Sisters of the Midnight Sun: A Murder in Arctic Alaska

by Rebecca Wright Stevens

The stunning and complex story of a gruesome double homicide in the vibrant Inupiat community at the northernmost edge of the Alaska—and the public defender who represented the drifter at its center

In her early forties, Rebecca Wright, a defense attorney living in Olympia, Washington, found herself suddenly widowed and an empty nester. It was time for a radical change. She passed the Alaska Bar exam and accepted a Public Defender position in Alaska’s North Slope, an oil-rich area the size of Wyoming where the native Inupiat community holds great cultural, political, and economic power. Though Rebecca will always be a tanik—an outsider—through her hard work and dedication she gained the trust and friendship of both the Native and non-native folks who call this singular place home. When two well-known sisters, Bernice and Wanda Ipalook, are found murdered, Rebecca is tasked with representing Amos Lane, a drifter brought up on misdemeanor charges but rumored to be just days away from being arrested for the murders. With criminal charges looming and the midnight sun making it difficult for witnesses to confirm the time—or even the day—they last saw the sisters (or Amos), Rebecca must navigate a client who is giving her mixed signals, a prosecution willing to entrap her to get what they want, a budding romance, and a community that believes Lane deserves a different form of justice than what the legal system can provide.

Weaving a detailed portrait of Utqiagvik alongside Rebecca’s complex self-portrait, this true account addresses the epidemic of violence against indigenous women, indigenous teen suicide, the negotiations between competing value systems, and the limits of justice. Shot through with a redemptive throughline where individuals are judged not by their worst actions but by their best, Sisters of the Midnight Sun celebrates a community at the edge of the habitable world where unlikely partnerships are forged.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Memoir, Crime, History, Audiobook, Law

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Bookaholic__Reviews]

I found this book to be both interesting and insightful. I know very little about Alaska in general but even less about how it operates in terms of legal issues/ court cases.


Rebecca stevens is a retired public defender and this book tells the story of a double homicide that she defended one of the lead suspects in. We get to learn about the culture and how she had to navigate challenges defending this man while still respecting the Inupiat community.

One of the things I found most fascinating wasn't even the case but the Artic Summer and how at times there are periods of 24 hr sunlight! I can't imagine.

I have read quite a bit of true crime, and I have to say that the crime itself doesnt really hold center stage in this book. If you are wanting to read something super focused on the crime and trial in details, this really isn't that. It is more of a personal reflection but I found it to be captivating overall.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Tina Loves To Read]

This is a Non Fiction True Crime. I read this book by listening to the audiobook, and I loved the audiobook. This book is so well done, and it is one of the easiest to read non fiction books that I have picked up. I have picked up many non fiction books over the last few years, and I found this book to be my favorite one so far. This book reads like you are reading a fiction mystery book, and you can easily put yourself in the characters shoes. The story touches your heart, and I love a well written book that touches my heart and makes me really think about things. As a dog person I have to say I am so happy that she saved the dog. Great story. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Tucker Almengor]

Many thanks to Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review
★ 3.08 stars ★

This book fell very middle of the road for me. The author did an excellent job taking a real experience/story and making it feel very narrative and novel like. Thus, it was entertaining and engaging to read.

Additionally, the small introductions to indigenous culture and traditions from an outside perspective was also interesting to read.

That being said, this particular set of crimes, while well portrayed, wasn't particularly interesting to me. That was a me issue though.

All in all, I definitely think this is a high quality true crime book. It just wasn't my flavor of true crime.

-----

[Daniel]

An engaging true crime retelling, well worth a purchase for our library collection, as it should slot in nicely for fans of true crime and mystery looking for a nonfiction book.

With that said—the well-meaning but empty conclusions about a flawed beyond repair American criminal justice system leave a lot to be desired, and I can’t help but be skeptical of some of the recreated dialogue in this book, 30 years later with none of the other major figures still alive to vouch for the veracity of the author’s narrative. She is conscious of the potential white savior-ness of the narrative, but I don’t know that she quite avoids it all the same.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Gretchen Chamberlain]

This book took me back to the sights, the smells, the cultural exchanges and the way of being that I too experienced while working in Utqiagvik (which was referred to as Barrow while I worked there.) This story felt all too familiar, even though my work there was adjacent to this, serving young children. Ms. Stevens writes with a deep respect, humility and honesty.

A few of my memories:
An Aapa placing a full set of Caribou antlers in a doorway instead of a baby gate and laughing that it would keep baby in the room.

A door slid open on our Grand Caravan as we took off out of Anaktuvuk Pass, the pilot looked back, quickly banked the plane to slide the door forward again and shouted to us to latch it in place!

The baby I held to my chest and rocked to sleep who lived in an orphanage because his parents were in jail. I contemplated the consequences of just carrying that baby onto the plane and flying back to Fairbanks. Instead I taught staff how to bottle feed a premie and cried alone the whole flight home.

[Christine]

It isn't bad; I just wanted a bit more than one I got. Stevens is aware of the conflict in terms of culture and does a good job presenting it. But I don't know, I wanted more.

[Ellen Ross]

Super fascinating. Lots of emotions as I read.

[Margaret Farrell]

I’ve never read a book from the perspective of a real life public defender. So that fact alone gets it 4 stars. Also very interesting setting and people.

[Susan]

When I first picked up Sisters of the Midnight Sun, I expected the murder at the center of the story to be the main focus. Instead, I discovered something much richer.

The murder draws you in, but it quickly becomes clear that this book is really about Alaska—its breathtaking landscape, its Indigenous people, and the resilience of those who have learned to live in one of the world’s most challenging environments. Rather than dwelling on the crime, the story uses it to explore family, community, culture, and survival.

What stayed with me most was learning about the deep knowledge Indigenous communities developed over generations. Their connection to the land, respect for nature, and ability to adapt made me appreciate a way of life that is so different from my own. I found myself stopping to learn more about Alaska’s history, geography, and Native cultures as I read.

This book reminded me that history is more than dates and events. It’s about people, the places they call home, and the choices they make in difficult circumstances.

I finished the book wanting to learn more—not just about the characters, but about the real Alaska. Any book that leaves me asking questions and eager to keep exploring has done something special.

★★★★★ (5/5)

If you’re looking for a murder mystery alone, this may not be the book you expect. But if you’re looking for a story that opens the door to Alaska’s history, people, and culture, it’s a rewarding read.

[Rj]

Might be the most boring murder mystery book I’ve ever read. The ending is a complete and utter let down. Don’t waste your time. I gave it two stars to be kind and because the descriptions of the Arctic are beautiful and accurate.

[Erin Brudvik]

Really interesting (and unfamiliar to me) setting. Reads more like a memoir than true crime though? Author definitely felt she had main character energy, but I can’t help but think many of the other characters deserved some depth (including the actual victims!). But also, whoa did this not give me any desire to go to this part of Alaska!

[Justin]

Loved the setting, the criminal case was a compelling story. The narrator was annoying and the writing itself was so-so.

“The Ipalook trial loomed on the horizon like an avalanche.” Does an avalanche loom on the horizon?

[Mary]

I’m really torn, with this review. I spent a fair amount of time in the 1990s in Utqiagvik, and I knew some of the families and individuals who show up in this book, so in some ways, it was nice to revisit my recollections of those days and people through these pages. The physical descriptions of town were vivid and took me back almost immediately. At the same time, I can’t help but feel that the author, while claiming she came to understand how much she didn’t know, didn’t truly feel that way. At least it wasn’t reflected in some of the careless ways she portrayed people, some of whom are still around. If she had learned anything about community, or if she felt that she needed to be accountable to the people of Utqiagvik after she moved on to Kentucky and then retirement, that was not reflected in the book in ways I recognized, which disappointed me. I guess it was sort of an overall carelessness in her attitude (not to her work, I might add) that left a bad taste. I
could be completely wrong on this, but I would really like to know how some of the folks still living in Utqiagvik feel about this book.

[Kendra Chura]

There was a lot about this story that interested me, but I kept wishing it would go deeper, especially when it came to the setting. The description promises a vivid portrait of Utqiagvik, but I never felt like I could fully picture the place.

I was expecting more of the book to focus on the girls, what happened to them, and the court case, but it was mostly about the author’s time in Alaska.

I liked that it read almost like fiction. It felt like a complete story rather than a memoir that only focused on a few isolated events, and the narration was good. Still, I wish she had described the setting more.

She talks about the lack of trees, the midnight sun, and the long hours of daylight, but she never really helped me picture what any of that looked or felt like. When someone shows up at her house at 4 a.m., is it already bright outside? How cold is it when they go play softball? What does the sky look like when it never gets completely dark? I wanted more details about the weather, the scenery, and what it was actually like to live there.

She describes one plane ride in more detail than almost anything else in the entire book.

She also talks quite a bit about ivory carving and hunting practices, but never really gets into their history or cultural significance as much as I would have liked.

Overall, it was an interesting story. It was a little slow at times, but it wasn’t bad, and the narration was easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listening copy.

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir]

In 1993, as the summer sun burned without setting in arctic Alaska, sisters Bernice and Wanda Ipalook were killed. Several people from the small city of Utqiagvik remembered seeing them close to the time of their deaths. They were heading home together happy and more than likely drunk.

But the blurring of night into morning, plus the way that time is reckoned in Indigenous Iñupiat culture, made it difficult to ascertain exactly when they were last seen and by whom. This made the job of investigators incredibly challenging, as well as that of public defender Rebecca Wright Stevens, who was tasked with the defense of a prime suspect in the homicide. Decades later, she revisits the murder, the investigation and her life in Utqiagvik in SISTERS OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN.

Wright Stevens (Wright at the time of the events in the book) is a young widow with two children in college and needing a change of scenery, plus a sizable paycheck, when she takes the job as a public defender over a large swath of mostly rural Alaska. She often deals with misdemeanors. But now she is assigned to work with Amos Lane, a man with a criminally violent past and a history of familial trauma who had been on a weekend pass from a rehab facility when Bernice and Wanda were killed.

Lane is not forthcoming with details, and Wright Stevens doesn’t ask many questions, but she does secure him immunity quite quickly when the investigation sets its sights on another suspect. She returns to the case and her defense of Lane throughout the book, but (despite the title) this is not the central focus here. It is more of a panoramic view of her nine years in the arctic and her life there as a tanik, a white woman and outsider.

During a big birthday party thrown by her friend and coworker, Liz, who knows she works too hard, Wright Stevens meets Michael, a charming, handsome and slightly younger man. They begin a romance that involves the attention of much of his extended family and seemingly most of the town. But Michael --- like Liz, Amos and even the Ipalook sisters --- struggles with addiction, and Wright Stevens is unable to help in ways that make a lasting impact. The beauty of the arctic is matched by its dangers. Above her soar snowy owls, and hungry polar bears occasionally wander into town. Violent men are master ivory carvers, and local sports heroes are on suicide watch. Bernice, Wanda and their family never find justice.

While the summer is one long day, the winter is one long night. Wright Stevens and others from the lower 48 are never in-step with the cultural and natural rhythms of the place. The system of law and society she represents is still a symbol of oppression, and even a well-respected individual remains an intruder of sorts. This tension may be compelling to some, but others may find it morally fraught and thus a difficult read.

Part true crime, part memoir, SISTERS OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN is a unique glimpse into a harsh and gorgeous landscape and a culture that unfortunately is all-too-little known or even considered. The writing here is conversational, and the lives recorded are interesting, though readers may wish they had gotten to know Utqiagvik better.

Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

[Jeanette]

This book is going to be a difficult one to review. I'll try the most sucinctly.

It reads like fiction but is non-fiction. So much so, that I had to keep looking on the spine to believe the categorization labeling. I don't think I've read something in this particular mode for eons, maybe decades. A public defender lawyer writes about "me" as if she were the protagonist in a novel. At points it became rather unsettling, to be honest. What made that most striking was the locale and specific "rooming" or housing details. This is a small isolated town in Alaska with no roads "outward" -and flying in and out is norm for overland to anywhere. Maybe I just can't get "with" the "honey bucket" and curtains in a corner used even in bars/ diner etc. But hearing her tell -"then she did this and then she went behind the curtain for a minute" etc. conversations??? With a guy waking her up by door stomping at 3 am so she can do some tasks and he can sleep over? I know it is light for 24 hours and it is summertime, but come on!

Well, that's the mild aspects. You get a good tale for defense of a suspected former felon or is he? But the methods and the attitude this Rebecca Wright Stevens has. We get lectured on wildlife and feel sorry for the whales. And yet she idolizes the natives lifestyle? HUNTERS ALL. It is the strangest perversion of "less is better" too. But then SHE (in the end and with the epilogues) goes back to three different states of the 48 and lives much, much higher on the "stuff" scale, herself. Ending up in Kentucky with the P.D. job and all the "associates" in her tale in reality are dead in middle age. Reality! Modern is better. Yet nothing gotten as givens in this USA American "age" seems to be a "good". Electricity, central heat and a great variety of vegetables being just the tip of the iceberg. Flushing toilets is also a very good thing.

You will have to like reading about court procedures and minutia of law definitions in this read. Be warned if you hate those. About one third of the copy is exactly that stream.

The case could have been told in half the length. I took this totally unresearched as a serendipity read of the month. It was a good pick because it really is very thoroughly outlier. Most people who don't mind getting consistently indoctrinated to "less is good" and "stuff is bad" will like this to a 4 star level, perhaps. She, herself- most entirely would be the person I would avoid in the room. For her law knowledge and association skills, she is horribly naive and it is a surprise she didn't get bear eaten. Saved by others, of course. And of course she is the one traumatized. And you will definitely hear about that.

[Teresa Brock]

There is something incredibly powerful about a true crime story told from the side we so rarely get to see. Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Rebecca Wright Stevens invites readers into the impossible position of a public defender tasked with representing the man everyone assumes is guilty. Knowing she lived this story gives every page added weight, and what unfolds is far more than a murder investigation. It is a deeply human exploration of grief, purpose, and what happens when an outsider steps into a community with its own history, traditions, and understanding of justice.
What captivated me most was the moral complexity. Stevens never offers easy answers. She examines the ethical responsibility of defending the accused while navigating prosecutors, cultural divides, and a legal system that doesn't always align with the people it is meant to serve. Set against the stark beauty of Arctic Alaska, where the endless daylight creates an atmosphere unlike anywhere else, the landscape becomes as unforgettable as the people living within it. I was lost in the details. Everything from the purple woolly lousewort to the way buildings needed to be above the permafrost layer took me as close to this area as I have ever been. Not only that, but all of this shapes the investigation, the relationships, and the emotional heartbeat of the story.
Stevens showcases an unwavering respect for the people and culture at the heart of the story. The Iñupiat community is not the backdrop of a crime. Instead, she thoughtfully explores the lasting effects of historical trauma, addiction, isolation, poverty, and the complicated relationship between Indigenous communities and the American legal system. The result is a richer, more honest account that challenges assumptions and underscores how culture, history, and community shape every aspect of the pursuit of justice.
This is true crime with remarkable depth that blends memoir, courtroom drama, and cultural history into a narrative that asks bigger questions about justice, belonging, and whose voices are heard. I finished this book with a greater appreciation for the quiet burdens carried by public defenders and for the complicated truth that justice and fairness are not always the same thing.

[Marsha Rafalski]

(3.75 rounded to 4.0).

Rebecca Wright is recently divorced, disappointed in her job and looking forward to a little less family. So after passing the Alaska Bar exam, she accepts a position as a public defender on the Alaska North Slope serving the native Inupiat community. Now she is dealing with changes in cultural, political and economic power in this oil rich area the size of Wyoming. Although she will always be a “tanik” (an outsider), she doesn’t get away from family-type interference, now it comes from the Native and non-Native friends who become her friends and found family—whether she wants them to or not.

Her most public case so far is the murder of two well-known sisters, Bernice and Wanda Ipalook. The law enforcement and district attorney have zeroed in on Amos Lane, a drifter who has family connections with many Inupiat families. Originally arrested for misdemeanor, the DA is only days away from charging him with the murders and wants him accessible when he’s ready. Rebecca has to navigate a client giving her mixed signals, a prosecutor who will do anything to get his way (including setting up a trap for Rebecca to ruin her reputation and professional credibility), and expectations of the Inupiat community that he will receive a different kind of justice, all the while dealing with 24 hours of daylight, hungry roaming polar bears, and a bone deep cold everywhere.

This is a nonfiction memoir tracing the real life true crime recount of a complex woman in a more than challenging situation. Promoted as a nonfiction biography memoir, it falls for me under narrative nonfiction. Wright builds a complex self portrait looking at her past, present and future with an honesty most of us never find. She looks at violence against women, competing values, teenage suicide, and the limits of justice. She admires a community existing with one foot in the past and one in the future. An engaging read and a unique community portrait, I enjoyed it and hope for more from this author. Recommend to readers of true crime, narrative nonfiction, biography-memoir, Native culture, and systems of justice.

[Melissa]

𝑺𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑴𝑰𝑫𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 𝑺𝑼𝑵: 𝑨 𝑴𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒓𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑨𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒂 𝒃𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒂 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏, out July 14th, graciously #gifted by @counterpointpress & @brilliancepublishing.

I was drawn to this book because of my years of living there, albeit much further south than Utqiagvik, and my growing desire for understanding of cultures outside of my own. During my time in Kenai, I heard about the villages and how hard it is for a white person to make inroads, so I was extra curious about Rebecca Wright Stevens and her story.

This book is much more than just a true crime narrative, giving context of tribal history, native women's struggles, and personal lived experiences of Wright Stevens. This made for a deeper look into the struggles of one woman's fight for justice in a complicated arena.

Two sisters are found killed, and it becomes Wright Stevens's job to defend one man while searching for answers. The complicated layers of the US justice system and Native systems don't always work well together. The dogged determination to serve as well as knowing the limits of her understanding keep this narrative in a place of honoring and sensitivity.

I really appreciated so much of this book. It had nuggets of familiarity but taught me much, and law fans will be fascinated and frustrated in equal measure. This is not a true crime drama, but rather a look into a complex community from an outsider wanting to understand and help.

The audio was a fantastic addition to the physical book, adding clear pronunciation to the visible names and words in the Inupiaq language. A pairing made perfect for this book.

[Jesse]

Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the Audiobook ARC!

Rebecca Wright Stevens’s Sisters of the Midnight Sun is an engrossing, atmospheric blend of true crime, legal procedural, and personal memoir. Set in the remote Iñupiat community of Utqiagvik, Alaska, the book follows Stevens's real-life experience as a public defender tasked with representing a prime suspect in the tragic double homicide of two prominent local sisters. What follows is a morally complex, haunting exploration of justice at the edge of the habitable world.

The audiobook format is absolutely stellar for a narrative like this. The continuous 24-hour Arctic summer daylight acts almost as a character itself, completely warping the witnesses' sense of time and memory, which creates a fascinating, disorienting tension that translates beautifully to audio. Stevens writes with deep humility and sharp insight, balancing the tense "fish-out-of-water" reality of being a tanik (outsider) with the gritty, high-stakes drama of the courtroom. Listening to her navigate regional hurdles, uncooperative clients, and local culture feels incredibly intimate and atmospheric.

Sisters of the Midnight Sun is a thought-provoking and deeply respectful narrative that breathes new life into the true crime genre. It is perfect for fans of sharp legal thrillers who also appreciate a profound sense of place. Highly recommended on audio!

[Patty]

Not for the weak of heart! Rebecca Wright Stevens takes a job as public defender in northern Alaska in a small town called Utiqiagvik. She begins a journey of getting to know and being welcomed into the warm circle of the Inupiat community of indigenous people. This story begins with her taking on the defense of a man accused of the murder of two sisters. The tale is true and brings to the surface the problem with indigenous women going missing or murdered and no real safeguards put in place to combat or address the issue. This true story is difficult to read in some parts and is definitely a heavy story. I found it compelling, as my eyes were again opened to very different cultural traditions and way of living. As they say, life is different in the tundra compared to the lower 48. I was stunned by what I read, and highly recommend!

As an aside, I watched a show last year called Alaska Daily that dealt with the same subject. It starred Hilary Swank as a reporter investigating the same subject of indigenous women disappearing and no one doing due diligence in the investigation. It was a great show, if this subject interests you.

[Rachael]

Not only is this book about the murder of two sisters in Alaska, but it's also about life in Utqiaġvik (once known as Barrow), the northernmost incorporated city in the U.S. Wright went to work there as a public defender after being widowed and her children were on their own. She is a "tanik," a non-native person. Actually, the aftermath of the murders make up a very small part of the book, which surprised me and at first annoyed me a little. There is A LOT of detail about Wright's life--a native man who becomes her boyfriend, a near polar bear attack, a birthday party shindig, a young man bearing the burden of family caretaking. There's Carol, her office mate, who is portrayed as the devil incarnate. It's rare that I read a piece of nonfiction that is so unforgiving in description. It was so unforgiving I had a hard time believing Carol was real (and what does Carol think about the portrayal?). Stevens is not so kind in other descriptions (many women are described as "plump" with no real need for that kind of description). But as the book went on, I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life in Utqiaġvik. I just feel the title is misleading, and as a result the book felt padded.

[Kate Belt]

To me, this story falls less into the true crime genre, and is more a memoir about the author’s experience of living in a culture different from her own. Talk about strong sense of place! The location is the arctic edge of the United States The community includes the Inuit, other people from around the world, a Presbyterian church, and operates under two justice systems: local/US and Native. From the publisher: “Rebecca Wright is a defense attorney living in the Lower 48 when she suddenly finds herself a widow and an empty nester. In need of a radical change, she accepts a public defender position in Utqiagvik on Alaska’s North Slope, an oil-rich area the size of Wyoming where the Iñupiat community holds great cultural, political, and economic power. Though she’ll always be a tanik—an outsider—she works hard to gain the trust and friendship of the folks who call this singular place home.” The writing is excellent. It hooked me at page one. Kirkus gave it a starred review; NYT named it most anticipated book of the summer. I heard of the book from a Shelf Awareness ad.

[Alena]

This was FASCINATING. I went into Sisters of the Midnight Sun expecting true crime, but it ended up being so much more than simply the story of a murder.

Rebecca Wright Stevens writes about her own experience as a public defender in Alaska's North Slope and the murder of sisters Bernice and Wanda Ipalook. She's tasked with representing Amos Lane while living in a community where she is very much an outsider.

What really grabbed me was the conflict between her responsibility as a defense attorney and the reality of living within the community affected by these murders. There are so many complicated questions about justice, culture, responsibility, and what it means to defend someone's legal rights when the people around you believe that person is guilty.

I also really appreciated how much attention was given to the Inupiat community and to larger issues affecting Indigenous women. It made this feel much more thoughtful than a true-crime book focused only on the gruesome details of a case.

This was compelling, educational, heartbreaking, and incredibly thought-provoking.

