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Alaska Wild #2
Cold Wind
Second in a new series set in Alaska from beloved cozy author Paige Shelton, Cold Wind will chill your bones.
Beth Rivers is still in Alaska. The unidentified man who kidnapped her in her home of St. Louis hasn’t been found yet, so she’s not ready to go back.
But as October comes to a close, Benedict is feeling more and more like her new home. Beth has been working on herself: She’s managed to get back to writing, and she’s enjoying these beautiful months between summer and winter in Alaska.
Then, everything in Benedict changes after a mudslide exposes a world that had been hidden for years. Two mud-covered, silent girls appear, and a secret trapper’s house is found in the woods. The biggest surprise, though, is a dead and frozen woman’s body in the trapper’s shed. No one knows who she is, but the man who runs the mercantile, Randy, seems to be in the middle of all the mysteries.
Unable to escape her journalistic roots, Beth is determined to answer the questions that keep arising: Are the mysterious girls and the frozen body connected? Can Randy possibly be involved? And―most importantly―can she solve this mystery before the cold wind sweeping over the town and the townspeople descends for good?
Beth Rivers is still in Alaska. The unidentified man who kidnapped her in her home of St. Louis hasn’t been found yet, so she’s not ready to go back.
But as October comes to a close, Benedict is feeling more and more like her new home. Beth has been working on herself: She’s managed to get back to writing, and she’s enjoying these beautiful months between summer and winter in Alaska.
Then, everything in Benedict changes after a mudslide exposes a world that had been hidden for years. Two mud-covered, silent girls appear, and a secret trapper’s house is found in the woods. The biggest surprise, though, is a dead and frozen woman’s body in the trapper’s shed. No one knows who she is, but the man who runs the mercantile, Randy, seems to be in the middle of all the mysteries.
Unable to escape her journalistic roots, Beth is determined to answer the questions that keep arising: Are the mysterious girls and the frozen body connected? Can Randy possibly be involved? And―most importantly―can she solve this mystery before the cold wind sweeping over the town and the townspeople descends for good?
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First published December 1, 2020
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November 8, 2020
COLD WIND by Paige Shelton is a well-written mystery novel that combines traditional police detective work and amateur sleuthing. It is the second book in the Alaska Wild series. The story is set in Benedict, Alaska and centers around Beth Rivers, a successful thriller writer known as Elizabeth Fairchild. Beth is still hiding and recovering in Alaska while the Missouri police look for her stalker turned kidnapper. When two muddy eight- or nine- year-old girls show up at her office and then a body is found, it is only the beginning of the mysteries that unfold. Why are the girls by themselves? Who are their parents? Who is the dead person? Will Beth’s kidnapper finally be arrested? Will she stay in Alaska? Will Beth learn to fully trust more people in the Benedict community? These are only a few of the questions that must be answered.
Beth’s character was well-developed. She continues to be a flawed protagonist that also has shown some growth through making friends and learning to deal with her post traumatic stress disorder, but she still keeps secrets and finds it hard to trust people. Several of the secondary characters gained depth in book two of this series as some secrets are revealed while others continue to add to the enjoyment of the book. There are a large number of characters in this story, but several of them were introduced in book one so it felt like I was catching up with old friends.
The author does a great job of portraying the hardships and lack of amenities as well as the friendships, pace of life, the wonders, and the dangers of living in and around small town Alaska. I could easily visualize the town, the people, the road conditions, the cold, the isolation and much more.
This is a riveting story that hooked me with the first chapter and kept me interested throughout. It’s suspenseful and there are twists and turns and surprises along the way in an intricate plot that kept me guessing. From the small town residents to the descriptions of Alaska to the various mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Several themes run through the tale including murder, drug addiction, disappearances, PTSD and much more.
Overall, it was a solid mystery that was engaging, suspenseful, fast-paced and compulsively readable. While it does leave one major plot point unresolved, all others were resolved. If you enjoy well-written mysteries, then I recommend you check out this series. The books are best read in order, but there is enough background that COLD WIND could be read as a standalone. I’m looking forward to book three.
St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and Paige Shelton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is set for December 1, 2020. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Beth’s character was well-developed. She continues to be a flawed protagonist that also has shown some growth through making friends and learning to deal with her post traumatic stress disorder, but she still keeps secrets and finds it hard to trust people. Several of the secondary characters gained depth in book two of this series as some secrets are revealed while others continue to add to the enjoyment of the book. There are a large number of characters in this story, but several of them were introduced in book one so it felt like I was catching up with old friends.
The author does a great job of portraying the hardships and lack of amenities as well as the friendships, pace of life, the wonders, and the dangers of living in and around small town Alaska. I could easily visualize the town, the people, the road conditions, the cold, the isolation and much more.
This is a riveting story that hooked me with the first chapter and kept me interested throughout. It’s suspenseful and there are twists and turns and surprises along the way in an intricate plot that kept me guessing. From the small town residents to the descriptions of Alaska to the various mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Several themes run through the tale including murder, drug addiction, disappearances, PTSD and much more.
Overall, it was a solid mystery that was engaging, suspenseful, fast-paced and compulsively readable. While it does leave one major plot point unresolved, all others were resolved. If you enjoy well-written mysteries, then I recommend you check out this series. The books are best read in order, but there is enough background that COLD WIND could be read as a standalone. I’m looking forward to book three.
St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and Paige Shelton provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is set for December 1, 2020. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
January 19, 2021
I am really enjoying this new series by Paige Shelton! I know she writes cozies, but I haven't read those... I might give it a shot. This is a light murder mystery.
Cold Wind is book two and can be read as a stand alone. The author did a wonderful job recapping the characters from the first book and the mystery was solved by the end. You still may want to check out the first since the secondary characters in this series are all interesting. I love the Alaska backdrop and people, but this particular mystery in book two (the frozen body) has somewhat convoluted conclusion. I initially was going to give it a 4 star rating but the last couple chapters bugged me so I'm dropping a star. I am still looking forward to book three!
