Imagine sifting through three feet of ash from Alaska's worst wildfire in decades—125,000 acres scorched black. There, impossibly, lies a man's body: no burns, missing clothes and shoes, dead from anaphylactic shock long before the blaze hit. That's the hook that pulls Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak into a tangled case of mystery and malice.
Everything starts when a ten-year-old boy slips Kate cash to find his dad, Daniel Seabolt, vanished since summer. No police report, no whispers—thanks to Grandpa, Reverend Simon Seabolt, who's clamped the close-knit community shut on the topic. Daniel's name? Untouchable. But Kate doesn't back down from dysfunction or danger, especially when her fire victim probe points straight to the Seabolt clan.
Dana Stabenow's New York Times-bestselling series isn't your cozy cabin read. Kate's a tough, scarred survivor navigating Alaska's raw beauty and brutal realities—from remote villages to endless wilderness. This fifth outing, Play With Fire, layers anaphylaxis clues, family rifts, and fire's eerie aftermath into a plot that simmers then explodes.
What sets it apart? Vivid sensory hits: ash choking the air like gritty snow, the eerie silence of a razed forest, tension coiling in hushed conversations. Reviewers rave—New York Times praises Kate as an 'antidote to sugary female sleuths,' Booklist says crime fiction doesn't get better, and Michael Connelly tips his hat to this unique voice.
Kindle edition means instant access—perfect for long flights, rainy evenings, or those midnight urges when sleep won't come. You'll finish wondering about loyalties, piecing clues like Kate, heart racing through twists. If you crave mysteries with grit over glamour, rooted in place and people who feel real, Play With Fire delivers. Dive in, and Alaska's shadows will linger long after the last page.
