Stone Cross is the second book in The Deputy Marshal Arliss Cutter series by Marc Cameron.
It can be read as a stand-alone, the author providing us with all necessary information about the main characters.
A silver cross decorated army veteran, originally based in Florida, Arliss Cutter has settled in Alaska to look after his brother’s widow and family. Cutter and his deputy, Lola Teariki, of Maoi origin, are tasked to escort a judge for an arbitration in Stone Cross, a small town in the Alaska bush, home to a native community of a few hundred inhabitants. Kind of a burden at first, this Judge will prove to be a much more compelling character as the story moves forward.
Several plot points are put into motion before the Marshalls even arrive in Stone Cross. The main one being the abduction of a couple overseeing a remote lodge for the winter, and the murder of the lodge’s handyman. It doesn’t fall under the Marshalls’ purview (and neither do the other happenings in Stone Cross), but circumstances won’t leave them any other choice than to get involved.
Stone Cross is home to a sheer number of interesting characters, on which the author gives enough background to get us to care about the goings in their lives. The number of characters is so overwhelming that Marc Cameron put a cast summary at the beginning of the book. It proved to be unnecessary, as the characters are so well introduced and fleshed out that I never had to go back to it for reference.
All the crimes and mysteries moving the story forward are interesting in themselves but, the strength of this book lies elsewhere. Marc Cameron is a retired US Marshall. In 1998, he moved to Alaska to serve as deputy in charge of the multi-agency Alaska Fugitive Task Force, as well as a member of the Tactical Tracking Unit, before spending the last six years of his career as Chief Deputy for Alaska (according to a 2016 interview given to wickedauthors.com).
As such, he knows what he’s writing about. He gifts us with an incredible account of what life is in the remote Alaska bush. And, it’s a whole other world. A world in which our taken for granted commodities are sparse, communication, infrastructure and transportation are unreliable. A world in which everything we’re used to buy without a second thought is expensive, and workers are given subsistence days to go hunting for food. A place where one can remain pinned by cold storms, cut from any help or medical services, hopefully used to fend for oneself.
The isolated Alaska bush is known for a high number of crimes and misdemeanors, and Marc Cameron doesn’t try to hide this fact. But, he makes a point to show us that it’s also mainly home to good people, and pretty strong characters, with a high sense of community.
This depiction of rural Alaska is the most fascinating part of this novel. Marc Cameron immerses his story in an authentic setting, fueled by his years of experience in the field, his knowledge of the area, of its inhabitants, and its folklore. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel teaching me so many things, and I don’t think I would have gotten much more from a documentary.
it sure wouldn’t have been as thrilling, as the mystery isn’t to be overlooked. It evolves at a good pace in this rich environment, a sense of urgency slowly climbing as we witness the evolving predicament of the victims, before picking up in parallel thrilling final acts neatly resolving all the plot points.
This is a book not to be missed by those liking their thrillers with authenticity and substance.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington books for the ARC granted in exchange for this unbiased review.
Don’t miss the yummy bonus at the very end of the book.