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Final Passage
A round trip to Skagway on the Alaska Ferry Matanuska becomes a race against time. Can Brad Haraldsen and his detective friend Shane Lindstrom put away the people who killed Brad's first love?
Amid in the raw beauty and mystery of the Inside Passage, Brad and his artist-wife wife, Irene, play a serious game with powerful adversaries. The vacation of a lifetime becomes the chase of a lifetime as they team up with Alaska authorities to run the murderers to ground.
Travel to Alaska in these pages and find new discoveries at every turn. If you've ever taken the Alaska Ferry, or dreamed of it, you'll never look at your fellow travelers the same again!
Amid in the raw beauty and mystery of the Inside Passage, Brad and his artist-wife wife, Irene, play a serious game with powerful adversaries. The vacation of a lifetime becomes the chase of a lifetime as they team up with Alaska authorities to run the murderers to ground.
Travel to Alaska in these pages and find new discoveries at every turn. If you've ever taken the Alaska Ferry, or dreamed of it, you'll never look at your fellow travelers the same again!
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 19, 2017
2 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Dan Pedersen
24 books10 followersI grew up in Western Washington and now make my home on Whidbey Island with my wife, Sue, and our adventurous canine, Duncan. We live in the woods with the deer, squirrels, owls, coyotes and other creatures that come and go when the spirit moves them.
After studying journalism at the University of Washington and receiving bachelor's and master's degrees, I became a reporter and editor for several newspapers in Washington and Idaho, including a large regional outdoor weekly. For most of my career I managed a magazine and other publications for a large insurance and financial services corporation.
But I saved the best for last. After giving up my good job in the city, I discovered how much fun writing could really be, starting with nature and rural life as my themes and, in time, evolving to writing mysteries, the most rewarding of all. What I love about mysteries is the platform they provide for my characters to stimulate reflection in the minds of readers.
My philosophy is my books should always entertain, but also give readers something more. Readers should come away having learned something new and been challenged to think about what they truly value in their lives.
After studying journalism at the University of Washington and receiving bachelor's and master's degrees, I became a reporter and editor for several newspapers in Washington and Idaho, including a large regional outdoor weekly. For most of my career I managed a magazine and other publications for a large insurance and financial services corporation.
But I saved the best for last. After giving up my good job in the city, I discovered how much fun writing could really be, starting with nature and rural life as my themes and, in time, evolving to writing mysteries, the most rewarding of all. What I love about mysteries is the platform they provide for my characters to stimulate reflection in the minds of readers.
My philosophy is my books should always entertain, but also give readers something more. Readers should come away having learned something new and been challenged to think about what they truly value in their lives.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 19, 2024
Follow-up to Final Deception finds Idahoan Brad and his wife on a vacation cruise to Alaska. I didn't enjoy this as much as the first story, and found the coincidence of them getting involved again with villains from Whidbey Island hard to swallow. There is really no mystery involved since readers are aware of those behind the crimes outlined. There is a lot of Alaskan history scattered about, which was a little distracting. Plus being reminded more than once about the main plot of the previous book was a bit annoying (reading the first book is recommended.) An okay read, but not a must-read.
October 18, 2018
A fun read about a mystery on the Alaska Ferry. I enjoyed the visual as the ferry visited the ports we enjoyed and others I need to see.
May 19, 2021
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*** Warning, this review DOES contain spoilers ***
"Final Passage" is the second in a series of novels by Dan Pedersen that feature many of the same characters in unique locales and circumstances. The beauty of this anthology format is that it allows the author to explore the various human-interest back stories in some detail without burdening the pace of the plot.
In fact, It occurred to me that Dan has a distinctive trans-genre style. His writing deftly weaves fiction, non-fiction historical, social/political statement, travelog, personal memoir and one might even detect threads of very subtle satire here and there.
