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Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery #4
Sundown on Top of the World
Former homicide investigator Hunter Rayne follows the white lines northward on the Alaska Highway, but a truck breakdown forces him to take an unscheduled stop in Whitehorse, Yukon, where he had been stationed as a rookie cop. While his Freightliner is awaiting repairs, Hunter and fellow driver, Dan (Sorry) Sorenson, kill time with a side trip to bush Alaska where a chance meeting with a young Alaskan woman awakens his interest in a baffling cold case. A reclusive trapper and his young girlfriend disappeared from a bloody cabin 25 years before, leaving their sled dogs chained outside.
Reawakened memories of his past coupled with a recent murder find Hunter back in investigative mode with the blessings of Whitehorse RCMP boss Bartholomew Sam, son of a shaman and Hunter's old friend. He finds himself searching the banks of the mighty Yukon River for a tough old bush woman who may hold the key to more than one bloody death. It's a vivid reminder that the breathtaking beauty of the northern wilderness camouflages its brutal indifference to human life.
This is the fourth novel in the Highway Mysteries series of character-driven traditional mysteries in a uniquely North American setting.
Reawakened memories of his past coupled with a recent murder find Hunter back in investigative mode with the blessings of Whitehorse RCMP boss Bartholomew Sam, son of a shaman and Hunter's old friend. He finds himself searching the banks of the mighty Yukon River for a tough old bush woman who may hold the key to more than one bloody death. It's a vivid reminder that the breathtaking beauty of the northern wilderness camouflages its brutal indifference to human life.
This is the fourth novel in the Highway Mysteries series of character-driven traditional mysteries in a uniquely North American setting.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
January 14, 2018
Book#4, In A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery
This story captures the wildness of the North, its beautiful land and the strong and resourceful people who live there. “Sundown On Top of the World”, is named after the highway that connects Dawson City, Yukon with the town of Tok, Alaska.
The story is set in 1997 and we follow Hunter Rayne, an ex-Canadian Mountie who has changed career to become a long distance trucker on his latest haul from Vancouver to way North to Fairbanks, Alaska. He meets up with his friend Sorry, a biker who can’t hold down a job to help him with the drive. Of course what seems to be a straight forward assignment turns out to be totally deferent then expected …after the rig brakes down and the two decide to take a side trip to Eagle, Alaska…Soon the intrepid travellers finds themselves deep into the wilderness…..
There is a lot going on in this book, the author has done a great job weaving it all together in an engaging way. The players are great characters that ring true. The tempo is steady and includes twists and turns to surprise us. We go back in time when a recent murder crosses path with a cold case Hunter worked on as lead investigator more than 25 years ago. The two, present and past, narratives converge smoothly and paint a colourful and extraordinary adventure in the middle of the wilderness where only a few hard-core individuals would dare to make it their home.
This story is captivating and very interesting…a well-done whodunit story said with a Northern touch.
This story captures the wildness of the North, its beautiful land and the strong and resourceful people who live there. “Sundown On Top of the World”, is named after the highway that connects Dawson City, Yukon with the town of Tok, Alaska.
The story is set in 1997 and we follow Hunter Rayne, an ex-Canadian Mountie who has changed career to become a long distance trucker on his latest haul from Vancouver to way North to Fairbanks, Alaska. He meets up with his friend Sorry, a biker who can’t hold down a job to help him with the drive. Of course what seems to be a straight forward assignment turns out to be totally deferent then expected …after the rig brakes down and the two decide to take a side trip to Eagle, Alaska…Soon the intrepid travellers finds themselves deep into the wilderness…..
There is a lot going on in this book, the author has done a great job weaving it all together in an engaging way. The players are great characters that ring true. The tempo is steady and includes twists and turns to surprise us. We go back in time when a recent murder crosses path with a cold case Hunter worked on as lead investigator more than 25 years ago. The two, present and past, narratives converge smoothly and paint a colourful and extraordinary adventure in the middle of the wilderness where only a few hard-core individuals would dare to make it their home.
This story is captivating and very interesting…a well-done whodunit story said with a Northern touch.
June 4, 2016
This was a good story as all the others in the series are, full of twists and turns. But it drags more than they did due to too many words devoted to describing scenery, a character’s emotions and thoughts, and backstory. Long introspective passages from the primary characters didn’t help.
Rayne’s best friend Dan’s behavior throughout most of the book was annoying. Rayne describes him at one point as acting like a petulant teen instead of a grown man with responsibilities.
Late in the book, Rayne and his friend in the RCMP finally ask the questions they should have asked when Rayne’s curiosity about the unsolved crime first stirred.
Readers want to see the bad guy being caught. Donald doesn’t show us that, only tells us about it in a conversation between Rayne and another character.
So this in some ways wasn’t really a mystery, more of a character study of the primary characters.
Still, I like this series enough that I’ll be back for more.
Rayne’s best friend Dan’s behavior throughout most of the book was annoying. Rayne describes him at one point as acting like a petulant teen instead of a grown man with responsibilities.
Late in the book, Rayne and his friend in the RCMP finally ask the questions they should have asked when Rayne’s curiosity about the unsolved crime first stirred.
Readers want to see the bad guy being caught. Donald doesn’t show us that, only tells us about it in a conversation between Rayne and another character.
So this in some ways wasn’t really a mystery, more of a character study of the primary characters.
Still, I like this series enough that I’ll be back for more.
February 12, 2018
This was a good mystery but the story got lost with all the descriptive scenes. They went on much longer than necessary. I liked hearing about Alaska but I started to skim through those parts after a while. Hunter Rayne was a long-haul trucker who had a load going to Alaska. While going through the state, he saw a young woman who reminded him of a person in a crime he never solved when he had been in the RCMP 25 years earlier. Since not solving the case had always bothered him, he started looking into it again.
I liked Hunter’s investigating style and that he was a very kind man. He was especially good with Sonny who he let ride with him when Sonny was out of a job. It took a really patient person to put up with Sonny. I liked the way this story was written and finding out more about why Hunter had changed professions. The detailed writing had me wrapped up in Hunter’s cold-case investigation, wondering if he would solve it this time.
I liked Hunter’s investigating style and that he was a very kind man. He was especially good with Sonny who he let ride with him when Sonny was out of a job. It took a really patient person to put up with Sonny. I liked the way this story was written and finding out more about why Hunter had changed professions. The detailed writing had me wrapped up in Hunter’s cold-case investigation, wondering if he would solve it this time.
March 26, 2020
Hunter Ryne ex RCMP now truck cowboy. His pal Dan Sorry Sorensen try to solve a 25 year old cold case that Hunter originally worked with partner friend Ken who committed suicide. He is contracted to take a load from Vancouver to Fairbanks. Series of events leads him to working on the case.
July 5, 2018
Great procedural/ mystery by British Columbian author. Well developed characters and fun to identify places in Yukon that I’ve just visited.
February 24, 2019
Great whodunnit
Enjoyable yarn set in the Yukon and Canada. Interesting old police case set in the boonies that sucked you in and then finally delivered.
Enjoyable yarn set in the Yukon and Canada. Interesting old police case set in the boonies that sucked you in and then finally delivered.
March 18, 2017
In the early 1970s. RCMP officers were led to an empty, remote trapper's cabin, bloody with evidence of a grizzly bear's having been there. Twenty-five years later, one of the responding officers, now a long-distance truck driver, Hunter Rayne (while a character name like that would usually put me off, indulgence in this case is worth it), healing from demons of his own, is given a haul back to the area of that grisly discovery. The memory of that now very-cold case remains with Hunter, and this is a chance to address it. Sorry, a man from Hunter's past, turns to him. Good guy Hunter takes him on, and they return to the rough, isolated areas of Canada's west, near the border with Alaska.
In that area, Hunter, Sorry and the reader get involved with a young woman, Goldie, and her grandmother, who live a very private, self-sufficient life of their own before a young man and Goldie notice one another and a trapper the grandmother's age break their isolation. There is also a murder in town that the Mounties are looking into.
Author Donald does a nice job of tying these threads together and creating characters that are predominantly good people with flaws or challenges. The Yukon is a setting that provides 'travel' in the mind of this city-dweller. This is book four of the series, but my first one, and it stands alone fine. I feel like I have found another series by an author I will trust to bring me dependable quality within good stories without resorting to violence, and I will return.
In that area, Hunter, Sorry and the reader get involved with a young woman, Goldie, and her grandmother, who live a very private, self-sufficient life of their own before a young man and Goldie notice one another and a trapper the grandmother's age break their isolation. There is also a murder in town that the Mounties are looking into.
Author Donald does a nice job of tying these threads together and creating characters that are predominantly good people with flaws or challenges. The Yukon is a setting that provides 'travel' in the mind of this city-dweller. This is book four of the series, but my first one, and it stands alone fine. I feel like I have found another series by an author I will trust to bring me dependable quality within good stories without resorting to violence, and I will return.
