Kate Shugak, is an Aleut woman in Alaska, a private investigator alongside her fierce, half-wolf, half-husky companion, