KATE SHUGAK is a native Aleut working as a private investigator in
Alaska. She's 5 foot 1 inch tall, carries a scar that runs from ear
to ear across her throat and owns half-wolf, half-husky dog named
Mutt. Resourceful, strong-willed, defiant, Kate is tougher than your
average heroine - and she needs to be to survive the worst the
Alaskan wilds can throw at her.
THOUGH NOT DEAD. Kate's uncle Sam dies, leaving her a letter
instructing Kate to 'find his father'. The problem is Sam's father
disappeared nearly 90 years ago with a priceless tribal artifact.
As Kate delves into the old man's life, she unearths some
surprising facts: his service in World War Two, his friendship with
crime-writer Dashiell Hammet. The problem is that she's not the only
one interested in Sam's past. And this someone has no compunction
about putting Kate permanently out of the picture to get what they want.
