White Heat

 Half-Inuit Edie Kiglatuk lives on the stark Arctic island of Ellesmere where she makes her living as a guide, something that, as a woman, is grudgingly tolerated by the council of elders. When a tourist in her care is killed, it sets in motion a series of tragic events and another death. When the town’s elders attribute the deaths to unfortunate misadventure and suicide, Edie finds she can’t sit back and accept the decision and begins her own investigation to find the truth. Kate Reading, with her straightforward descriptions of the stark Arctic tundra and the cold, unforgiving weather, brings a strong sense of place to her narration. The characters she creates are fully realized, each with its own distinctive voice. Especially well rendered is the troubled Kiglatuk, who comes across—warts and all—as an earnest, courageous, and appealing heroine in this promising new series. A Viking hardcover. (Nov.)