Cold Wind is book two and can be read as a stand alone. The author did a wonderful job recapping the characters from the first book and the mystery was solved by the end. You still may want to check out the first since the secondary characters in this series are all interesting. I love the Alaska backdrop and people, but this particular mystery in book two (the frozen body) has somewhat convoluted conclusion. I initially was going to give it a 4 star rating but the last couple chapters bugged me so I'm dropping a star. I am still looking forward to book three!
August 25, 2021
Three and a half stars
Writing thrillers is one thing. It’s a whole different story when you are part of the reality as Beth knows. She was abducted from her home town of St Louis. Though she escaped, the memories linger helped by the fact that her abductor has not been found. So for the time being Beth has shifted her life to Benedict Alaska. When a mudslide occurs two silent young girls appear in town. The next day a women’s frozen body was is discovered. Who is she? Do the secrets to this crime lie in the past? And is it at all possible these events relate in some way to Beth's own past?
This is an atmospheric novel where the location of Alaska looms like another character.
The characters were likeable and even though this was book 2 in the Alaska Wild Mystery series there was enough information conveyed about the characters for this to read fine as a stand alone. For the most part the pace worked well and the mysteries kept unfurling maintaining my interest. I did think thing got a bit convoluted and over the top towards the end. But overall an entertaining and recommended read.
Writing thrillers is one thing. It’s a whole different story when you are part of the reality as Beth knows. She was abducted from her home town of St Louis. Though she escaped, the memories linger helped by the fact that her abductor has not been found. So for the time being Beth has shifted her life to Benedict Alaska. When a mudslide occurs two silent young girls appear in town. The next day a women’s frozen body was is discovered. Who is she? Do the secrets to this crime lie in the past? And is it at all possible these events relate in some way to Beth's own past?
This is an atmospheric novel where the location of Alaska looms like another character.
The characters were likeable and even though this was book 2 in the Alaska Wild Mystery series there was enough information conveyed about the characters for this to read fine as a stand alone. For the most part the pace worked well and the mysteries kept unfurling maintaining my interest. I did think thing got a bit convoluted and over the top towards the end. But overall an entertaining and recommended read.
April 9, 2021
Thriller writer Beth Rivers becomes entangled in another mystery commencing upon the arrival at the 'Petition' of 2 young girls, both unable to speak, and covered in mud. Are they tied in any way to the odd, unhuman screams that Randy, the mercantile owner has claimed to hear near his remote home in the woods. Also, in parallel, are Beth's flashbacks to her kidnapping and the reveal of the name of the perpetrator and possible link to her family. There is the introduction of Tex as a highly probable romantic partner. With her past and present probably eventually colliding, she will need someone she can rely upon. I love the scenery and descriptions of Alaskan life make me feel like I got to visit for a while. This is a series that I cannot wait for the next installment!
October 9, 2021
Hiding in plain sight – that’s what Beth Rivers has been doing for the past several months. She didn’t change her name or use a disguise. She simply relocated to a small, remote town in Alaska. Let me clarify something: While Beth Rivers is her real name, she is better known as thriller writer Elizabeth Fairchild of St. Louis, Missouri. She doesn’t need a disguise because she looks nothing like the photos on her book jackets. Now she sports a noticeable scar, the reminder of the brain surgery that was required following the head injury she suffered while escaping from a man who had kidnapped her. Her hair changed to a near-white, blonde color, and now she never needs to wear makeup.
Cold Wind is the second book in Paige Shelton’s “Alaska Wild” series. After some wild, disturbing events at Benedict House, a women’s halfway house where she had mistakenly booked a room and wound up staying, Beth finds herself nearly the only resident. In addition to Viola, who is the “landlord” and supervisor of the parolees, the only other woman in residence at present is Ellen, a woman struggling with drug dependency. As Ellen is craving a fix, it seems that Viola may have her work cut out for her! Fortunately, Beth steps in to lend a hand.
In the first book, Thin Ice, Beth met some of the town’s residents, including the police chief, the librarian, and the proprietor of the mercantile. These men all figure prominently this time around as well. She also started taking knitting classes so she could meet people and, let’s face it, she wanted to get info on a murder she was awfully interested in. She worked for her grandfather back in Missouri when he was police chief and her interest in police work seems to be in her blood. She can come across as a nosy busybody at times, but so far, folks have been quite tolerant of her, for the most part.
In this installment, trouble finds her once again. After a mudslide, a frozen body is found in a dilapidated shed. Then, she finds two wayward eight-year-old girls and contacts Chief Grilson Samuels, “call me Gril”. He ensures that the girls are looked after; communication proves to be a challenge as both girls are mute. The girls return home after their father learns where they are, but questions remain. Where did they come from? Who is their mother? One girl is a native Tlingit child; the other appears to be white. Their father says only that they are his girls.
This story is filled with mysteries. As in Thin Ice , we’re reminded that some folks in the wilds of Alaska like their privacy. Some are running from something; others just want to escape the rat race. So, it’s not surprising to learn that there are cabins out in the middle of nowhere. Beth can’t help being suspicious, but is that her fear talking to her? Call it caution; she seems to have a better handle on her emotions and displays a greater sense of security and calm as she has settled in a more in the little community of Benedict. There are two other men, both loners, who are enigmas. One is already known to Beth and to most folks in the area. The other is a stranger to most. Could either one be hiding a sinister secret?
As we learned in the first book, Beth has secrets of her own, although now someone else in Benedict besides Gril has discovered it. Nonetheless, Beth is slowly coming to realize that her abductor is not hiding behind every tree. he is beginning to treat the memories that come at a moment’s notice as pieces of a puzzle to be solved rather than nightmares to be feared. Her mother is still on the hunt back in Missouri, as is Detective Majors.
I didn’t get the sense that Beth is anxious to return home, however. She rather seems to be enjoying her new life in Alaska, where she has new friends and a sense of purpose. Of course, she hasn’t experienced real winter yet! Maybe that happens in book 3, Dark Night, which is due to be released on December 7, 2021. I already have it on my Net Galley shelf!
4.5 stars rounded up
Cold Wind is the second book in Paige Shelton’s “Alaska Wild” series. After some wild, disturbing events at Benedict House, a women’s halfway house where she had mistakenly booked a room and wound up staying, Beth finds herself nearly the only resident. In addition to Viola, who is the “landlord” and supervisor of the parolees, the only other woman in residence at present is Ellen, a woman struggling with drug dependency. As Ellen is craving a fix, it seems that Viola may have her work cut out for her! Fortunately, Beth steps in to lend a hand.
In the first book, Thin Ice, Beth met some of the town’s residents, including the police chief, the librarian, and the proprietor of the mercantile. These men all figure prominently this time around as well. She also started taking knitting classes so she could meet people and, let’s face it, she wanted to get info on a murder she was awfully interested in. She worked for her grandfather back in Missouri when he was police chief and her interest in police work seems to be in her blood. She can come across as a nosy busybody at times, but so far, folks have been quite tolerant of her, for the most part.
In this installment, trouble finds her once again. After a mudslide, a frozen body is found in a dilapidated shed. Then, she finds two wayward eight-year-old girls and contacts Chief Grilson Samuels, “call me Gril”. He ensures that the girls are looked after; communication proves to be a challenge as both girls are mute. The girls return home after their father learns where they are, but questions remain. Where did they come from? Who is their mother? One girl is a native Tlingit child; the other appears to be white. Their father says only that they are his girls.
This story is filled with mysteries. As in Thin Ice , we’re reminded that some folks in the wilds of Alaska like their privacy. Some are running from something; others just want to escape the rat race. So, it’s not surprising to learn that there are cabins out in the middle of nowhere. Beth can’t help being suspicious, but is that her fear talking to her? Call it caution; she seems to have a better handle on her emotions and displays a greater sense of security and calm as she has settled in a more in the little community of Benedict. There are two other men, both loners, who are enigmas. One is already known to Beth and to most folks in the area. The other is a stranger to most. Could either one be hiding a sinister secret?
As we learned in the first book, Beth has secrets of her own, although now someone else in Benedict besides Gril has discovered it. Nonetheless, Beth is slowly coming to realize that her abductor is not hiding behind every tree. he is beginning to treat the memories that come at a moment’s notice as pieces of a puzzle to be solved rather than nightmares to be feared. Her mother is still on the hunt back in Missouri, as is Detective Majors.
I didn’t get the sense that Beth is anxious to return home, however. She rather seems to be enjoying her new life in Alaska, where she has new friends and a sense of purpose. Of course, she hasn’t experienced real winter yet! Maybe that happens in book 3, Dark Night, which is due to be released on December 7, 2021. I already have it on my Net Galley shelf!
4.5 stars rounded up
April 18, 2021
3.0 stars - might have been more if I read book #1? Though this was still a decent stand-alone read.
Benedict, Alaska, a small isolated remote village. Beth Rivers, well known author has come here to escape. She was kidnapped and her kidnapper still has not been found. She says she’s over it, but mentally, she’s not. She is trying to fly under the radar and is not open with her situation to anyone. Her mother, kind of a crass rabble rouser, is looking for her daughter’s kidnapper on her own. I did not care for her mother’s style in how she conversed with her daughter, but that was just my opinion. I guess she shows her love in different ways like trying to find her daughters kidnapper and doing things that are basically illegal. Beth does not have a father figure in this book, though he is mentioned and possibly plays a part in the whole series.
Those of us in big cities and even rural areas, forget how absolutely isolated the Alaska wilderness is. There are thousands of people who go missing in Alaska, for many reasons, both natural and nefarious. We forget how there may be only one doctor available who sets up an exam room in the most of unprecedented of places. We forget how people want to disappear, to be away from society for whatever reason. Those who go to live a simplified life and enjoy the beauty of nature. How groceries and supplies can be difficult to come by. We forget how a small town like this has a very small police and the coroner and forensics staff cover more than one area and are not what you expect. How cell phone service is pretty much nonexistent. How people who go to Alaska thinking they can live there and make it, only to find out what a big mistake that was on their part. Either they return to where they came from, or get themselves in trouble because they were totally unprepared for this rugged, unforgiving, Alaska life.
I liked the interplay between this small towns characters and Beth. It seems as if they accepted her easily, her coming to town, without fully knowing her back story. But then I give some of them credit for possibly knowing/researching who she is, but respecting her confidentiality. Because I think they all had something to hide.
I was stopped abruptly short at the ending - wait, what just happened here? I’m guessing it’s a loose end waiting to be picked up in book 3? But first I have to go back to #1 and then we’ll see how the stars all line up.
Benedict, Alaska, a small isolated remote village. Beth Rivers, well known author has come here to escape. She was kidnapped and her kidnapper still has not been found. She says she’s over it, but mentally, she’s not. She is trying to fly under the radar and is not open with her situation to anyone. Her mother, kind of a crass rabble rouser, is looking for her daughter’s kidnapper on her own. I did not care for her mother’s style in how she conversed with her daughter, but that was just my opinion. I guess she shows her love in different ways like trying to find her daughters kidnapper and doing things that are basically illegal. Beth does not have a father figure in this book, though he is mentioned and possibly plays a part in the whole series.
Those of us in big cities and even rural areas, forget how absolutely isolated the Alaska wilderness is. There are thousands of people who go missing in Alaska, for many reasons, both natural and nefarious. We forget how there may be only one doctor available who sets up an exam room in the most of unprecedented of places. We forget how people want to disappear, to be away from society for whatever reason. Those who go to live a simplified life and enjoy the beauty of nature. How groceries and supplies can be difficult to come by. We forget how a small town like this has a very small police and the coroner and forensics staff cover more than one area and are not what you expect. How cell phone service is pretty much nonexistent. How people who go to Alaska thinking they can live there and make it, only to find out what a big mistake that was on their part. Either they return to where they came from, or get themselves in trouble because they were totally unprepared for this rugged, unforgiving, Alaska life.
