, and then started to retreat. I’m not going to go into much of the plot because it might give away spoilers from earlier books in the series. Suffice it to say that this was another great Kate Shugak adventure with plenty of twists, turns, unexpected surprises, and an ultimately satisfying outcome. These characters in the Park have become my friends.
What do You think about A Grave Denied (2004)?
Kate Shugak is finally, finally over the loss of Jack Morgan (well sort of) when his son Johnny appears on her doorstep. Jack's dying request was for Kate to take care of Johnny so Kate is determined to do right by Johnny even if it means fighting is PITA mother, Jane for custody. I love how Kate knows her facts and uses them to the best advantage. The scene between Jane, Kate and Johnny was priceless.Of course there is never just one thing going on in the park and one of them is always a murder. In this case, Johnny literally stumbles over the body of handyman Len Dreyer and Trooper Jim Chopin tags Kate for the investigation. The suspense ratchets up when within days of finding the body, the murderer is after Kate.I particularly love Kate's reaction to Jim Chopin's advances. Oh Jim's been making passes at Kate for years but finally Jack is out of the picture and loverboy Chopin thinks he might have a chance with Kate. Keep in mind Jack is 6'10" and Kate is 5'. All I can picture during these scenes is little Kate craning her neck up and up just to see his face. lol Kate has a knack for deadpan delivery and boy does she do a number on Jim. This series is very enjoyable but not usually laugh out loud funny but I admit to cuffawing a time or two over Kate and Jim's antics.
—Barbara ★
For my first attempt in adult crime novels, this wasn't a bad start. Stabenow's descriptions of Alaska and the types of people who choose to live in the Alaskan wilderness was my favorite part. Also: Kate Shugak is kind of badass.Despite this, I found this novel to be fairly underwhelming. The "mystery" seemed to happen to Kate--the reader was largely left out of the investigation and fact-finding and instead I was presented with information Kate already had. In a nutshell, I was expecting something more suspenseful and engaging, but didn't get it.
—Rebecca
A GRAVE DENIED – VGDana Stabenow – 13th in seriesOn an eighth-grade field trip to Grant Glacier in Alaska, students discover a corpse in an ice cave beneath the glacier. With too many cases, State Trooper Jim Chopin hires Aleut PI Kate Shugak to investigate. After discovering that the victim had a secret life, Kate becomes the killer's next target. In this book, we also see Kate from the perspective of Johnny Morgan, the son of Kate’s late lover. This is an excellent series. It’s well written with humor, a bit of introspection and good suspense. I highly recommend it.
—LJ
