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Nik Kane #3
Skeleton Lake
Twenty years after receiving the first big assignment of his career, Anchorage detective Nik Kane finds himself badly injured during a case and identifies similarities between his own situation and that of his predecessor's unsolved murder. Reprint.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 14, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 16, 2019
SPOILERS:
1) I did not get a great sense of Alaska which I had been expecting. I think his other book--Lost Angel--might have...at least from the reviews I've read? But Skeleton Lake could have been set anywhere, it seems to me.
2) I found the switching time periods confusing for a good half of the book. Yes, when Nik was a youngster it was easy but there were many chapters when I found myself having to go back and re check the header.
3) Maybe Doogan wanted to bring the mystery of Nik's father's disappearance into the next book but I found it frustrating that it was not wrapped up here (aside from philosophically, of course....CeeCee's and the chapter quotes seemed to ram that home.) Since this seemed to be the other major plot point of this book, I think it was unfair to leave that hanging.
4) His son's death was really glossed over. What the heck happened? Again, unless this was a huge plot in another book, I can't believe he just threw that in there with no explanation.
4) BUT aside from those issues I really liked the straight up mystery bit. And I really enjoyed the interaction between Nik and JackieDee. I thought the hints were there but hard to figure out. I loved how Nik did not give up on the cold case.
I would definitely read another by Doogan despite the points above.
1) I did not get a great sense of Alaska which I had been expecting. I think his other book--Lost Angel--might have...at least from the reviews I've read? But Skeleton Lake could have been set anywhere, it seems to me.
2) I found the switching time periods confusing for a good half of the book. Yes, when Nik was a youngster it was easy but there were many chapters when I found myself having to go back and re check the header.
3) Maybe Doogan wanted to bring the mystery of Nik's father's disappearance into the next book but I found it frustrating that it was not wrapped up here (aside from philosophically, of course....CeeCee's and the chapter quotes seemed to ram that home.) Since this seemed to be the other major plot point of this book, I think it was unfair to leave that hanging.
4) His son's death was really glossed over. What the heck happened? Again, unless this was a huge plot in another book, I can't believe he just threw that in there with no explanation.
4) BUT aside from those issues I really liked the straight up mystery bit. And I really enjoyed the interaction between Nik and JackieDee. I thought the hints were there but hard to figure out. I loved how Nik did not give up on the cold case.
I would definitely read another by Doogan despite the points above.
January 11, 2015
This book is one that tells the story of a man at three different times in his life: 1962, 1985, and 2007. Each chapter switches eras. It was not until page 200 of 300 that I realized that there were actually two completely separate mysteries going on in the book. I kept waiting for it all to come together and it never did. The book was more the development of a man with a very sad life than it was an intense mystery thriller. If you are looking for the biography of a fictional character who had a lot of trouble in his life, this is the book for you. If you want a real mystery that keeps you hanging on edge and thinking about it even when you are away from it, leave this one on the shelf.
October 9, 2017
This was my least favorite of the 3 Nik Kane books. There isn't a lot of action. I really left me with my questions than answers. Was Dylan really Nik's son? Was Teddy really Nik's father?
May 12, 2020
This is one of the first times I have actually enjoyed a book that involved jumping back and forth in time with separate storylines. It was well done, with smooth transitions and merged wonderfully into a fast paced finish.
This is a gritty, at times dark, mystery. But the Alaskan setting and Nik Kane’s compelling personality and the three storylines made me thoroughly enjoy it!
The only downside is the ending definitely has some personal loose ends to sort out and this is apparently Mike Doogan’s last Nik Kane. Boo! I hopped on Amazon to get the next book because I had to know what happened with those loose ends, but alack, alas, there is no next.
This is a gritty, at times dark, mystery. But the Alaskan setting and Nik Kane’s compelling personality and the three storylines made me thoroughly enjoy it!
The only downside is the ending definitely has some personal loose ends to sort out and this is apparently Mike Doogan’s last Nik Kane. Boo! I hopped on Amazon to get the next book because I had to know what happened with those loose ends, but alack, alas, there is no next.
May 12, 2022
This was engrossing enough for a murder mystery. A few loose ends at the end, but overall very enjoyable for its genre.
September 21, 2023
Couldn't finish!! Too much jumping around 3 different times in his life and not telling you anything.
October 28, 2023
First Nik Kane Mystery I've read. I really enjoyed it and look forward to getting the first two to enjoy also.
February 26, 2023
I don’t know why I read this it was terrible but I have a rule that if I start a book I need to finish it
July 5, 2016
Skeleton Lake by Mike Doogan is the third book of the Nik Kane mystery series set in Anchorage Alaska. In 2007, Nik Kane is recovering from nearly fatal injuries resulting from a tragic shootout. Chapters alternate between Nik's recovery in 2007, and his childhood memories from 1963-5, and his first major murder case as a rookie detective in 1985. Nik's life has been filled with turmoil.
Nik grew up living hand-to-mouth; each child in the family worked, underage or not, so they could eat. His father deserted the family when Nik was a young teen, and his oldest sister shouldered the responsibility for managing the household because his mother would not. Nik asked everywhere he could around the city, trying to find out why his father left, and what had become of him.
In 1985 Nik was a rookie partnered with veteran detective Jackie Dee. Nik's first major murder case was a drug deal gone bad, leaving a police officer dead. Doogan presents a grim view of corruption within the police: of 7 possible suspects who might have stashed away the missing "buy money", 5 belonged to law enforcement agencies.
Between those early detective years and 2007, Nik became a drunk, and served years in prison. His wife Laurie is divorcing him. After prison, he has worked as a civilian private investigator. While recuperating from his injuries, he re-examines evidence from that first murder case, still unsolved.