I liked the interplay between this small towns characters and Beth. It seems as if they accepted her easily, her coming to town, without fully knowing her back story. But then I give some of them credit for possibly knowing/researching who she is, but respecting her confidentiality. Because I think they all had something to hide.
I was stopped abruptly short at the ending - wait, what just happened here? I’m guessing it’s a loose end waiting to be picked up in book 3? But first I have to go back to #1 and then we’ll see how the stars all line up.
April 7, 2025
I am enjoying this series set in the wilderness of Alaska where people go to get off the grid or just enjoy living at the slower pace. Beth Rivers, a bestselling author, went to escape a stalker who held her prisoner for three days until she jumped out of the van where he was keeping her. She had a brain injury from the event and some memories are still coming back. She keeps in touch with the police detective and her mother, both in St. Louis. The stalker was never comprehended although we learn more about him as Beth remembers more. The characters in Benedict, Alaska are all interesting and most are full of secrets. In this story, when two young girls approach Beth's door after a mudslide, the mysteries begin with a found body, strange noises, and more. Suspense, action, danger, interesting characters, and a beautiful setting keep me invested in this series. I alternated between listening via Chirp and reading on Kindle. (foul language)
November 27, 2021
*3.5 stars.
It was a bold move for Beth Rivers to escape to Alaska from Missouri where she had been kidnapped by a man named Travis Walker. As Beth is a well-known thriller writer, it was at first assumed he was an obsessed fan. After recovering from injuries received while escaping, she made the decision to 'go off the grid' to hide, as Travis remains at large. She has settled in nicely in the small Alaskan town of Benedict, where she now publishes the weekly paper and is making friends amongst the eccentric residents, many of whom have their own secrets.
A cold wind has come to Benedict, bringing rain and mudslides. This time the mud reveals rather than obscures as a dead body is found in an old storage shed that was previously inaccessible by road. Then one day shortly after, Beth Rivers answers a knock on her 'office' door to discover two bedraggled little girls who appear to be lost, but neither will speak a word. Are the two strange events somehow connected? Beth can't help but stick her nose into both investigations.
If you've ever dreamed of living in the wilds of Alaska, this is the series for you.
It was a bold move for Beth Rivers to escape to Alaska from Missouri where she had been kidnapped by a man named Travis Walker. As Beth is a well-known thriller writer, it was at first assumed he was an obsessed fan. After recovering from injuries received while escaping, she made the decision to 'go off the grid' to hide, as Travis remains at large. She has settled in nicely in the small Alaskan town of Benedict, where she now publishes the weekly paper and is making friends amongst the eccentric residents, many of whom have their own secrets.
A cold wind has come to Benedict, bringing rain and mudslides. This time the mud reveals rather than obscures as a dead body is found in an old storage shed that was previously inaccessible by road. Then one day shortly after, Beth Rivers answers a knock on her 'office' door to discover two bedraggled little girls who appear to be lost, but neither will speak a word. Are the two strange events somehow connected? Beth can't help but stick her nose into both investigations.
If you've ever dreamed of living in the wilds of Alaska, this is the series for you.
November 28, 2020
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Beth Rivers is still hiding out in Alaska because the man who kidnapped her has yet to be apprehended. She is getting more comfortable in her surroundings and is writing again.
There was a recent mudslide that has shaken the town up a bit. Two young girls are found. They can hear but they don’t talk. Their mud-covered state leads everyone to believe they have been out in the elements awhile. The mudslide also opened up a path to reveal a house in the woods and a shack with a dead body. The woman is frozen stiff and while it is chilly in Alaska it is not cold enough to freeze a body solid and keep it frozen.
Is there a connection between the woman and the girls? or just crazy incidents happening at the same time? Beth is very drawn to the girls and needs answers, so she inserts herself into another investigation that could make living in the lower 48 staying a step ahead of a kidnapper safer than the wild winds blowing through Benedict Alaska.
I was thrilled to receive an early copy of the first book in this series, Thin Ice, and have been waiting somewhat impatiently for this book but let me tell you it was worth the wait.
Just like Thin Ice, Cold Wind grabbed me right away and the book was impossible to put down. Many authors have a descriptive writing style but Ms. Shelton’s is unique in that she takes us on the scene like we are watching a movie. She is able to paint pictures with her words without getting overly wordy. The scenes came alive in my mind in living color and the story just flowed. There are several suspenseful scenes intermixed with some milder ones but the pages seemed to fly at breakneck speed. I had to know what was going to happen next.
I was very impressed with the way Beth is evolving as she remembers more about the trauma she survived that had her landing in Alaska. She really is a strong woman because life in Alaska isn’t easy especially after all she has been through. She is surrounded by a very interesting group of supporting characters. We met several more in this story. Some who escaped to Alaska for their own reasons.
Cold Wind actually gave me shivers and chills. Beth Rivers is a powerful character and I am so enthusiastic about this series and to see her story continue.
To really appreciate this story you should read Thin Ice first to understand Beth’s journey, plus it is an awesome story too! Look for Cold Wind on my Best Reads of 2020 list.
Beth Rivers is still hiding out in Alaska because the man who kidnapped her has yet to be apprehended. She is getting more comfortable in her surroundings and is writing again.
There was a recent mudslide that has shaken the town up a bit. Two young girls are found. They can hear but they don’t talk. Their mud-covered state leads everyone to believe they have been out in the elements awhile. The mudslide also opened up a path to reveal a house in the woods and a shack with a dead body. The woman is frozen stiff and while it is chilly in Alaska it is not cold enough to freeze a body solid and keep it frozen.
Is there a connection between the woman and the girls? or just crazy incidents happening at the same time? Beth is very drawn to the girls and needs answers, so she inserts herself into another investigation that could make living in the lower 48 staying a step ahead of a kidnapper safer than the wild winds blowing through Benedict Alaska.
I was thrilled to receive an early copy of the first book in this series, Thin Ice, and have been waiting somewhat impatiently for this book but let me tell you it was worth the wait.