To serve the fictional plot, many of the characters have familar roles as ships pursors, county sheriff, wildlife officer, etc. that don't depart too far from purpose. They come and go throughout the series as needed. There are several protagonists with their own personal histories. Shane, the itinerent law enforcement officer, suffers from some of the hazards of his job. And Bolivar, the ranch hand, is a utility player with a deep cultural history that could have a volume written just about his life.
On the other hand, Brad Haraldsen, the lead protagonist, is a piece of work. His motivating force is a life torn by repeated episodes of ancient and unresolved passions, tangential career moves, and missing pieces such as lost friends and, in my opinion, a MIA family of his own. His character is not so much written as pounded out of raw material like a cubist sculpture. His psyche ultimately levels out with the aid of a wife as steady and resilient as the Sawtooth mountains from whence she comes.
Brad harbors a need to shine light on the dark forces that hoard power and wealth in our society. Still, I have the feeling that he is only one crisis away from a major bout of depression. To wit, just the mention of the word "Bella", the name of his college heart throb, throws him into an emotional turbulence that threatens his marriage.
So here's my only criticism of this book and series, I'd like to see Brad Haraldsen hash it out with a therapist or take up Zen skeet shooting or find some other vehicle to explore his true and complete self, not one dependent on his public persona as a voice on NPR or his wife's ranch-spun sensibilities.
Well, I do have one other "point of view" about this book. Dorothy DeGroot didn't have to die...in jail no less. It just ain't fair that she couldn't right her ship and become a force for good somehow. As for her husband, Dutch DeGroot, he's a pathetic trashbin of evilness. Let him rot in hell.
On that uplifting note, I'll give this book four stars and encourage readers to, as the friendly bookseller at Kingfisher books in Coupeville WA says "Get your Dan Pedersen fix".
*** Warning, this review DOES contain spoilers ***
"Final Passage" is the second in a series of novels by Dan Pedersen that feature many of the same characters in unique locales and circumstances. The beauty of this anthology format is that it allows the author to explore the various human-interest back stories in some detail without burdening the pace of the plot.
In fact, It occurred to me that Dan has a distinctive trans-genre style. His writing deftly weaves fiction, non-fiction historical, social/political statement, travelog, personal memoir and one might even detect threads of very subtle satire here and there.
To serve the fictional plot, many of the characters have familar roles as ships pursors, county sheriff, wildlife officer, etc. that don't depart too far from purpose. They come and go throughout the series as needed. There are several protagonists with their own personal histories. Shane, the itinerent law enforcement officer, suffers from some of the hazards of his job. And Bolivar, the ranch hand, is a utility player with a deep cultural history that could have a volume written just about his life.
On the other hand, Brad Haraldsen, the lead protagonist, is a piece of work. His motivating force is a life torn by repeated episodes of ancient and unresolved passions, tangential career moves, and missing pieces such as lost friends and, in my opinion, a MIA family of his own. His character is not so much written as pounded out of raw material like a cubist sculpture. His psyche ultimately levels out with the aid of a wife as steady and resilient as the Sawtooth mountains from whence she comes.
Brad harbors a need to shine light on the dark forces that hoard power and wealth in our society. Still, I have the feeling that he is only one crisis away from a major bout of depression. To wit, just the mention of the word "Bella", the name of his college heart throb, throws him into an emotional turbulence that threatens his marriage.
So here's my only criticism of this book and series, I'd like to see Brad Haraldsen hash it out with a therapist or take up Zen skeet shooting or find some other vehicle to explore his true and complete self, not one dependent on his public persona as a voice on NPR or his wife's ranch-spun sensibilities.
Well, I do have one other "point of view" about this book. Dorothy DeGroot didn't have to die...in jail no less. It just ain't fair that she couldn't right her ship and become a force for good somehow. As for her husband, Dutch DeGroot, he's a pathetic trashbin of evilness. Let him rot in hell.
On that uplifting note, I'll give this book four stars and encourage readers to, as the friendly bookseller at Kingfisher books in Coupeville WA says "Get your Dan Pedersen fix".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews