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A Grave Denied

by Dana Stabenow

Wow. I haven't read any of Dana Stabenow's previous writing, but if it's anything like this, it's surely worth reading. I've also never visited Alaska, where she sets her story, although I can certainly relate to the Park, as it's evidently known. The Park is the wild part of Alaska, and nothing like Anchorage, which is a city much like any other American metropolitan area. The Park has the woods, the wildlife, and the glaciers - as well as the homesteads and the people who like their privacy, about which A Grave Denied is written.

Kate Shugak is the primary character, living on her 160 acre homestead with a teenage boy, Johnny, whom she's adopted - although not legally. She's only taking care of him since his father died, because he has no desire to return to his real mother, who couldn't care less about her son. However, A Grave Denied begins with the discovery of a body (what else) of a handyman, Len Dreyer, whom everyone knew but knew nothing about. Even Kate, the Park's unofficial private investigator, had hired him to thin her trees and was planning to get him to help build a second cabin for Johnny; but it turns out she knew less about him than any of her Park neighbors.

People finally realize that Len Dreyer has been missing for the entire winter. This is not surprising, since everyone holes up for the long, cold Alaskan winters when it's nigh near impossible to travel anywhere. Len's body is discovered in an ice cave under a receding glacier - with a shotgun hole in his chest. Jim Chopin, an Alaskan State Trooper, asks Kate to help him find out something about Len's background, in order to uncover a motive for his murder. The motive remains elusive. Everyone liked Len, and he could do just about anything you needed, from fixing machinery to building a house. So why was he killed?

Kate quickly realizes there must be more to Len Dreyer than she suspected - and discovers another name for him - a name with a police record attached. Asking around about Len proves dangerous, however, and when her cabin is burnt to the ground, Trooper Chopin takes her off the case. Kate persists in her investigation because she's mad as hell about the cabin - a home where she was born and raised - not to mention that the arsonist also intended both she and Johnny should be burnt up along with it!

Then there's another murder. Like Len Dreyer, this one was also killed at close range with a shotgun. Trooper Jim and Kate both know this second victim was hunting for clues to the Dreyer killing so he could prove himself worthy of being Jim Chopin's assistant instead of Kate. Trooper Chopin places Kate back on the case. Although he wants her safe (Jim Chopin is decidedly attracted to Kate) he realizes she's bent on discovery of the murderer whether she's official or not! Knowing Len Dreyer's predilections gives Kate what she thinks is a clue to the identity of the murderer. She acts on it, and in doing so, innocently stumbles into the path and arms of the real murderer.

The actual motive for the original killing and the subsequent murders, plus attempts at the murder which follows are a real revelation. The reason is something easily missed in reading A Grave Denied even though we might wonder in retrospect why the peculiar behavior of certain parties wasn't questioned. Before rescue can occur, Kate is just about given up for dead, as well as her faithful Mutt - a half dog and half wolf. Trooper Jim Chopin backs off from his romance with Kate, but not before Kate realizes he'll be back. And the ending of the book will choke you up if you're at all sensitive to innate human kindness.


Alan Paul Curtis

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