A Taint in the Blood - (Kate Shugak Novels) by Dana Stabenow (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

In Dana Stabenow's latest novel, a woman hires Aleutian P.I. Kate Shugak to clear her mother's name. Twenty years ago, the mother was convicted of arson and murder, of setting fire to the family home while her two sons were inside. One died, and one was maimed. Her daughter has always believed in her innocence, though the mother herself had accepted the verdict and the life sentence without protest. Now the mother is terminally ill, and her daughter wants her free. But as Kate begins the investigation, it seems the mother isn't the only one who wants to leave the past in the past.

In this spell-binding crime novel, Kate must confront twenty years of secrets and regret--and murder--in one of Alaska's most powerful families.

From the Back Cover

Award-winning crime writer Dana Stabenow is at the top of her game in her latest spell-binding novel featuring Kate Shugak who's taken on her toughest case yet...

A MOTHER'S CRIME...
Thirty-one years ago in Anchorage, Alaska, Victoria Pilz Bannister Muravieff was convicted of murdering her seventeen-year-old son William. The prosecution convinced the jury that she set fire to her home while both of her sons were trapped inside. William died and the other, Oliver, narrowly escaped. Victoria was sentenced to life in prison, and though she pled not guilty at the trial, she never again denied her guilt.

A DAUGHTER'S DEVOTION...
Now Victoria has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and her daughter Charlotte, who's always believed in her mother's innocence, wants her free. Kate Shugak is the only P.I. Charlotte can find who's willing to take such a long-shot case.

A FAMILY'S DARK PAST...
Kate figures it can't be bad to do a favor for the Bannister family, one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Alaska's short history. As she begins her investigation, Victoria refuses to cooperate. But it seems she isn't the only one who wants to leave the past in the past as Kate finds herself caught in a web of deception, secrets, and danger...

"Kate Shugak is the answer if you are looking for something unique in the crowded field of crime fiction."
--Michael Connelly, author of The Narrows

Review Quotes

"This fourteenth Kate Shugak mystery is among the best in a consistently strong series." --Booklist on A Taint in the Blood

"A Taint in the Blood, ' like its predecessors, canbe read on t wo levels--as a cleverly-executed thriller with an intriguing protagonist or as a fascinating exploration of an exotic society with its own unique culture. Either way, you can't lose." --San Diego Union-Tribune on A Taint in the Blood

"Full of strong story and sharp description...it deserves to be noted as one of her best." --Chicago Tribune on A Taint in the Blood

"Fast-paced action scenes [and] sympathetic child characters...help smooth a complex plot strewn with chunks of historical background." --Publishers Weekly on A Taint in the Blood

"This is one fast paced thriller that you won't be able to put down." --Rendezvous on A Taint in the Blood

About the Author

Dana Stabenow is the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Shugak mysteries and the Liam Campbell mysteries, as well as a few science fiction and thriller novels. Her book A Cold Day for Murder won an Edgar Award in 1994. Stabenow was born in Anchorage, Alaska and raised on a 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska. She has a B.A. in journalism and an M.F.A. in writing from the University of Alaska. She has worked as an egg counter and bookkeeper for a seafood company, and worked on the TransAlaska pipeline before becoming a full-time writer. She continues to live in Alaska.