Out of Circulation

Miss Zukas #5

by Jo Dereske

HITTING THE BOOKS
Miss Helma Zukas is reluctant to go hiking on the Cascade mountains, but her friend Ruth is insistent. When she agrees to go, Helma, ever the librarian, does her research, reading up on survival techniques, packing like a pro, and making up a list for her irresponsible friend. As usual, Ruth comes unprepared, having neglected to read Helma's list. But even Helma's careful preparation couldn't have anticipated the discovery of a dead body high in the rocky wilderness.

SURVIVING THE TRAIL
Since it appears unlikely that the hole in the hiker's chest was caused by a fall, Helma suspects foul play. When the victim is airlifted off the mountain, Ruth is ready to accept a ride back to civilization, but Helma insists they stay and search for the hiker's missing companion. Being good Samaritans is one thing, but getting stranded in a blinding snowstorm is quite another. Especially when escaping Nature's deadly fury means holing up in a little cabin with some motley strangers who may be planning a murderous adventure for a couple of dangerously inquisitive women...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

212 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

I grew up in rural Michigan, greatly influenced by my Lithuanian roots. I'm one of those tedious people who wanted to write stories as soon as I learned to read, but believed I had to leave Michigan first. In fact, I couldn't wait to shake off that Michigan dust! Curiously, everything I write seems to have a connection to Michigan or my Lithuanian heritage.
I now live in the beautiful foothills of Mount Baker, near Bellingham, Washington.
I've loved being a librarian: libraries are one of our last truly public institutions, where the whole world, in all its zits and glory, passes through.
There are twelve titles in the Miss Zukas mystery series. Miss Zukas is tough, honest, crafty, a complicated woman with a deep but futile desire to perceive the world in black and white. And yes, Helma Zukas is what used to be called, a “real” librarian. You might say she embraces the stereotype. Helma is unapologetic.
Ruby Crane is a forgery specialist, a subject that's fascinated me since I forged my first absence excuse in fourth grade. There are three books in the series.
My three young people's books were written when my children were young.
Please visit me on my website!
jo 5/26/2013

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just realized that I read this book (#5 in the series) right after the first book in the series, oh well. No matter, this was a really one. The beginning of this book was just hilarious. I will be reading this whole series.

[Asta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the reader above Bellehaven, high up the mountains of Washington state.
A hike by Helma and Ruth does not go according to a plan. First they decide to rescue someone. Then, once the snowstorm hits, they themselves wait to be rescued.
Claustrophobic atmosphere of seven people crowded in a small mountain cabin.
With added suspense, those with something to hide, sharp thinking from smart librarian Miss Zukas, and, obviously, a happy ending to all except the criminal(s).

No references to "kugelis" in this installment :)
Instead, a few poetry lines in Lithuanian:
"Kartūninis katinas ir šuo iš velveto
šalia vienas kito ant stalo susėdo,
Kaip aš ir žinojau..."

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot about this series and decided this will be fun, light summer reading. Helma and Ruth go on a 3 day hike, find murder, get snowed in with people they don’t know who may be a murderer. Many funny moments ensue.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helma's nonathletic best friend Ruth wants to commemorate her 40th birthday with an overnight hiking trip in the mountains. Helma reluctantly agrees, and, being the good librarian that she is, she does her research first, purchasing the appropriate gear, printing maps of their route, and packing a book on surviving in the wilderness, just in case.

An early winter storm catches them off-guard shortly after they begin their trek, and they encounter the body of a wounded man, who is air-rescued out of the wilderness. Helma and Ruth continue on their hike, on the look out for the other person in the party with the wounded (murdered?) man. They end up stranded in an emergency cabin for hikers with 5 other hikers caught in the same storm...and it appears that one of them must be the killer.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Helma Zukas is a librarian who isn’t much of a hiker. Ruth, her best friend, is about to turn 40 and has decided they should go on a hike – in fact a 3 day back-pack trip. Neither of them had ever done any camping. Helma reluctantly agrees but the trip turns out to be much more than they planned on. Murder, snow storm, finding an unconscious hiker, marooned in an emergency cabin with 5 other people ………. Quite a camping trip!!

[Leah Hamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was torn between two and three stars. The characters were alright, but I just never felt engrossed in this story. I was too able to set it down and go do something else. I realize this is part of a series, so I may have enjoyed it if I did not start in the middle. By the end, I was a bit curious what was going to happen next, but not enough to search out the next one.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was #5 of 12 in the series, and one of the best! I have now completed reading them all. (I like to read in order but couldn't get my hands on this one till now).

[Liisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping to find the same humor in the Miss Zukas series in this book, (#5,) but I did not. Instead, this was a pretty good mystery....

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Same strong main characters, different but believable setting, and surprise ending. Fun, fast read.

