Winter's End

Paige Shelton brings atmosphere, mystery, and heart to Winter’s End, the fourth book in the Alaska Wild series set in fictional Benedict, Alaska.

This well-written novel combines traditional police detective work and amateur sleuthing. Secrets, murder, and a horrific experience that continues to haunt and traumatize the main character make for a suspenseful and riveting read.

Beth Rivers, a successful thriller writer known as Elizabeth Fairchild is still hiding and recovering in Alaska while the Missouri police look for her stalker turned kidnapper. Only a few locals know Beth’s story including police chief Gril Samuels and his deputy Donner.

With winter ending and springtime approaching, it’s time for a local tradition, the annual Death Walk. All citizens gather at the community center and check their name off a list. If anyone is missing, groups are assigned to go to their homes and confirm whether they are still alive or have died during the winter. A couple, Warren, and Al are missing. Beth, her dog, Gus, and Orin, the librarian, drive and then hike to 94 year-old Al’s cabin. He is alive, but is in bad shape. Beth stays with him while Orin goes to get help. Gril and Donner arrive a few hours later, but Orin has disappeared. However, Al isn’t the only one to not show up at the community center. Are they alive or dead? Was it forgetfulness or something more sinister?

Beth’s character is well-developed. She continues to be a flawed protagonist who has shown some growth through making friends and learning to deal with her post traumatic stress disorder, but she still keeps secrets and finds it hard to trust people. However, readers will see this dynamic character change in attitude and outlook as she responds to events. Several of the secondary characters gained depth in this book as secrets are revealed. This is especially true of Orin and Viola, the owner of the house where Beth rents a room. There are a large number of characters in this story, but several of them were introduced in the earlier books so it felt like I was catching up with old friends.

The author does a great job of portraying the hardships and lack of amenities as well as the friendships, pace of life, the wonders, the loneliness, and the dangers of living in and around small town Alaska. I could easily visualize the town, the people, the road conditions, the weather, and the isolation.

This story hooked me immediately and built momentum leading to an action-filled conclusion. It’s suspenseful and there are twists and turns and surprises along the way in an intricate plot that kept me guessing. From the small town residents to the descriptions of Alaska to the various mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Several themes run through the tale including death, isolation, disappearances, secrets, dysfunctional families, feuds, and much more.

Overall, this enjoyable mystery was engaging, suspenseful, intriguing, and compulsively readable. The well-developed ideas with good pacing from scene to scene kept me turning the pages. If you enjoy well-written mysteries, then I recommend you check out this series. The books are best read in order, but there is enough background that this one could be read as a standalone. I’m looking forward to book five.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Paige Shelton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is set for December 6, 2022.