Just like Thin Ice, Cold Wind grabbed me right away and the book was impossible to put down. Many authors have a descriptive writing style but Ms. Shelton’s is unique in that she takes us on the scene like we are watching a movie. She is able to paint pictures with her words without getting overly wordy. The scenes came alive in my mind in living color and the story just flowed. There are several suspenseful scenes intermixed with some milder ones but the pages seemed to fly at breakneck speed. I had to know what was going to happen next.
I was very impressed with the way Beth is evolving as she remembers more about the trauma she survived that had her landing in Alaska. She really is a strong woman because life in Alaska isn’t easy especially after all she has been through. She is surrounded by a very interesting group of supporting characters. We met several more in this story. Some who escaped to Alaska for their own reasons.
Cold Wind actually gave me shivers and chills. Beth Rivers is a powerful character and I am so enthusiastic about this series and to see her story continue.
To really appreciate this story you should read Thin Ice first to understand Beth’s journey, plus it is an awesome story too! Look for Cold Wind on my Best Reads of 2020 list.
January 6, 2021
October in Benedict, Alaska brings 9 hours of daylight. Recent rains caused a mudslide. A woman's frozen body is discovered and two mud covered little girls knock on the door of Beth Rivers office.
Beth Rivers came to Alaska to hide. She is a best selling novelist who was stalked, kidnapped, and held in a van for 3 days. Unknown where her kidnapper is. Beth is still staying at the Benedict House, a halfway house which she checked into by mistake. Not that there are a whole lot of places to stay in this small remote town. Beth helped her law enforcement grandfather when she was a teenager so police chief Gril uses her skills to assist in his investigation.
It's not necessary to read the first book in this series, although I have. The author gives you all the information you need in this one. I am aware of Paige Shelton as a writer of cozy mysteries. This series is similar to a cozy except it has some bad language and a higher level of suspense. I like all of the secondary characters, especially Viola who is Beth's gun toting landlord. The mystery is straightforward with Beth learning more about her kidnapper.
Beth Rivers came to Alaska to hide. She is a best selling novelist who was stalked, kidnapped, and held in a van for 3 days. Unknown where her kidnapper is. Beth is still staying at the Benedict House, a halfway house which she checked into by mistake. Not that there are a whole lot of places to stay in this small remote town. Beth helped her law enforcement grandfather when she was a teenager so police chief Gril uses her skills to assist in his investigation.
It's not necessary to read the first book in this series, although I have. The author gives you all the information you need in this one. I am aware of Paige Shelton as a writer of cozy mysteries. This series is similar to a cozy except it has some bad language and a higher level of suspense. I like all of the secondary characters, especially Viola who is Beth's gun toting landlord. The mystery is straightforward with Beth learning more about her kidnapper.
August 31, 2021
The mystery resolution in this was a bit bananas, and I think it's also bananas that Beth just kind of gets to go wherever/do whatever she wants as a newcomer to Benedict. (Especially police related things, come on.) I kind of feel as though outsiders in small towns wouldn't exactly be welcomed into the fold as quickly and easily as she's been, but where would the series be if everyone ignored her?
December 20, 2020
Wow! about sums up this book. I started thinking it would be an okay read, then as I got further into it, I fell down the rabbit hole! I could not put it down. In spite of not having read the first book (which I have on hold at the library), I literally carried this book everywhere I went!
The plotting is amazing. The author kept me spellbound by the cold Alaska wilderness and by the darkness of some of her characters. This book was amazing and I heartily recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity and pleasure of reading and reviewing this book. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon!
The plotting is amazing. The author kept me spellbound by the cold Alaska wilderness and by the darkness of some of her characters. This book was amazing and I heartily recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity and pleasure of reading and reviewing this book. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon!
November 28, 2020
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed the first book in this series about Beth Rivers, mystery novelist, who has moved to very small Benedict, Alaska, to hide out after a traumatic experience that has left her physically and emotionally traumatized. She needs to hide out and heal. I was really looking forward to this second book.
Benedict is an interesting setting and full of wonderful characters. The atmosphere is so intriguing and well presented. In this story two lost young girls turn up at Beth's door. They do not speak and have not been reported missing. The town springs into action. A dead body is found in an abandoned shed. It has been frozen for years. Who would keep a body frozen and who is it?
Beth helps the law investigate and runs into an assortment of characters who live off the grid and are quite quirky. The problem I found is that Beth is quite annoying in this story. First of all, it's weird that the police take her along on the investigations. She blabs things to other residents a lot. She doesn't mind sharing. She breaks into people's homes. She questions people relentlessly. Why would anyone answer her intrusive questions? She puts herself in really dangerous situations. She is really quite annoying in this book. Still there is something likeable about her.
It is a wonderful mystery to escape in if you don't use too much logic. Benedict and its citizens are fun. You don't have to have read the first one to enjoy this as the author does a good job of catching you up. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series about Beth Rivers, mystery novelist, who has moved to very small Benedict, Alaska, to hide out after a traumatic experience that has left her physically and emotionally traumatized. She needs to hide out and heal. I was really looking forward to this second book.
Benedict is an interesting setting and full of wonderful characters. The atmosphere is so intriguing and well presented. In this story two lost young girls turn up at Beth's door. They do not speak and have not been reported missing. The town springs into action. A dead body is found in an abandoned shed. It has been frozen for years. Who would keep a body frozen and who is it?
Beth helps the law investigate and runs into an assortment of characters who live off the grid and are quite quirky. The problem I found is that Beth is quite annoying in this story. First of all, it's weird that the police take her along on the investigations. She blabs things to other residents a lot. She doesn't mind sharing. She breaks into people's homes. She questions people relentlessly. Why would anyone answer her intrusive questions? She puts herself in really dangerous situations. She is really quite annoying in this book. Still there is something likeable about her.