[Greyling54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the general notion of taking Miss Zukas out of the library has potential, I can't say I enjoyed this mystery as much as the previous 4. I think the Bellhaven library and its denizens is almost as much a character as the people in the stories and I missed it. The hiking was interesting and I certainly didn't guess the mystery.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series!!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Samantha De Abreu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! It was a bit slow to get into the 90s setting but an interesting story

[Raegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

grabbed this book at the transfer station swap shop, very quick read which is unusual for me! kitchy in a cute way and seasonally appropriate

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. One of my favorites. So looking forward to the next one. This series does build off the previous books.

[Spuddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#5 Helma Zukas, librarian, mystery set in fictional Bellehaven, WA. Helma and her good friend Ruth set off on a 3-day camping trip/hike up in the mountains near the Canadian border when they are trapped by a snowstorm in an emergency cabin with several other hikers. Helma is as prepared as she can be with plenty of dried foods and a backpack full of useful things--unlike Ruth, who insisted on hiking in a skirt, of all things.

Of course there are dead bodies, guns, suspicious behavior and at least one murderer--but who? And how will Helma keep the killer from suspecting that she may have figured out the mystery long enough for the storm to abate and the group to be rescued?

I enjoy this series a lot. Helma is an odd duck for sure--she "seems" a lot older than she is, rather prim and proper and yet she definitely has sense of humor too. It's not often I find a cozy-ish series that I enjoy these days, but this is definitely one of them.

[Dale Safford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little mystery that is easy to read and fairly fun. One chapter leads you right into the next.

Librarian Miss Helma Zukas reluctantly goes with her slightly crazy friend Ruth Winthrop on an overnight hiking trip on a mountain in Washington state. After seeing a man they know who has come off the trail having been shot and then dies, a blizzard catches them by surprise as they search for the man's wounded friend. Seeking refuge in one of the shelter buildings, they are joined by 2 women and 2 men. Tension builds as the snow strands them, and a gun appears in Helma's sleeping bag and then mysteriously disappears. Is one of the people with them a murderer? But which one? Will the books that Helma has selected to bring with on the trip help them through the situation?

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Miss Zukas Mystery. Weak plot, fair characters. The biggest question isn't who murdered the man who was found in the snow but why Miss Z. puts up with her friend Ruth who is clearly supposed to provide comic relief but who is merely irritating. Ruth and Miss Z. (Helma?) take a hike into the mountains --- Ruth ill-equipped Helma well equipped. They are caught in a snow storm and seek shelter in a cabin with four or five others (too uninteresting to stand out as individuals). Among these is a murdered but it's only at the end that we find out who and why (surprise surprise --- all the messages on the radio actually are relevant).

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to read this series in order, but the library didn't have a copy of the third book, and I skipped straight to this one. It was every bit as enjoyable as the other two I'd read.

The setting in the mountains of Washington state, and putting our methodical librarian in unusual circumstance once again brought delight. The characters and their relationships help move things along, keeping the loyal reader delighted. And I have to admit to taking special delight in Miss Zukas' ability to not recognize when gents are attracted to her, while her friend Ruth has such great antennae of that nature.

Light, captivating, easy to read, and fun!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helma Zukas is persuaded by her friend Ruth to take a hike in the beautiful mountains around Bellehaven. But unexpectedly bad weather and their discovery of an injured hiker lead to a rescue cabin, where the three of them, and four other travellers, are stranded. It doesn't take long for Helma to realize that one of the others is probably a murderer.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Miss Zukas series is one of my favorites. Ruth feels the weight of her fortieth birthday weighing upon her, and convinces her friend, librarian Helma Zukas, to go with her on a hike in the mountains. But even perfectionist Helma can't predict everything that goes wrong.
Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this series.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Helma Zukas is prodded by her artist friend Ruth to go hiking on Mt. Baker. They discover a man, covered in blood, stumbling down the mountain. He reports his hiking partner is dead, left on the mountain. He was shot. Miss Zukas & Ruth get stuck in an emergency cabin during an unseasonable snow storm with several people, one may be a murderer. Recommended.

[Kristi Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The librarian stereotypes still annoy, but the plot was more exciting with this one. Also suffers from Murder She Wrote syndrome - why do people keep getting killed in the vicinity of this perfectly normal albeit obsessive woman? But many mystery series do.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Miss Zukas because she's so OCD.
I also love Miss Zukas because her OCD traits usually solve the mystery.
I liked this book because it wasn't clear if there was a murder, and if there was, who did it and why.
Oh, heck, it was a light easy read that didn't strain the brain and I liked it.

[Babs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light mystery by local author.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some great librarian humor. A little show and the author had some wonderful puns that needed to be developed.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

books are good enough. Probably wouldn't be reading so many if the nice librarian hadn't requested them through ILL. They all came in at the same time.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can never have enough mystery books with puns for title and the library pun is a bonus.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A day hike with Ruth turns in a camping blizzard with bodies as Miss Zukas is outside the library in a rescue cabin with 7 other hikers or are they not what they seem

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Zukas & her friend, Ruth, go hiking in the Cascades.