Author: Stan Jones
Publisher: Soho Crime
Publication Year: 2003
Pages: 284
Genre: Mystery
My Rating: 3.75/5 stars
My Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Synopsis (from the back cover)
Born to a poor Inupiat girl in Chukchi, Alaska, north of the
Arctic Circle, State Trooper Nathan Active was adopted and raised by a white
family in Anchorage. Now, an unwelcome job reassignment has returned him to the
stark, beautiful landscape of poverty-stricken Chukchi. Two suspicious suicides
in the span of a week and rumors of trouble in the village and at the local
copper mine lead Active to believe there is a killer at large. As a nalauqmiiyaaq,
or someone regarded by the community as “halfwhite,” he must fight for every
clue before the killer strikes again.
Thoughts
I
picked this book up at an indie mystery bookstore on a recent trip to
Seattle. One of the nerdy things I love to on vacation is look for locally set
books or books by local authors to immerse myself in the location I am
visiting. While this book is not set in Seattle, its atmospheric descriptions
of rural Alaska matched the gloomy weather and were one of the most captivating
parts of the story. While the mystery/twist of the story was not the most
original, there are several aspects of this story which make it stand out in a
positive way and made me look forward to continuing with the series.
The
first is the treatment of race, specifically, the interplay between indigenous
Alaskan people and white Americans as a central element to the story and not
just as a backdrop. The main character himself is an indigenous man raised by
white parents. The author manages to paint an unflinching portrait of
complicated race relations in one of the most remote corners of the United
States. Alcoholism, poverty, identity, sex, intermarriage and community are all
addressed and confronted by the characters in a way that feels authentic and
sympathetic without feeling sugarcoated or preachy. While race issues are being
portrayed more frequently in mysteries, this is the first mystery I've come
across that centers white/Inuit relations and it does so very well.
The
second is the main character himself, Nathan Active is a sympathetic main
character. Born to an alcoholic teen Inuit mother and adopted by a white
family, the last thing that he wants is to return to his small hometown where
his is regarded as a nalauqmiiyaaq or half
white. Nathan's struggles that come with his identity and his
willingness to bend the rules to do the right thing make him a
sympathetic character that you want to cheer on.
Lastly, the writing, while simple, manages to evoke a
beautiful portrait of the Alaskan wilderness. It is a place I have never
visited but Jones manages to paint a landscape you can almost see. The
landscape feels like another character in the story; beautiful, wild
and dangerous and it plays a part in the story as well, after all
it's not possible to kill someone without leaving footprints in the snow,
or IS IT? dun dun dunnnn.
In conclusion, although this is not the most mindbending of
mysteries it is certainly a title worth picking up and I can't wait to
continuing with the series.
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