[Mackenzie]

Confused as to the reconstructed dialogue and, like another reviewer here said, it gets very tiring to hear the well-meaning but ultimately empty repeated points on how horrible the American justice system is (we know!). Also agree that while Rebecca Wright Stevens is cognizant of coming off as a white savior, she can't avoid it. I felt that a lot of the book was pretty surface level examinations of everything around her.

I have to say I thought it was pretty jarring to switch from the brutality of the crime to her birthday party or softball practice? I also thought there would be more of a focus on the Ipalook sisters (and Harriet Lane) considering she has a few paragraphs calling them "sisters of the midnight sun" — all horrifically victimized during that liminal period where witnesses lose track of time due to perpetual sunlight. But that framework comes right at the end of the book...

[Kelley]

Unexpected

I love to read, because you can share someone’s view or life experiences (fiction and nonfiction).

Welcome to Rebecca Wright’s experience living in Alaska. With beautiful transparency she lets the reader in on a significant life period. She does it in an honest and forthright manner that makes it clear that it is her experience and view. She does not appropriate the culture in Point Hope for her story telling needs but instead allows the reader to listen to her internal monologue of respect, confusion, and joy at being an outsider embraced into a level of insider— and her struggle and appreciation to know and be part of the community she lives in.

There are no easy answers as a public defender. There is no Better or Worse Justice. There is no Right or Wrong community, just people doing their best to face challenges and not be shunned out onto the tundra alone.

This book is going to stick with me for a long time.

[Favour Samuel]

What makes Sisters of the Midnight Sun stand out is that the murder investigation seems to be only one piece of a much larger story. The setting of Utqiagvik immediately gives the book a distinctive atmosphere, while the midnight sun creates an unusual challenge for an investigation where even the timing of events can become uncertain.

I was particularly drawn to Rebecca Wright's experience as a tanik trying to find her place within an Iñupiat community while doing her job as a public defender. The tension between the legal system she represents and the community's own understanding of justice adds a fascinating human dimension to the mystery. The result sounds like the kind of true crime story that doesn't simply leave you wondering what happened—it also makes you think about belonging, cultural differences, and how complicated justice can become when different worlds meet.

[Amy]

Yes:
A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)

I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:

Beautiful cover and love small size.

This is a true crime memoir and legal narrative published on July 14, 2026, that follows a 1993 double murder case in Utqiagvik, Alaska. She is a lawyer who is a widow and moves to Alaska as a public defender who has to navigate a murder case of two indigenous women.

I love how this is written, almost like a novel. I also love how this isn’t really a page turning book about a crime. It’s also about the indigenous people and culture in Alaska. I love that. I also find what she does fascinating. I can’t wait to read this. $28.56.

[Rachael Strieter]

A fascinating and brilliant book, reads like fiction but is true crime non-fiction. Apart from the criminal case, the author effortlessly weaves in multiple complex themes like being an outsider, when American mainstream culture misunderstands Native culture, wildlife in the arctic and its symbolism, inter-generational trauma, addiction and recovery.

I also loved reading about the unsolved murders as stories that usually go untold, ignored, unsolved as is too common with murders of women, and the Native. It is an uncomfortable truth. Author quote: “We are all prey, I thought. Many things had changed in my lifetime, with the advent of television, jet air travel, and the internet, but this one fact remained the same…. Any woman could end up a victim like this... I thought that all of us who are prey are sisters.”

[Sarah]

I really enjoyed this read. It was marketed as true crime, but I think could be considered part memoir. I enjoyed the insightful narrative about living at the top of the world, and how we learn about the complexities of the culture along with the author. It is sad that there is not a satisfactory ending to the true crime case, but that is a reminder that this is true life and reflects the reality of the legal system. As a nonfiction, the book reads very well and is engaging enough that I read it in just couple of days. I read invested in the lives of the people we met along the way and could visualize the scenery with the descriptive setting placed before us as readers.

I listened to the book on audible. I would rate the narration at a 4 or 3. I can't explain why but the narrator was just not great.