July 14, 2016
While a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, Hunter Rayne investigates a grisly scene in a cabin where someone is either murdered or killed by a grizzly. Twenty-five years later, he is a long-haul truck driver who is taking a load to Alaska and finds himself reconnecting to that scene.
Ms. Donald has written a great mystery that is full of twists, and it really isn't clear until the end of the book just what happened. It was very difficult for me to stop reading until the book was completed. She has written several other Hunter Rayne mysteries that I will probably read soon.
Ms. Donald has written a great mystery that is full of twists, and it really isn't clear until the end of the book just what happened. It was very difficult for me to stop reading until the book was completed. She has written several other Hunter Rayne mysteries that I will probably read soon.
October 6, 2016
Absolutely loved this. This is the third book I have read by this author (I somehow missed one, a fact I will have to rectify!).
As I really enjoyed the earlier books I hoped this would be as good. I needn't have worried.......this was another really good, well written story and was a pleasure to read.
Great characters, wonderful descriptive scenery plus a well thought out plot make a good recipe for an excellent read.
Must go and find the book I missed now!
As I really enjoyed the earlier books I hoped this would be as good. I needn't have worried.......this was another really good, well written story and was a pleasure to read.
Great characters, wonderful descriptive scenery plus a well thought out plot make a good recipe for an excellent read.
Must go and find the book I missed now!
October 14, 2018
Cruising for a Win!
Hunter Rayne is a long haul trucker, but his many years as a Mountie, including as a detective on the force, mean has friends actively investigating crimes, and he’s still got a detective’s instincts. As a trucker, he finds himself all over the continent, and although he’s no longer a detective, he manages to get himself called in as a consultant—officially or unofficially—on cases hot and cold.
In Sundown on Top of the World, Hunter’s load to the Yukon—where he started his career 25 years ago as a rookie—randomly lands him in the middle of both kinds of cases: one hot, and one very, very cold, an unsolved case that he was involved in back in the day, and which has troubled him ever since.
A broken down truck leads to a random meeting, which leads to surprising discoveries.
Along the way, Hunter and his friend Sorry make some discoveries of their own, about themselves, what trade offs they each will and will not make to get what they want.
This is the second R.E. Donald book I’ve read, and I continue to be impressed with the author’s skill at character, dialogue, setting, structure, and plot. In short, this is fantastic writing. Consider me a serious fan.
Highly recommended!
Hunter Rayne is a long haul trucker, but his many years as a Mountie, including as a detective on the force, mean has friends actively investigating crimes, and he’s still got a detective’s instincts. As a trucker, he finds himself all over the continent, and although he’s no longer a detective, he manages to get himself called in as a consultant—officially or unofficially—on cases hot and cold.
In Sundown on Top of the World, Hunter’s load to the Yukon—where he started his career 25 years ago as a rookie—randomly lands him in the middle of both kinds of cases: one hot, and one very, very cold, an unsolved case that he was involved in back in the day, and which has troubled him ever since.
A broken down truck leads to a random meeting, which leads to surprising discoveries.
Along the way, Hunter and his friend Sorry make some discoveries of their own, about themselves, what trade offs they each will and will not make to get what they want.
This is the second R.E. Donald book I’ve read, and I continue to be impressed with the author’s skill at character, dialogue, setting, structure, and plot. In short, this is fantastic writing. Consider me a serious fan.
Highly recommended!
January 12, 2018
3.5 stars, maybe even 4 under my old way of assigning. This year I’m going to try be a little more judicious in my throwing around of stars.
Any story about the north has my affection ... and the author paints a beautiful picture of the people and terrain of the Yukon and Alaska in all their glorious personalities and seasons. She clearly understands the challenges of bush living, and she had my approval when she described the health centre and didn’t once mention a doctor (those of you who know the north know why this is an important detail.) The mysteries presented in the two plot lines were interesting and the characters caught my imagination. She did a good job of weaving the different narratives together and tying them up at the end. So, a good book but not a *great* book; I enjoyed it but really have no intention of seeking out the rest of the series so that’s why the middle-of-the-road-3-stars.
Any story about the north has my affection ... and the author paints a beautiful picture of the people and terrain of the Yukon and Alaska in all their glorious personalities and seasons. She clearly understands the challenges of bush living, and she had my approval when she described the health centre and didn’t once mention a doctor (those of you who know the north know why this is an important detail.) The mysteries presented in the two plot lines were interesting and the characters caught my imagination. She did a good job of weaving the different narratives together and tying them up at the end. So, a good book but not a *great* book; I enjoyed it but really have no intention of seeking out the rest of the series so that’s why the middle-of-the-road-3-stars.
September 30, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this book even though it's part of a series and this book was my first. The story and characters, especially Hunter Rayne were well defined and I felt I knew these people pretty well. Hunter Rayne is an retired Mountie, now a long-haul truck driver, divorced with two older daughters. He lives in North Vancouver and his next big haul is to Alaska, which brings near his old life in the Yukon.Hunter winds up having old friend, Dan Sorenson along with him, as Dan,nicknamed Sorry, has lost job again and his wife has kicked him out.Hunter's truck breaks down outside of Fairbanks and they have several days before it can be fixed so Hunter rents a car and take off to Whitehouse and beyond. This story is about Hunter back in his old territory trying to help his old friend solve an old murder case Hunter was involved in when he was a young Mountie.
November 27, 2018
This book was a great post read. Having spent time in both Chicken an Eagle and the Yukon territory made the story even more enjoyable. I found myself being transported into the area again and living in the pages of this book. The characters were interesting and believable even if you had not been to Alaska and met the people living there. I found the book hard to put the and would encourage others to read it.
The characters were believable, interesting people and kept the story moving along at a fast pace. I hope all who choose to read this book enjoy it as much I did.
The characters were believable, interesting people and kept the story moving along at a fast pace. I hope all who choose to read this book enjoy it as much I did.
October 7, 2020
To move this to a four star rating, the author would have to have less characters or help the reader remember them. Maybe I was at a disadvantage because this was my first Hunter Reyn mystery. I did not like the character Sorry; he just seemed like a big overgrown brat. Also, the real mystery didn’t really get coverage until the last 75 +/- pages of the book. Meanwhile, I had to read about Hunter driving back-and-forth across the Alaska-Yukon border. This seem to me to be a man’s book, so I was surprised after reading it to discover the author is female. The book was OK, but I won’t read another Hunter Reyn nk el.
August 1, 2017
A pleasant journey up North
I was immediately pulled into the story as the author painted a colorful picture with words, of the magnificent landscape and adventurous characters.
How refreshing to no only be entertained while reading, feeling like you really got to know the characters, but to also learn something about this part of the world.
For not having been to these areas nor having never performed any of the extraordinary treks though the bush, R E Donald clearly fooled me, to which I bequeath the five star writing.
I was immediately pulled into the story as the author painted a colorful picture with words, of the magnificent landscape and adventurous characters.
How refreshing to no only be entertained while reading, feeling like you really got to know the characters, but to also learn something about this part of the world.
For not having been to these areas nor having never performed any of the extraordinary treks though the bush, R E Donald clearly fooled me, to which I bequeath the five star writing.
October 2, 2021
Subtitled A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery, this is set in the Yukon and Alaska in 1997. Rayne is ex-RCMP, now a long-haul trucker, partly haunted by his first cold case when stationed in Whitehorse in 1973. Returning with a load, by a huge coincidence, he spots a young woman who looks like the one from that 1973 incident and that connects to the young woman and her grandmother living off grid. Several realistic characters and the landscape help, although the coincidences and lots of driving detract somewhat.
December 6, 2018
I like R.E. Donald's writing. She's descriptive to where I feel I'm walking in cold Alaska, etc. The only issue I had with this book was the reunion - it was too fast, too simple & too smooth. Other than that, this was a great book! So far, I'll keep reading R.E. Donald's books. After all, this is my second book of hers & not many authors grab me to where I want to read another book of theirs. With R.E. Donald, I've now read 2 of hers & will read more.
March 25, 2024
Good reading
I love the narrative and the setting. Hunter is a great protagonist with some flaws making him human. I don't like that he is always short of money. It's a complication I could do without. The character that really puts me off and spoils my enjoyment is Sorry - a constant whiner who is either eating, boozing, smoking, swearing or sleeping while considering himself God's gift to women. Without Sorry, this book could be 5-stars.
I love the narrative and the setting. Hunter is a great protagonist with some flaws making him human. I don't like that he is always short of money. It's a complication I could do without. The character that really puts me off and spoils my enjoyment is Sorry - a constant whiner who is either eating, boozing, smoking, swearing or sleeping while considering himself God's gift to women. Without Sorry, this book could be 5-stars.
May 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this book!
Hunter, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, now trucker. Is drawn back into a cold case he worked on in the 70's.
I loved the wilderness of the Yukon area and the people who call this place home. The book was an adventure as well as having the mystery of 'who done it'.
Hunter, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, now trucker. Is drawn back into a cold case he worked on in the 70's.