It is a wonderful mystery to escape in if you don't use too much logic. Benedict and its citizens are fun. You don't have to have read the first one to enjoy this as the author does a good job of catching you up. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
December 13, 2020
3.5 stars. Although I hadn’t read the first book in this series, the author does a great job of filling in what you need to know. I really enjoyed learning about the various people in Benedict, Alaska, and learning about how they dealt with the challenging climate, lack of modern niceties, etc. The main character, Beth Rivers, is hiding out in Benedict, after escaping from a kidnapper. She is starting to learn how to move on and adjust to life in Alaska. Almost no one in Benedict knows she’s really a famous thriller novelist. Her kidnapping is an overarching theme for this series, with Beth learning/remembering bits and pieces as the book proceeds. Her mother is trying to track down who the kidnapper is and she seems like a piece of work! However, the main action of the book is a local mystery which has many layers: a frozen body is discovered and two girls appear seemingly out of nowhere and they can’t/won’t speak. This mystery is of course solved by the end of the book, but I found the solution not to be particularly satisfying. This could almost be considered an amateur sleuth mystery, as Beth asks a lot of questions and does some things that the local police would/should frown on. I did thoroughly enjoy the people of Benedict, so I may go back and read the first book in the series, Thin Ice.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
December 6, 2021
This is a fun read that transports you to rural Alaska as you try to unravel several mysteries. It's the second in a series and I have not read the first, but it does a good job of filling in what you've missed so you can read it as a standalone. I liked the main character and really enjoyed the descriptions of her new life in a secluded Alaska town. That part felt very real. Some of the other characters were likeable and realistic, while some seemed kind of like caricatures. The mysteries were enjoyable and I did not figure it out ahead of time, but only because the story was frankly convoluted and implausible. Talk about coincidences! And ridiculous motives for some things that happened.... Almost none of it made logical sense looking back once you know what really happened. But the journey getting there was a great time, so I forgive Shelton.
I also appreciate the lack of gore, torture, or the use of unforgivable plot tropes like secret twin sister villains or characters with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
I'll happily read the next one, which I think is due to be released soon.
I read a digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.
I also appreciate the lack of gore, torture, or the use of unforgivable plot tropes like secret twin sister villains or characters with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
I'll happily read the next one, which I think is due to be released soon.
I read a digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.
November 17, 2020
Beth, an author, is still hiding out in a remote area of Alaska from the man who kidnapped/traumatized/brain injured/stress disordered her in her hometown of St Louis. A fiction writer and journalist, she has assumed the local paper and uses its building as a writer's retreat and even uses a typewriter to work on a novel to keep off the grid while staying in a former hotel, now a sort of minimal security women's rehab and only using burner phones. She has confided in the local law and an interesting man who has more than enough secrets of his own. Enter two nonverbal young girls who are frightened and may know something about a body found earlier that day after a major mudslide. Add in some very interesting people who have left the mainstream to enjoy their semi solitude in the wilderness. And another body or two. Absolutely riveting! I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
December 9, 2020
In this second book of the series Beth Rivers has decided that Benedict, Alaska has been the perfect place to hide out and plans to continue to do so. The man who kidnapped her and has her running hasn't yet been found and she doesn't feel safe going back to her old life. She is actually falling into a routine and enjoying the new life she is carving out for herself, with the upcoming cold weather though she'll have to see if she can endure it. When a mudslide occurs unveiling a section that has been hidden for years the town is turned upside down. Two young girls are found wondering around the paper, neither talk so figuring out who they are has become harder. The frozen body of a women is found in shed that the mudslide has uncovered. Figuring out who she is and how she ended up there is another mystery that needs to be solved. Beth starts getting a funny vibe from Randy the local mercantile owner and can't help but wonder if he has anything to do with all the mysteries popping up left and right. Beth can't help her curious nature and decides she needs to look into things, hoping to help figure out.just what is going on. Will she be able to put all the puzzle pieces together before she herself becomes a victim? Dive in and see if you can figure out just what is going on! This is such a wonderful news series that will immediately pull you in and won't let you go until the end. The characters are well developed and easy to relate to, the location is beautiful yet dangerous, and the plot is easy to get lost in. I look forward to the next book!!!
February 20, 2022
I liked this one better than the first. It was an interesting read and I really enjoy the "small town in Alaska" feel. Benedict is slowing inching it's way into my heart. I do struggle a bit with how much the police allow Beth to be involved in the solving of these crimes. Her "credentials" don't seem to warrant it. Though in this installment it made a bit more sense. And the author's endings which basically MAKE you want to read the next book is a bit irritating and seem rather abrupt. I'm not a lover of cliffhangers.
October 1, 2020
Cold Wind by Paige Shelton was an absolutely absorbing suspenseful read. I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. Ms. Shelton's descriptive writing allowed me to feel as if I was experiencing the wild and remote Alaska setting of Benedict.
Beth's character is rapidly developing and I could easily empathize with her mixed feelings as more of her memories come back from her traumatic experience before her move to Alaska. A mystery woman's body is found in a remote storage shack which leads Grif, Donner and Beth on a quest to find answers for more than one mystery from the past.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Beth's character is rapidly developing and I could easily empathize with her mixed feelings as more of her memories come back from her traumatic experience before her move to Alaska. A mystery woman's body is found in a remote storage shack which leads Grif, Donner and Beth on a quest to find answers for more than one mystery from the past.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
September 20, 2020
COLD WIND, the second book in the Alaska Wild mysteries by Paige Shelton, is another edge-of-your-seat suspenseful read! The author’s descriptions of the remote Alaskan setting and harsh environment adds to the tension. She deftly spins a tale combining the unsolved attack by a stalker on the protagonist, Beth, back in her hometown in St. Louis, along with a murder in her new hideout town in the wilds of Alaska. Adding to the intrigue is the discovery of two young mute girls wandering alone in the rugged landscape. The unfolding of their plight is expertly woven into the mysterious death of a woman who had disappeared several years earlier. This is a series that is best to start with book one since Beth’s memory of the attack is shattered and she slowly remembers fragments of the crime as the story progresses. As her memory gradually comes back and the clues unfold, the chilling plot made it virtually impossible to put the book down. Ms. Shelton has proven, once again, to be a masterful storyteller by writing another intriguing page turner!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 12, 2021
I wanted to find out what would happen next after listening to Thin Ice. I thought reading the book would be better.
