Village of the Ghost Bears

Nathan Active Mystery #4

by Stan Jones

Alaska State Trooper Nathan Active must figure out what connects a dead hunter on a remote Arctic lake with a year-old fatal plane crash in the Brooks Range and a fire that killed eight people.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Native American, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Detective

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Stan Jones is a writer of mystery novels, and is co-author of a non-fiction oral history book.

He has written seven books in the Nathan Active mystery series. He is also the co-author (with Sharon Bushell) of The Spill: An oral history of the Exxon Valdez disaster.

THE SAND GARDEN, installment No. 1 in his Dana Forsythe Mysteries was published in November 2023. It's based in the Palm Springs area and features a female private detective. Mary Wasche was his co-author on THE SAND GARDEN.

He was born in Anchorage, Alaska, where he lives today.

Reviews

[Lemar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series features an Alaskan state trooper named Nathan Active, who is re-engaging with the village and Inupiaq people of his birth, having been adopted and raised in Anchorage. It’s a great premise, reminiscent of Boney in the excellent series of mysteries set in aboriginal Australia, by Arthur Upfield.

The plot in this book is tight and the detail is always interesting. What’s missing is more insight into the main character himself We see his passion for justice, his deep empathy for victims but we don’t know what music likes, if he’s a reader or his thoughts on spirituality. It’s not often that I’m reading a book and think about the editor but in this case he or she was asleep on the job. There are instances where identical descriptions appear only a couple of paragraphs apart. The book deserved better oversight. These drawbacks are relatively minor, however; this mystery is a lot of fun and a good read.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to give up on books, but I gave up on this one two thirds of the way through. On the plus side, it is an intriguing glimpse of Alaskan Inuit life. On the other hand, it falls into the whodunnit trap of introducing a couple of dozen characters to muddy the trail and losing track of the story line. I kept thinking, "Oh, wait, who was this character?"

[Jerry Bunin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth of seven Nathan Active police novels Stan Jones has written about the Alaskan state trooper, who is born an Inupiaq (IN-you-pat) in rural northern Alaska but raised by white people in Anchorage. Nathan is unsure where he wants to live and work and how to engage the damaged woman he loves. The plot is a very engaging story that includes a mass murder, ghosts, bush pilots, incest, dead hunters, polar bear poaching, and a number of possible suspects and miscellaneous characters, including a brother and sister from a remote community famous for twins, polar bears and schizophrenia. I changed my mind several times while trying to figure out who was the culprit and what was the motivation for the crimes. Jones books are always entertaining reading about America's final wild frontier. I recommend reading the books in the order Jones wrote them since the characters continue from story to story.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had a good time binging my way through Stan Jones’ mystery series featuring the adventures of Alaska state trooper Nathan Active. Although born into the Inupiat tribe, Active was adopted by a white couple and brought up in Anchorage. Now he’s stationed in the place where he was born, the little village of Chukchi, but still feels a bit like an outsider.

This is book 4 in the series. Village of the Ghost Bears starts with an arson that claims eight lives, including that of the police chief. Then Nathan and girlfriend discover a body while camping in the wilderness. Was it a fall or a murder? Is there any connection to the fire? Nathan also travels to a remote village and visits a whaling camp out on the ice. The incompetent acting chief provides comic relief. One of the better stories in the series.

[Brian Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read title #1 in the series before this one so I missed the introduction of Grace, the woman Nathan loves. For me, their difficult relationship didn’t need as much text as it got, but Grace’s wisdom and the wisdom of Nathan’s grandmother guided Nathan well. The story was identifying and capturing the arsonist who burned the village rec center killing slightly more than a handful of people. Once the arsonist was identified, Nathan was highly dedicated in pursuit. The book ends with an obvious choice about Nathan’s future career being added to the offer he already had in hand. Cowboy was a brilliant, skilled bush pilot who made Nathan’s pursuit possible. I enjoyed the two titles I’ve read and look forward to reading more of them.

[Jay Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well spun murder mystery with several twists and turns throughout. Honestly not sure who did it until close to the end of the story...although maybe you can figure it out before me. Enjoyed the story and we get a few hints about the future career of Trooper Active.

[Ladonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by Stan Jones and it was good. I enjoyed it. I didn’t exactly like how it ended though. 90% of the loose ends were tied up at the end, but it just stopped rather abruptly. I’m sure that is to set up the next book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more of a mystery than the previous series books but a few too many characters to keep track of. I'm still not sure why Nathan threw over Lucy for Grace. I'm still not sure you can dive in 33 degree water and not die.

[Bettycindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read about Alaska. Not that great a story.

[ND · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it more than some of the others in this series. Maybe because I was in Alaska, or maybe because it was simply better. Not sure.

[Mary Mcqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trooper. Athan Active continues to show us life in far north Alaska. He’s smart and trying to get out of Chuckchi. Hope there’s another one.

[Nancy Higgs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery. Alaska is the setting! Finished in Quincy- class reunion

[LJ Eames · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read. Not a lot of action but interesting view into Alaskan wilderness town life and the natural beauty/hazards of the wild.
Plot was decent if slow moving. Well composed.

[Alan Spinrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the descriptions of the Alaskan countryside, communities and people. This book tested my suspension of disbelief but was still a fun read.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the setting: Alaska and Inupiat village. Trooper Nathan Active, main character, is becoming less likable with each installment. Author’s view of women seems pretty shallow.

[Marie-Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid summer read. I have missed the third one (this being the fourth) but with little problem. The books are so good at moving me to another location, and filling in the lives in Alaska. And I have to say that I love the title, as I had once talked with my spouse's three-year-old nephew about 'ghost bears'…

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jones writes atmospheric mystery stories. This one doesn't delve as deep into the lives of the recurring characters and doesn't feel as "wrapped-up" as the others in the series.

[Nancy Heynen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, even though it's a bit complicated.

[Mary Ahlgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated the glimpse into rural Alaskan life.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m trying to be better at just enjoying the stories and not getting so distracted by mediocre writing. It can be a challenge, especially when a an author issues such platitudes as, “ … wishing real life were more like police work. In police work, you investigated a case and closed it. Or, if you couldn’t close it, it cooled off and you forgot about it eventually. But in life, no issue could ever be completely closed, or completely forgotten. One way or another, it would come up again and again.” Sure, I mean, literature, film and television would have you believe that in fact the opposite is true, that police officers are actually sometimes driven by the demons of unsolved cases. But, what do I know, I’m not a cop.

So, if I put aside some of those silly moments when an author tries to speak to “great truths” but does a bit too much of the telling instead of the showing then the book was alright. I find that I’m drawn to the idea of a mystery to keep me very engaged in a plot, but often disappointed by the unraveling of the story. At no point did the detective Active seem to use real powers of deduction or even evidence to lead him somewhere—instead he and his team followed a few leads and just happened to stumble on a person who was willing to just TELL them everything they wanted to know. An episode of Bones does a better job than this book.

Wow, I just keep degenerating into criticism, which makes it seem like I disliked the book more than I did, so I’ll tell you one thing I did like about it a lot: the cultural setting! I mean, sure he may have overplayed the “Inupiaq raise their eyebrows to mean yes instead of ‘what’” bit, but it’s the first piece of literature I’ve read taking place in modern Alaska with the native tribes! So. It’s got that going for it.

In summation: I didn’t dislike, just wasn’t overly wowed by it; if I could I would actually give this a 2.5 stars instead of a 3.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve never traveled to Alaska, you’ll feel you’ve been there anyway once you pick up the Stan Jones habit, as I have.

Jones, Anchorage-born and -bred, is the author of four mystery stories featuring Alaska State Trooper Nathan Active. The two I’ve read — his first (White Sky, Black Ice, and his fourth, Village of the Ghost Bears) — are both set in the predominantly Eskimo village of Chukchi on the Northwest Coast, far from the vast state’s best-known towns, Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks, in the East. Keep in mind that Alaska is roughly three times the size of Texas, and you’ll understand why Nathan Active spends so much time in small airplanes.

Active was born to an unmarried sixteen-year-old Eskimo woman — or, in the local language, Inupiat (“IN-you-pat”) — but raised in Anchorage by Caucasian parents. In the series’ first novel, he found himself stationed where he least wanted to be, back in Chukchi, where his birth-mother lived. Now, in the fourth novel and still in Chukchi, he is trying to talk his girlfriend and her daughter to move with him to Anchorage when his transfer finally comes through. The unexpected strikes, though, and Active is soon caught up in investigating a tragic fire that has killed a number of the villagers, including the local police chief.

Dashing from one village to another, and from one hunter’s camp to the next, mostly with his bush-pilot friend, known only as Cowboy, Active finds himself progressively more confused as the threads of one investigation intersect with the other. The story unfolds quickly, with tension building nearly to the last, but with one last surprise in the closing pages.

Village of the Ghost Bears is a thoroughly satisfying mystery story, but it stands out more for its stark snowbound setting, its depiction of Eskimo culture, and the author’s obviously deep love for the land, than for its excellence as an example of genre fiction. Read it for either reason. You’ll enjoy it

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read the first two of Jones's Nathan Active mysteries a few years ago and then he apparently had some trouble getting the next one published. So when I saw this one, I didn't realize I'd missed one book in between. Apparently a lot has happened in Trooper Active's personal life and if that took place in book 3, I kind of know the ending now. Oh well.

I found this book a bit slow-moving at first, but it's very possible that was just me. About halfway through things sped up and it became a satisfying mystery. Since I read mysteries as much for character and setting as anything, those are what kept me going through the slow parts. Trooper Active is an Alaska state trooper who was adopted (in an open adoption) as an infant and raised by white schoolteachers in Anchorage, although he is Inuit. Ironically, he has been assigned to his own native village, reestablished relationships with his birth mother and grandmother, and has gone through a lot of culture shock. His viewpoint as insider/outsider is a good way of showing the reader the local situation (the glossary in every book helps too). Active is a good cop without being unbelievable, and the other village characters are well-drawn. The setting includes both incredible beauty and everyday squalor and problems such as alcohol and domestic abuse are not glossed over. I'd advise starting at the beginning with this series.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is a mystery in a series of mysteries by the same author. It wasn't the first one, but it didn't matter. I really enjoyed the book, not because I thought it was a great mystery or the best plot line I'd ever read, but because it was about a place with a lot of character and culture I was discovering while reading it. Alaska, the weather, the personality and characters, a little bit of language.

I really appreciate when people write about WHAT THEY KNOW. I loved the book for this reason, and for that it definitely has four stars. For plot and storyline I liked it, so I guess that's a three. =)

[Mie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book on the new arrival shelf at the library and thought it sounded as something I would enjoy reading. I didn't know that this was the 4th book of the Nathan Active Mystery's but I din't have difficulties getting into the book so I dont think I missed anything, and I would say that each book can be read alone and not in sequence. The book gave an intriguing glimse of Alascan Inuit life and gave a good describtion of the harch Alascan nature. I can only give 2 stars because the mystery didn't bring me in.....

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just starting a camping trip at a remote lake, Alaska state trooper Nathan Active and Grace, the woman he loves, come upon a body in a creek. Back home in the village of Chukchi, the recreation center is set on fire, claiming eight victims, including the town's police chief. The setting of the book, often described quite vividly from a plane, is fascinating. It is also encouraging that the author is able to portray in Nathan a very human character who develops depth and complexity from book to book.

[Linnae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in rural Alaska. State Trooper Nathan Active has his work cut out for him: an arsonist has set fire to the village gym, killing 8 people. As he follows the leads, it becomes apparent that the dead hunter he found a few weeks before also has ties to the case, as do many people in the village.

Jones really has an ear for village talk and life. Just reading this brought back memories of growing up in the Bush. I enjoyed the mystery and didn't guess the ending. Characters had some depth. Overall, good read.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rating is a bit low. I'd say the book was a 3.5 star book. The story was engrossing enough. The problem was that the book was the fourth in a series and there were frequent references to previous events that weren't noted with enough detail for the story to stand on its own.

With that said, the setting is Alaska where Trooper Nathan Active, a state trooper, is involved in investigating a fire in the Chukchi Rec Center which killed 8 people. The clues take some twists and turns and has us traveling to the remote areas of Alaska where fishing and hunting rule.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4 in the Nathan Active series. An atmospheric novel with a great sense of place. I love reading about the snow covered Alaskan terrain from a warm bed.

Nathan Active series - While on a camping trip to a remote lake, Nathan, an Inupiaq Alaska state trooper, and Grace, the woman he loves, come upon a body in a creek, its face eaten by pike. Arson soon follows murder. Back home in the village of Chukchi, the recreation center goes up in a blaze, claiming eight victims, including the town's police chief. Rumors of polar bear poaching complicate both cases.

[Amy Paget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourth in the Nathan Active series...I will be back tracking to read this full series. It's set in Alaska and having lived and worked in Northern Alberta, I can attest the reality of Stan Jones' setting. In addition to a well-crafted plot featuring a case of arson and mysterious plane crashes, the clash of cultures plays a significant role in this novel and the series of novels. Recommended. Find out more at www.sjbooks.com