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A review by realadhdoug
Not the Ones Dead by Dana Stabenow
3.75
This was the third Kate Shugak book I’ve read, and I liked it better than the first (#17) but not as much as the second (#11), so—at least for me—there appears to be quite a bit of range in quality across these books.
What I liked: the characters in those books seemed real and well-rounded rather than just pawns for moving the plot forward. I feel like I really got to know Jim more so than in the other books and even Kate seemed to be more fleshed out, which I wouldn’t have thought possible after so many novels with her as the central character. Additionally, even the supporting characters in this one seemed lively and engaging. The interactions and dialogue really drew me into the story.
What I didn’t like: the plot seemed kinda thin. Kate is no longer a detective and is instead a park ranger who basically seems to be retired. A plane crashes in her park and the family of the pilot hires her to investigate why. It turns out there’s some paramilitary group setting up shop in the park and the FBI gets involved, etc etc. As I’m writing it, it doesn’t sound that bad. I don’t know, maybe it was the pace. It just felt constantly like the stakes weren’t really high and there wasn’t much of a mystery to solve.
What I was ambivalent about: I appreciated how the book brought in elements of the contemporary social and political discourse—from COVID to Black Lives Matter to Trump and the January 6th insurrection. In some ways, I thought it was nice to have those realities acknowledged and they made sense within the story. In other ways, those the discussion about these issues seemed ham fisted and lecturey—like Stabenow had just attended an anti-racism workshop and couldn’t help but try add spread the gospel with her readers. I mean, it wasn’t too bad. I’ve seen worse. But there were some parts where it felt like a PSA rather than an actual story.
What I liked: the characters in those books seemed real and well-rounded rather than just pawns for moving the plot forward. I feel like I really got to know Jim more so than in the other books and even Kate seemed to be more fleshed out, which I wouldn’t have thought possible after so many novels with her as the central character. Additionally, even the supporting characters in this one seemed lively and engaging. The interactions and dialogue really drew me into the story.
What I didn’t like: the plot seemed kinda thin. Kate is no longer a detective and is instead a park ranger who basically seems to be retired. A plane crashes in her park and the family of the pilot hires her to investigate why. It turns out there’s some paramilitary group setting up shop in the park and the FBI gets involved, etc etc. As I’m writing it, it doesn’t sound that bad. I don’t know, maybe it was the pace. It just felt constantly like the stakes weren’t really high and there wasn’t much of a mystery to solve.
What I was ambivalent about: I appreciated how the book brought in elements of the contemporary social and political discourse—from COVID to Black Lives Matter to Trump and the January 6th insurrection. In some ways, I thought it was nice to have those realities acknowledged and they made sense within the story. In other ways, those the discussion about these issues seemed ham fisted and lecturey—like Stabenow had just attended an anti-racism workshop and couldn’t help but try add spread the gospel with her readers. I mean, it wasn’t too bad. I’ve seen worse. But there were some parts where it felt like a PSA rather than an actual story.