I liked the tiny rural Alaska village setting and some of the characters very much. The crime uncovered and the criminal in this installment seemed so bizarre and unlikely that I think I'm done with these, and I'm not that interested in the protagonist's potential romance.
I liked the tiny rural Alaska village setting and some of the characters very much. The crime uncovered and the criminal in this installment seemed so bizarre and unlikely that I think I'm done with these, and I'm not that interested in the protagonist's potential romance.
April 24, 2022
YES, THIS IS THE SAME-EXACT THING I POSTED ABOUT ALASKA WILD #1
Great new series for me. Love, love, love me some remote Alaskan communities--that's what drew me to these books by Paige Shelton.
Read the first two before writing one Book Report; wanted to make sure that Ms Shelton was doing what I thought she was doing, which is using a primary story arc as the throughline through _at least_ the first two books, if not more.
Yep.
Probably a good thing No. 3 was already checked out when I got to the library yesterday, otherwise I would be foregoing eating and showering this particular Sunday evening in order to read it, as well, today.
It's on hold, you know it is!
Great new series for me. Love, love, love me some remote Alaskan communities--that's what drew me to these books by Paige Shelton.
Read the first two before writing one Book Report; wanted to make sure that Ms Shelton was doing what I thought she was doing, which is using a primary story arc as the throughline through _at least_ the first two books, if not more.
Yep.
Probably a good thing No. 3 was already checked out when I got to the library yesterday, otherwise I would be foregoing eating and showering this particular Sunday evening in order to read it, as well, today.
It's on hold, you know it is!
March 18, 2024
This book held my attention with the many twists and turns!
March 14, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up because I like Beth Rivers even if she does silly things that kidnapping survivors probably wouldn’t do. But the series is built on Alaska is remote, record-keeping is sketchy and that no one seems to ever answer their phones unless of course the plot requires them to. This is probably true enough but it also gets tiring as all hell.
Why Beth is in Alaska is because she’s in hiding from a stalker/kidnapper. She seems to have a recognizable face, because she’s (used to be?) a bestselling author. I have a vague recollection of the first book in which she may have dyed her hair? Or cut it off? Or something - but I’m not certain. She certainly has fans of her work recognize her.
Tourists come to Alaska, and while Benedict is not a major hub, there are still quite a few of them and Beth isn’t exactly a recluse. How long until someone recognizes her, but isn’t her friend, and posts on social media about who they ran into? This seems sketchy to me. Beth, just get yourself a makeover while you hope your kidnapper gets caught. Also crazy idea - if it was me with a recognizable face I wanted to hide, I would choose the anonymity of say NYC rather than stay in a small town with one store.
I am interested in Beth’s overall story arc, but this book’s individual mystery is really terrible actually. It is so convoluted it makes barely any sense and the author seems to recognize it. As the killer is giving their confession, she has Beth acknowledge that okay maybe it happened that way but maybe not. I really cared nothing for -
Why Beth is in Alaska is because she’s in hiding from a stalker/kidnapper. She seems to have a recognizable face, because she’s (used to be?) a bestselling author. I have a vague recollection of the first book in which she may have dyed her hair? Or cut it off? Or something - but I’m not certain. She certainly has fans of her work recognize her.
Tourists come to Alaska, and while Benedict is not a major hub, there are still quite a few of them and Beth isn’t exactly a recluse. How long until someone recognizes her, but isn’t her friend, and posts on social media about who they ran into? This seems sketchy to me. Beth, just get yourself a makeover while you hope your kidnapper gets caught. Also crazy idea - if it was me with a recognizable face I wanted to hide, I would choose the anonymity of say NYC rather than stay in a small town with one store.
I am interested in Beth’s overall story arc, but this book’s individual mystery is really terrible actually. It is so convoluted it makes barely any sense and the author seems to recognize it. As the killer is giving their confession, she has Beth acknowledge that okay maybe it happened that way but maybe not. I really cared nothing for -
January 1, 2021
Thin Ice is the first book in this mystery series set in Alaska. I suggest you begin with it first, it sets up this excellent series.
Elizabeth Fairchild is the pen name of Beth Rivers, a highly successful mystery writer.
She was stalked and kidnapped and her assailant still has not been caught, so she is hiding out in Alaska after her severe trauma.
The tiny town of Benedict is really beginning to feel like home to Beth. She is writing again and becoming friends with the residents.
After a mudslide, two mud covered young girls show up in town. They don't speak, so no one knows what happened to them.
The slide also uncovered an area that leads to a previously unknown house and storage shed.
A woman's frozen body is found in the shed.
Beth helps the investigation, to find out who the victim is, and what happened to her.
They must find the answers as the cold winter weather descends upon them.
This was a suspenseful and intricately plotted mystery.
The characters are delightfully eccentric. Beth has an impulsive personality, it is always interesting to see what she'll do next.
I absolutely love the setting, how they must deal with the hardships of the remote area and harsh weather.
And the ongoing mystery as to who attacked Beth and why is fascinating.
Thank you St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.
Elizabeth Fairchild is the pen name of Beth Rivers, a highly successful mystery writer.
She was stalked and kidnapped and her assailant still has not been caught, so she is hiding out in Alaska after her severe trauma.
The tiny town of Benedict is really beginning to feel like home to Beth. She is writing again and becoming friends with the residents.
After a mudslide, two mud covered young girls show up in town. They don't speak, so no one knows what happened to them.
The slide also uncovered an area that leads to a previously unknown house and storage shed.
A woman's frozen body is found in the shed.
Beth helps the investigation, to find out who the victim is, and what happened to her.
They must find the answers as the cold winter weather descends upon them.
This was a suspenseful and intricately plotted mystery.
The characters are delightfully eccentric. Beth has an impulsive personality, it is always interesting to see what she'll do next.
I absolutely love the setting, how they must deal with the hardships of the remote area and harsh weather.
And the ongoing mystery as to who attacked Beth and why is fascinating.
Thank you St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.
March 26, 2021
We are back in Benedict, AK with Beth and the townsfolk. It's early autumn and Beth is writing again while settling in to stay the winter, her first in Alaska. A recent mudslide has opened up areas around Benedict that had closed off by a mudslide about 6 years earlier. It also brings a frozen woman's body to light, introduces Beth to a few more area residents, and has 2 young mute girls covered in mud appear at The Petition's shed next to the library. As the plot unfolds, murder, mayhem and missing persons are disclosed and crimes solved. Beth continues to have occasional memory flashes from her abduction. At the same time back in the lower 48, it looks like there may be a lead on her abductor and a hint that he was connected to her father before his disappearance when she was a child.
This series just gets better and better. The mysteries are layered and complex, not easy for the reader to solve. There are always one or two clues or connections that seem incredibly obvious when you read them, the author usually has the characters see them pretty quickly or at least conclude as you the reader have that they are all related some how. Love the characters and the setting is spectacular. I can't wait for the next, due in December 2021.
This series just gets better and better. The mysteries are layered and complex, not easy for the reader to solve. There are always one or two clues or connections that seem incredibly obvious when you read them, the author usually has the characters see them pretty quickly or at least conclude as you the reader have that they are all related some how. Love the characters and the setting is spectacular. I can't wait for the next, due in December 2021.
December 8, 2020
As the second book in the Alaska Wilds series, Beth Rivers' arrival in Alaska to hide from a kidnapper is a continuing thread. In Paige Shelton's first book in the series, Thin Ice, we met Beth when she left St Louis to escape a stalker/ kidnapper. She feels safer here where you recognize every face you see on the street. This is the backstory thread that will bridge the series together. In the mean time....
Beth has managed to make it through the summer months in Benedict, Alaska. Small town Alaska is a completely different experience but she has come to love the community and the residents. Mystery #1 happens when two young girls find their way to her door, she works with the locals to identify them. Mystery #2 happens when a mudslide uncovers a cabin hidden in the woods with a woman's frozen body tied to a sled parked next to it. While Alaska is known for cold, it has not been cold enough to freeze her this season. These two threads will twist and turn until Beth finds a long buried story that places her in more danger.
A great mystery/ thriller set in a beautiful background. Paige Shelton has done an excellent job of blending the two to keep this reader happy.
Beth has managed to make it through the summer months in Benedict, Alaska. Small town Alaska is a completely different experience but she has come to love the community and the residents. Mystery #1 happens when two young girls find their way to her door, she works with the locals to identify them. Mystery #2 happens when a mudslide uncovers a cabin hidden in the woods with a woman's frozen body tied to a sled parked next to it. While Alaska is known for cold, it has not been cold enough to freeze her this season. These two threads will twist and turn until Beth finds a long buried story that places her in more danger.
A great mystery/ thriller set in a beautiful background. Paige Shelton has done an excellent job of blending the two to keep this reader happy.
February 27, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommended it to someone just yesterday along with Thin Ice. Now, I’ve read the ending and am less than impressed.
The ending is unbelievably, and I mean unbelievably, convoluted.
Lots of goofy questions remain unanswered;
Implausibilities.
Woman, Wanda, bought the girls toothbrushes?
Really?
When Wanda took the girls to Randy’s and Lane’s houses, Mary did not recognize Lane’s house as home? She was young, but two years old isn’t an infant.
Randy, and Gril and Donner… not one of these three men recognized Audrey’s body?
Lane walked into town for supplies but no one was curious enough to wonder where he was living?
Lane also completely ignored the picture in his upstairs window? He just passed off the feeling that was someone had been in his house?
No problem with Tex just assuming guardianship of the girls? Especially the Horton’s Mary? Especially now.
By the way, how does a Tlingit man get a nickname (nickname?) like Tex?
It’s a shame. I enjoyed this book so much and now the whole thing has kind of been sullied by the ending.
I will still be reading Ms. Sheldon‘s next book. Maybe Mill will come to town! She’s my kind of woman!
The ending is unbelievably, and I mean unbelievably, convoluted.
Lots of goofy questions remain unanswered;
Implausibilities.
Woman, Wanda, bought the girls toothbrushes?
Really?
When Wanda took the girls to Randy’s and Lane’s houses, Mary did not recognize Lane’s house as home? She was young, but two years old isn’t an infant.
Randy, and Gril and Donner… not one of these three men recognized Audrey’s body?
Lane walked into town for supplies but no one was curious enough to wonder where he was living?
Lane also completely ignored the picture in his upstairs window? He just passed off the feeling that was someone had been in his house?
No problem with Tex just assuming guardianship of the girls? Especially the Horton’s Mary? Especially now.
By the way, how does a Tlingit man get a nickname (nickname?) like Tex?
It’s a shame. I enjoyed this book so much and now the whole thing has kind of been sullied by the ending.
I will still be reading Ms. Sheldon‘s next book. Maybe Mill will come to town! She’s my kind of woman!
June 2, 2022
I've had to suspend so much disbelief for this series already, and so I had to draw the line somewhere. That line was at the "killer confesses to everything once caught and ties up loose ends" moment near at end. Up until that big reveal though, these books were decent for small town murder mysteries, and I did like the Alaskan wilderness setting which reminded me of the Canadian Yukon in the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. But a setting can only do so much for a story. It certainly can't carry the weight of a whole series that hinges on the reader overlooking or completely ignoring obvious things like major head injuries and dead bodies showing up every couple of months in a town with a population of a few dozens.
April 5, 2023
So corny. Undeveloped characters (despite it being a sequel). Beth cannot help herself but to tell every single person she speaks to about what she’s learned from another person or her own nosiness. She’s not a cop or detective but pretends she is because her grandpa was (just like her mom). This book is annoying and so poorly written. I won’t be reading any more in this sequel. The only reason I picked up book 2 is because I was somewhat interested in seeing if Beth found out anything more about her own attacker. She does a little (a name) but I still don’t care enough. Oooof I cannot believe this book Carrie’s a 4 star rating. It’s a 1 for me.
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