Book Review - Cold Company

Cold Company
by Sue Henry
William Morrow, June 2002
304 pages, $23.95
ISBN 0-380-97882-2
Jessie Arnold (Alaskan) series #9

It's almost summer and Jessie Arnold, musher, is finally rebuilding over the ashes of her former home. As she stands looking down at what will become the basement of her new cabin, Jessie notices a pale rounded rock. Upon closer examination, she realizes that the rock is actually a human skull and calls in the state troopers.

The body turns out to be that of an old man, buried 20 to 25 years ago. However, a pendant was tossed in with the body--a woman's pendant in the shape of a butterfly. As Trooper Phil Becker puzzles over this development, Jessie decides to investigate the history of her property--maybe the old man was the original owner.

Lynn Ehler, a musher friend from the Yukon Quest, shows up at Jessie's front door. The Minnesota musher has temporarily moved to Alaska to train his dog teams for the next race. He seems especially keen to stick around when he learns that Jessie is no longer dating anyone. Red roses mysteriously start appearing at Jessie's front door. At first she assumes that the roses are from Lynn but when it becomes obvious that they can't be, she starts to worry. Are they from a former love or a stalker? When a rose appears inside the trailer that she is temporarily calling home, she brings in her beloved lead dog, Tank, for protection.

Then, a body is found in the Knik River. At first, it is thought to be another victim of Alaska's infamous serial killer, Robert Hansen. In 1984, Hansen confessed to 17 homicides but only identified a dozen burial sites. Then the necklace found with the old man's body is identified as belonging to one of Hansen's missing victims. The troopers come back to search the rest of Jessie's property for another body.

Close on their heels comes Bonnie Russell, the sister of the missing victim. But Bonnie's appearance brings out a dark secret of Jessie's--one that Jessie would rather keep buried in the past.

The body in the river is identified and it soon becomes clear that a copycat murderer is on the loose. Jessie makes progress identifying the property's previous owners. Bonnie finds a body--but it's not her sister's. And it seems that Jessie is being stalked once again--by land and by air.

As events rush to a climatic conclusion, Jessie makes some startling discoveries--not only about the people surrounding her but also about herself.

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