Nik grew up living hand-to-mouth; each child in the family worked, underage or not, so they could eat. His father deserted the family when Nik was a young teen, and his oldest sister shouldered the responsibility for managing the household because his mother would not. Nik asked everywhere he could around the city, trying to find out why his father left, and what had become of him.
In 1985 Nik was a rookie partnered with veteran detective Jackie Dee. Nik's first major murder case was a drug deal gone bad, leaving a police officer dead. Doogan presents a grim view of corruption within the police: of 7 possible suspects who might have stashed away the missing "buy money", 5 belonged to law enforcement agencies.
Between those early detective years and 2007, Nik became a drunk, and served years in prison. His wife Laurie is divorcing him. After prison, he has worked as a civilian private investigator. While recuperating from his injuries, he re-examines evidence from that first murder case, still unsolved.
January 21, 2009
A very depressing detective/mystery novel, which kept me guessing to the very melancholy end.
It was mixed with the main characters home life and youth filled with poverty and a longing to know what happened to his missing dad.
I read it because it took place in Anchorage. After reading it, I'd never want to visit or live there.
This book leads you to believe that most people are depraved and wicked. It was horrible, with little hope.
At least I couldn't figure out who the killer was. And when I did I knew why he'd done it and felt the guy should have been killed in the first place. Why'd I spend my time reading this?
It was mixed with the main characters home life and youth filled with poverty and a longing to know what happened to his missing dad.
I read it because it took place in Anchorage. After reading it, I'd never want to visit or live there.
This book leads you to believe that most people are depraved and wicked. It was horrible, with little hope.
At least I couldn't figure out who the killer was. And when I did I knew why he'd done it and felt the guy should have been killed in the first place. Why'd I spend my time reading this?
December 5, 2016
I zipped through this book when I came down with a cold. Good reading for an illness, not too demanding. Doogan uses a very interesting construct in this book, going back and forth in time while the main character is recovering. I am getting a little sick of the obsession with the missing father, miss the main character's wife (where did she go?) and thought the kids were cyphers. The main character also shows little grief for the ending of the last book ("Capitol Offense") so in my mind, the main character is becoming a cypher himself.
C'mon Mike, you can do better!
C'mon Mike, you can do better!
May 15, 2012
hmm....on the fence with this one. I guess my main problem is he ends the book just when its getting somewhere.
It begins after Nik wakes up in the hospital after being shot. He struggles with memories of his dad's leaving and his first case as a detective (a unsolved shooting of a fellow police officer). To relieve boredom and keep his mind off the death of his son, Nik goes through the old case file and opens up a cold case that hits closer to home than he realizes.
It begins after Nik wakes up in the hospital after being shot. He struggles with memories of his dad's leaving and his first case as a detective (a unsolved shooting of a fellow police officer). To relieve boredom and keep his mind off the death of his son, Nik goes through the old case file and opens up a cold case that hits closer to home than he realizes.
January 9, 2015
Best of the three in the series so far - provided you have read the first two. I had wondered how Doogan was going to go forward from the conclusion of the second volume, and he manages the task very well indeed. The story unfolds in flashbacks to Nik's childhood and early days as a detective. The conclusion resolves the mystery, but there is personal business left hanging. I look forward to the fourth story.
March 4, 2009
I enjoyed this....... Nik Dane is the primary detective, and the setting is Alaska. There is the former cop who is killed, the broken marriage and some typical cop kinds of themes. Kane finds out that the dead man was quite a ladies man and made the rounds of many women in the area......including those who are married. An easy read, but still somehow kept my attention.
January 25, 2014
This book left me confused. All the bouncing back and forth from past to present. Maybe I just couldn't get into the characters but at the end I was still wondering who was who. I was also irritated with the names - Cee Cee, Jackie Dee, Jackie DeeTwo. Won't be reading any more of his books if this is as good as it gets.
January 31, 2010
Doogan captures the Alaska feel (of course he lives there) but I would have liked a little more town descriptions and even more Alaska charm. This one read like a typical "could be anywhere" mystery. His character is gritty enough without being too raw.
April 22, 2011
Good; Continuing character: Nik Kane; fairly confusing story bouncing back and forth between time periods in Kane's life, alternating between a storyline about a murdered cop and Kane's long missing father
September 16, 2008
The unfolding of Nik Kane's back story just gets better and better and the Alaska setting is gripping and realistic. This is the third book in the series. Watch out for those cliff-hanging endings!
January 2, 2009
How hard it is for everyone to work their way through life. What a great Mystery!!!1
September 6, 2010
Will go back and find the first in the series. The past always kicks series characters in the butt.
March 7, 2011
First 3 or 4 pages were about some cops discussing a case and the language was so bad I just decided to not even finish the book
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August 2, 2011This is the 3rd of a series. I think it would have helped to have read the first two first. Was expecting a little more Alaskaness to it.
March 15, 2013
I almost gave up on this book after a few chapters, but then it grabbed me, pulled me in, and I'm glad I finished it. Hope his next book comes out soon.
March 15, 2013
This was not as good as I thought it would be. Authors who jump around need to be sure to keep track of their own storyline. There were spots in the book toward the end that made no sense.
May 10, 2013
I did not care for it much. The writing style was not my taste.
June 13, 2013
Other than the rapid ending that didn't really tie up all the lose ends, it was a very enjoyable read.
August 1, 2014
Good escapist reading, especially if you're traveling to Alaska.
October 17, 2014
I decided to read this book because it was set in Alaska. As far as a sense for place, it could have been Manhattan. Basically your run-of-the-mill detective story.
December 13, 2014
GOOD READ
June 13, 2015
This is the second Nik Kane mystery I have read. It's part police procedural, part hard-boiled. I enjoy both the setting and the complex characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews