by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

In Benedict, Alaska, cabins are few and far between. Even in town, there’s rarely what could be called a crowd—except on Death Walk Day. Gril, the local law, began pushing the idea a few years ago. Everyone is required to report in come spring, just so he knows they’re still alive. After all, an exceptional snowfall, bitter cold, unexpected encounter with a bear, or a slip and fall, could be fatal. He says, just show up, check your name off the list, and you can go about your business for another year.

One of the people who doesn’t show is an eighty-year-old man who lives high on a mountain. Orin, the librarian and somewhat of a mystery himself, agrees to go check. Beth Rivers and her dog, Gus, go along. Finding the old man in poor shape, Beth stays with him while Orin goes for help, but between finding it and returning, Orin’s sidetracked and vanishes.

Beth’s had enough of vanishing in her life. After all, she vanished herself after being kidnapped back home. Benedict was as far away and as inaccessible as she could find. Then her mom, never all that stable, showed up out of the blue, and just as fast, disappeared again. Beth’s dad has been out of the picture for years, suspected to be in Mexico, but the phone number she has is never answered, messages never returned. Losing Orin too would be just too much.

Through a misunderstanding, Beth’s living in a halfway house for criminals. She has company when she wants it, is left alone when she doesn’t. For the first time, the criminal is male and a charmer at that. He’s also a darn good cook. It’s a bit suspicious when he offers to walk her dog multiple times a day, but he can’t be watched every minute, and where’s he going to run?

The Death Walk list shows Beth’s almost-friend, Kaye, and her husband Warren, are checked off the list but no one remembers actually seeing them.

And then there’s that feeling she’s being followed …

This is the fourth book in the series, all reviewed here, and the series is one of my favorites. The setting is unusual and the characters are odd, but mostly people you’d want to meet but wouldn’t expect to be your friend. Beth has grown as a character, finding her place in Benedict, unsure what will happen when her abductor is finally caught. Will she go ‘home’ or is she already there? Time will tell. After all, it’s just turning spring.

To enter to win a copy of Winter’s End, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “winters” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 21, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.