I loved the wilderness of the Yukon area and the people who call this place home. The book was an adventure as well as having the mystery of 'who done it'.
December 31, 2017
This isn't the usual type of mystery that I read. But, I'm sure glad I did!
Our family lived in the Yukon for 5 years, and I guess I was intrigued by the title.
This is a mystery that keeps you wondering "whodoneit", but the writing about the places they see really get the memories running.
It is well worth reading especially if you love mysteries and the Yukon.
Our family lived in the Yukon for 5 years, and I guess I was intrigued by the title.
This is a mystery that keeps you wondering "whodoneit", but the writing about the places they see really get the memories running.
It is well worth reading especially if you love mysteries and the Yukon.
December 3, 2018
Book four in a series of books about a former Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman turned trucker Hunter Rayne. This one has him sleuthing a 25-year-old cold case murder in the Yukon bush country. A side mystery involves the daughter of the woman who went missing 25 years ago.
Pretty good plotting and character development.
Pretty good plotting and character development.
December 8, 2018
A homey regional folk story
The cold case woven through people’s life, native Indians, the deserters, women fleeing abuse, the hard life of RCMP, the cozy relations of people living on the boarder between U.S.and Canada. Some deep, some brief, it is a good read if you wonder the life in Alaska.
The cold case woven through people’s life, native Indians, the deserters, women fleeing abuse, the hard life of RCMP, the cozy relations of people living on the boarder between U.S.and Canada. Some deep, some brief, it is a good read if you wonder the life in Alaska.
March 23, 2019
In the wilderness of Yukon and Alaska
Really enjoyed this book. A cold case murder mystery entwined with a current murder investigation. Retired RCMP homicide investigator now truck driver breaks down where his police career started and becomes drawn in to the cold case while waiting for repairs.
Really enjoyed this book. A cold case murder mystery entwined with a current murder investigation. Retired RCMP homicide investigator now truck driver breaks down where his police career started and becomes drawn in to the cold case while waiting for repairs.
December 30, 2020
Certainly an adult version of the call of the wild.
Ms donald does a great job bring you to this wild countryside and understanding the people who decide to live out there. She holds your interest by bringing in a mystery that has to be solved. She intertwined the mystery into the characters so well you. Find it hard to put the story down to do what ever. Thank you ms Donald looking forward to your next I will read.
Ms donald does a great job bring you to this wild countryside and understanding the people who decide to live out there. She holds your interest by bringing in a mystery that has to be solved. She intertwined the mystery into the characters so well you. Find it hard to put the story down to do what ever. Thank you ms Donald looking forward to your next I will read.
September 30, 2021
Former Mountie Howard Rayne, is now a long-haul truck driver. He hasn’t lost the investigating bug and desires to influence those around him by his good actions. This book has him taking a load to a mining company near Fairbanks. 25 years ago he was stationed in Whitehorse as a rookie RCMP and revisits friends and a old case.
November 13, 2021
I enjoyed this book very much. Taking place at the top of the world in the Yukon and places north was a different setting that most books don't venture into. Great characters and good development of their backgrounds. It did get a bit bogged down about 3/4 of the way through but only for a chapter or two. A good happy ending for all.
September 23, 2022
I really enjoy this series. Hunter Rayne, the former RCMP officer turned long haul trucker is an engaging protagonist and just can’t seem to avoid getting drawn back into crime solving. This is one of the best involving a cold case from his early days in the RCMP with memorable characters and an interesting plot set in the Yukon and Alaska.
August 22, 2023
Fantastic job
This story keeps the readers interest out There were only a few times when you had to backtrack to see what Character the author was talking about but other than that it was very enjoyable to read as well as civil over other books that I finished she does a great job and get her imagination working and visualize what she's talking about great job
This story keeps the readers interest out There were only a few times when you had to backtrack to see what Character the author was talking about but other than that it was very enjoyable to read as well as civil over other books that I finished she does a great job and get her imagination working and visualize what she's talking about great job
April 3, 2024
A very good mystery. Likeable characters. Hunter Rayne is a former RCMP and can't let an unsolved case go. He drives a load to the Yukon for a trucking company and meets up with a former mountie friend. It becomes a bigger mystery when he meets a girl who looks a lot like one he knew that disappeared 25 years ago.
February 23, 2017
I really liked this book. The characters were real to me. I cared about them and what was happening to them. Interesting story of life in the bush of Alaska. Ruth Donald is clever about leading you down one path and then turn the corner only to find it wasn't what I expected. A very good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews