After a year of living in Benedict, Beth Rivers is feeling at home in Alaska. One day in July, she boards a tourist ship to see the glaciers, but her trip is cut short when the captain of the ship navigates around an island and a woman is seen on shore, covered in blood and waving for help. When she's brought on board, she claims she was kidnapped and that a bear on the island killed her captor.
The woman, Sadie, tells a sympathetic Beth that she's under witness protection and that the police in Juneau where she's been living don't like her. Then another kidnapping occurs. Beth and the Benedict police chief can't help but think that the two cases are tied together; however, unraveling all the clues to solve the cases will not be easy.
~
Paige Shelton's Alaska Wild series continues to be my favorite, and Lost Hours is another strong entry. This fast-paced mystery gives us the next step in Beth's continuing recovery from her horrifying experience of being kidnapped. She's made friends, she's continuing to write her bestselling thrillers while publishing the local paper, and she's getting to know her estranged father.
One of the things I like the most about Beth is the fact that she has no moments that I call TSTL (To Stupid to Live). After what she's already lived through, she doesn't take unnecessary risks. She's quite happy to let trained professionals do the work, and she communicates with them whenever she has pertinent information. Her strength and resilience are quite admirable, and I enjoy watching her form strong friendships and carve out this new chapter in her life.
The mystery in Lost Hours is multi-layered, and it was a treat to see how all the various elements came together: who was coming and going, the witness protection program, bears, and even how Beth reacts to a teenage fan.
If you enjoy intriguing mysteries with a strong lead character in a wild and often unforgiving landscape, give Paige Shelton's Alaska Wild series a try. A word of advice: Because of Beth, it's best if you start at the beginning with Thin Ice.
Lost Hours by Paige Shelton
eISBN: 9781250846624
Minotaur Books © 2023
eBook, 288 pages
Amateur Sleuth, #5 Alaska Wild mystery
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
Sounds complicated but interesting. Thanks for the review
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Mystica!
DeleteI do love series that have a strong sense of setting, Cathy, and that's one thing that strikes me about this Paige Shelton series. And it sounds like a good blend of 'thriller' elements, character development, and so on. Glad you enjoyed it so well.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the best of her series, Margot.
DeleteBeth is a great character; I appreciate that she doesn't do stupid things that risk her life in these mysteries. And that Alaskan setting is always so fun.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good series, isn't it? :-)
DeleteI'm already waiting for my library hold turn to come! (Rubs hands together gleefully 😁)
ReplyDeleteYay!
Delete