Winter’s End: An Alaska Wild Mystery

Mary Higgins Clark finalist Shelton’s captivating fourth Alaska Wild mystery (after 2021’s Dark Night) finds thriller writer Beth Rivers, who moved a few years earlier from Missouri to remote Benedict, Alaska, after a traumatic incident, still getting used to local customs, such as the annual Death Walk. Each year, with the approach of spring, all citizens living in or near the town are asked to report in, so that local law enforcement teams can make sure everyone survived the winter. (A search is mounted for those who don’t turn up.)This year, searchers are scouring the area for quiet, unassuming Kaye Miller, a dog-walking companion of Beth’s, whose body turns up by the creek behind the community center, her head bashed in with a rock. Beth is shaken by the woman’s death and sets out to discover why Kaye was targeted for murder. The rugged Alaska landscape lends atmosphere, and while this entry can be enjoyed as a standalone, there’s great pleasure in reading the series from the beginning and observing Beth, a wonderfully complex character, growing stronger and more confident with each book. Hopefully, she’ll have a long run. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Dec.)