A Taint in the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel

Award-winning crime writer Dana Stabenow is at the top of her game in her latest spell-binding novel featuring Kate Shugak who's taken on her toughest case yet...A MOTHER'S CRIME...Thirty-one years ago in Anchorage, Alaska, Victoria Pilz Bannister Muravieff was convicted of murdering her seventeen-year-old son William. The prosecution convinced the jury that she set fire to her home while both of her sons were trapped inside. William died and the other, Oliver, narrowly escaped. Victoria was sentenced to life in prison, and though she pled not guilty at the trial, she never again denied her guilt.A DAUGHTER'S DEVOTION...Now Victoria has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and her daughter Charlotte, who's always believed in her mother's innocence, wants her free. Kate Shugak is the only P.I. Charlotte can find who's willing to take such a long-shot case. A FAMILY'S DARK PAST...Kate figures it can't be bad to do a favor for the Bannister family, one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Alaska's short history. As she begins her investigation, Victoria refuses to cooperate. But it seems she isn't the only one who wants to leave the past in the past as Kate finds herself caught in a web of deception, secrets, and danger...Kate Shugak is the answer if you are looking for something unique in the crowded field of crime fiction.—Michael Connelly, author of The NarrowsPublishers WeeklyKnown for her evocative wilderness settings, Edgar-winner Stabenow heads into urban territory in her uneven 14th Kate Shugak mystery, which is set mainly in Anchorage and picks up where 2003's A Grave Denied left off. Charlotte Bannister Muravieff, of an influential Alaska family, hires Kate to prove that her imprisoned mother, Victoria, wasn't the culprit behind a 30-year-old tragedy. Convicted of setting a fire in her house that killed her sleeping son William, Victoria is now dying of cancer. Kate hires poacher Kurt Pletnikoff, who's come to Anchorage for work, to help interview everyone still alive connected with the crime, including a reluctant Victoria and her remaining son, Oliver. Fast-paced action scenes, sympathetic child characters and Kate's appealing dog, Mutt, help smooth a complex plot strewn with chunks of historical background. Those looking for bodice-ripping romance will savor the heat generated between Kate and Alaska state trooper Jim Chopin, though established fans may be dismayed by Kate's aggressive sexual behavior. First-time readers may wish that a host of supporting characters, mostly Kate's friends and relatives, were better identified. Agent, Rich Henshaw. (Sept. 20) Forecast: Backed by a blurb from Michael Connelly, the publisher hopes to break Stabenow out of category with a 75,000-copy first printing and a national author tour. If this book doesn't do it for the deserving Stabenow, another one will. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.