by Dana Stabenow
Minotaur, 2011, 464pp.
I've been a fan of Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak novels for nearly twenty years now. Her Aleut private investigator Kate is tough, smart, resourceful, passionate in every sense of the word, and prone to the occasional stupid mistake that gets her shot or bopped on the head (her MRI must be frightening). Her canine companion Mutt is the star of the rich supporting ensemble.
My mother Jane Bille, now 90, is every bit as much of a fan. As a novelist of much lesser gifts, I told Dana when we met at a signing that she had taught me two things: how to put humor into life and death moments, and how to use the land as a character. (She humbly said of the latter, "Who's really good is CJ Box.") Dana has inscribed books to Mom and once featured her picture in a newsletter. and I will always appreciate that.
We've had 23 Kate novels by now. While there are no bad entries, which is tough for even the best writers (even Robert B. Parker had Stormy Weather), the masterpiece is this ambitious tale from 2011.
Stabenow's gifts hit a peak here: not that she has dropped off, but every writer has one novel you recommend to every interested reader. For first-time Kate acquaintances I suggest the funniest novel, Breakup, but Though Not Dead is the book she can really hang her hat on.
This complex tale of Alaskan history, faith, tribal allegiance, family, and love opens after the death of the Park's 89-year-old king of cantankerousness, Old Sam. Throughout the book are episodes from Sam's life showing what forged such a unique man and how he affected the history of his family and community, and even Alaska. Reading this book alone could give you an outline of the state's history. On a parallel track we learn a lot more about Jim Chopin, although Kate is such a star as main character that Jim's story never holds me as riveted. Sam's Army service in the Aleutian campaign in WWII alongside one Dashiell Hammet - who was, in fact, there - is a clever insertion that helps drive the plot in unexpected directions.
Kate's pursuit of the clues Sam left to a stolen religious icon once central to a tribe's identity lead her through the lives of her ancestors and some unwelcome findings about her living relatives. She goes on a treasure hunt, nearly gets killed (of course), meets all kinds of interesting people, and ends knowing much better who she really is. The Alaskan winter and the stunning scenery around Kate's region and state provides as strong and varied a canvas as such a story could have.
I have of course read the books since this one, and all are good, but only Bad Blood is really at this level, and I can't imagine even Dana will ever top Though Not Dead. I want to see her keep trying, though.
Matt Bille is a writer and historian living in Colorado Springs. His most recent novel, Death by Legend, is a gripping tale of horrors loose in modern-day Los Angeles. The next, the scientific thriller Apex Predator, will be out from Blackstone this time next year.
See www.mattbilleauthor.com
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