Dark Night
A Mystery
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Dark Night marks the third book in the gripping, atmospheric Alaska Wild series from Paige Shelton, in which Benedict, Alaska is met with some unexpected visitors…and then disappearances.
Winter is falling in the remote town of Benedict, Alaska, and with the cold comes a mysterious guest. The dreaded "census man," seemingly innocuous, is an unwelcome presence to those members of this secretive community who would prefer to keep their business to themselves. Meanwhile, thriller writer Beth Rivers has received her own unexpected company: her mother. The last Beth heard, Mill Rivers had gone underground in search of Beth’s kidnapper, and Beth can't help but be a little alarmed at her appearance: If Mill was able to track down her daughter, who knows who else might be able to?
Beth doesn't have time to ponder this for long, after a battered woman stumbles into the town bar one night, and her husband is found dead the next morning. Suspicions immediately turn to the census man, but when he, too, goes missing, everyone in Benedict—including the police chief—is suspected, and Beth and Mill must work to uncover the truth.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Even if you haven’t read any of the other books in Paige Shelton’s Alaska Wild series, this atmospheric mystery makes the perfect wintery read. (Don’t worry: Chapter one will bring newcomers up to speed.) After escaping from a deranged stalker, Beth Rivers has been hiding away in the remote town of Benedict, Alaska, healing her physical and emotional wounds. Only kindly police chief Gril Samuels knows why Beth has come to Benedict, which is why Beth freaks out when her loose-cannon mother tracks her down—if her mom can find her, her still-at-large kidnapper might be able to as well. Dark Night makes the town of Benedict a character in its own right. Shelton fleshes out the quirky locals’ suspicion of all outsiders, and the oncoming winter makes the surrounding wilderness feel even more fierce and isolating. Dark Night is a thrilling read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In bestseller Shelton's pedestrian third mystery featuring thriller writer Beth Rivers (after 2020's Cold Wind), Beth has found refuge working and living at a halfway house for low-level female felons in isolated Benedict, Alaska, where only the sheriff, Gril Samuels, knows her identity as author Elizabeth Fairchild. Seven months earlier, Beth fled St. Louis after escaping from Travis Walker, who kidnapped her and then tortured her for three days. The residents of Benedict resent personal questions, especially those from Doug Vitner, the newly arrived "census man." Doug goes missing shortly after a local, known for being a domestic abuser, is found murdered. While helping Gril with the case, Beth learns that her mother, Mill Rivers, will soon arrive. Beth worries that if Mill, who has been in hiding for months because she's wanted by the police, has discovered her location, Travis may be able to find her. Uninspired coincidences fuel the saggy plot, though the vivid Alaskan landscape and Gus, a smart sled dog, add some appeal. The third time is not the charm.
