Cold Wind
Alaska Wild (Volume 2)
by Paige Shelton

Cold Wind-Summary

Beth Rivers is on her way to her job as the only employee of the Petition, Benedict, Alaska’s, weekly newspaper, when she strikes up a conversation with Randy Phillips, proprietor of the Mercantile. After a bit of conversation, Randy reveals the night before he heard sounds he’s never heard in the six years he’s lived in Benedict. Randy describes the sounds as screams that were neither human nor animal. As they talk, Randy wants to know if the body of a man found months ago on the beach, which is several miles from town, was ever identified. It hasn’t been, as far as Beth knows, and that signals the end of their conversation. Randy walks into the Mercantile and Beth drives over to the shack that is the home of the Petition.

Beth keeps the door to the shack locked. She arrived in isolated Benedict months ago, seeking a safe place to hide and recover from the head injury sustained after escaping from her kidnapper. Even though her kidnapping happened in the lower forty-eight, she’s still on edge about her experience. But at-large kidnappers aren’t the only reason she locks the door. Beth Rivers is also the well-known novelist Elizabeth Fairchild. Only the police chief, Gril, knows Beth’s true identity. Beth uses her time at the Petition’s office to work on the paper and her next novel. Locking the door gives her time to hide her work-in-progress and keep her identity a secret. People know to knock and identify themselves when they want to see Beth.

Except for the person or persons knocking on her door now. The only response to Beth’s “whose there” questions is more knocking. She’s searching for a weapon when she hears the same noise Randy heard the night before at his isolated home. In spite of her fear, Beth opens the door and discovers two muddy little girls standing on the stoop. The little girls can’t speak but are able to write their names-Annie and Mary.

The police chief can’t get any more information from them, but he does have information for Beth. The frozen body of a female was discovered in a shack outside of town. Are the two little girls tied to the body in the shack? If yes, then how? If no, where did they come from? Who is the woman in the shed? How did she get there? How long has she been dead? Is there a killer living in Benedict?

Beth is determined to help find the answers, especially when it comes to the two little girls. But as she unravels the events surrounding Annie, Mary, and the mystery body in the shed, her own secrets begin to slip as local fans of Elizabeth Fairchild begin to recognize the author in their midst.

Recommendation

Cold Wind is an enjoyable read. The characters are quirky and engaging and the plot pulled me in and kept me guessing. (And I really liked the cover. ) The still-missing kidnapper and the questions involving Beth’s father are good lead-ins for the next book in the series. Recommended.