Cameron and Stabnow write about life in the Alaskan bush. This Cameron novel is weaves Alaskan native culture with true crime. Cutter and Teariki are the dependable US Marshalls and the residents of Stone Cross, AK fill in the rest. I especially liked Birdie: a Yu’pik woman who suffered greatly and achieved a lot,..leading our hero Cutter on a bush dog sled ride. Teariki also had guts enough to tell teen age Jodi the truth about her mother. Looking for book #3. ( )

Arliss Cutter and his partner Lola Teariki are given what on the surface seems to be a simple assignment of protecting a judge in the village of Stone Cross Alaska. That is until a couple have been reported missing. Adding to the mix is that an unknown pair of killers may be responsible. Marc Cameron does an amazing job if not only telling a great mystery/thriller story but also includes glimpses into what life is like in the Alaskan bush. You can almost feel the bone chilling cold and blizzard that hampers the search for the missing couple. a page turning thriller. ( )

U.S. Marshall Arliss Cutter is a badass with folksy wisdom from hu "Grumpy" grandfather... and this story, of a wild adventure in the Alaska bush is nothing short of a page-turner. You know Arliss is eventually gonna catch the bad guys(s), but you never exactly know how or when. ( )

So glad I discovered this series but there is one BIG complaint that I will get to... and anyone else that reads the book and it also bothers can consider that you have been warned. On the plus side....Cameron does his usual great job of taking the reader to unusual locales and making them feel like they were there. Not only does he do this with beautiful descriptions of the terrain but also by providing a deep look into the culture of the area and the people. Most of these characters are damaged in some respect making them not for the faint of heart, I believe the author is trying to say that the world isn’t all rainbows, sunshine, and clear-cut answers. This wonderful author who certainly would have received a 4.5 or 5 stars rating...went and make the biggest mistake that any writer can make. With that said I will now get to why the book received a 2.5-star rating and my warning. Before the book is even half finished...he injures the K-9 dog...you just know from it’s injuries that it is not going to survive... but it takes almost the entire book for the poor dog to die. The thing that he did that was touching but didn't make up in any way for the dead dog...he gave him a hero's send off. The loyal K- 9...Zeus...got a fitting funeral complete with a “Last Call” that I will defy anyone to read with a dry eye and without a box of tissues. Authors can kill anyone they wish in their books but DON’T KILL THE DOG!. ( )

Stone Cross is a solid mystery/thriller with interesting characters, good dialog and an informative sense of place. Many people have visited Alaska, but this book takes you far inside to places where tourists don’t travel and have no insight into the harsh conditions the inhabitants face. The indigenous bear the climate and the hardships it brings with tradition and understanding. “Great grandmothers had tattoos; grandmothers had rosaries.”

Arliss Cutter, our main man, a Deputy U.S. Marshal, is an enigma, he is also a “hunk”. How would I know that – amazing what words and imagination can conjure. I especially enjoyed his references to his Grandfather, Grumpy and his numbered rules for any given situation. Cutter’s sidekick, Lola Teariki, A Maori far away from home and a newbie to the Marshal Service is a student of human nature offering insight into her partner. She also has a sense of purpose and humor that lightens the tone of some difficult situations.

The action is fast, harsh and gory. The story moves, runs, races, but slows down enough to explain the culture of the native people. Well written, informative and just a really good book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for a copy. ( )