Publisher's Weekly Review
In bestseller Shelton's pedestrian third mystery featuring thriller writer Beth Rivers (after 2020's Cold Wind), Beth has found refuge working and living at a halfway house for low-level female felons in isolated Benedict, Alaska, where only the sheriff, Gril Samuels, knows her identity as author Elizabeth Fairchild. Seven months earlier, Beth fled St. Louis after escaping from Travis Walker, who kidnapped her and then tortured her for three days. The residents of Benedict resent personal questions, especially those from Doug Vitner, the newly arrived "census man." Doug goes missing shortly after a local, known for being a domestic abuser, is found murdered. While helping Gril with the case, Beth learns that her mother, Mill Rivers, will soon arrive. Beth worries that if Mill, who has been in hiding for months because she's wanted by the police, has discovered her location, Travis may be able to find her. Uninspired coincidences fuel the saggy plot, though the vivid Alaskan landscape and Gus, a smart sled dog, add some appeal. The third time is not the charm. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Dec.)
Kirkus Review
A traumatized woman slowly works through her personal issues while solving crimes in a remote Alaskan town. Famous novelist Elizabeth Fairchild fled to Benedict after a hazardous escape from her kidnapper, which left her with a large scar and white hair. Calling herself Beth Rivers, her birth name, she runs a small newspaper and has made many friends, but only Gril, the police chief, knows her real identity. Beth's world is turned upside down by the sudden appearance of her mother, Mill, who's wanted by the police for shooting, though not killing, her daughter's kidnapper, Travis Walker. Beth gets more directly involved when wife-beater Ned Withers is found stabbed after yet another incident with his wife, Claudia. Ned's been hiding his sister, Lucy, who's also wanted by the police. Another wild card is Doug Vitner, supposedly a census man snooping around the area. Beth is both pleased and shocked by her mother's visit. Mill's been searching for years for both the husband who deserted her and for Walker, who as it turns out was dealing drugs with her husband and another missing man. But Beth begins to suspect that Mill has ulterior motives. Things get complicated as she and her friends search for a killer and try to track down Beth's kidnapper. A character-driven mystery in a near-mystical setting, a land of stark contrasts and self-reliant denizens. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Winter brings isolation to the small town of Benedict, AK. Dark nights bring the stabbing death of an abusive husband, the arrest of his sister for theft, and the appearance of thriller author Beth Rivers's mother, Mill. After Beth's kidnapping and torture seven months earlier, she suffered some brain damage. Worst of all was the fear, so she fled to Alaska. As much as Beth loves Mill, her mother only adds to her apprehension. Mill has been obsessed with the disappearance of Beth's father years earlier, and Beth knows her mother has her own reasons for coming to Alaska. Now, as the townspeople rally to search for a killer and hide their secrets from a census taker. Beth, emotionally upset by the upheaval, begins to sleepwalk. She has to find the courage to take control of her life and trust her new friends in order to move on. VERDICT The follow-up to Cold Wind is atmospheric and dark with a great deal of tension. The isolated town of Benedict, with its eccentric characters, is the true star of this engrossing mystery.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
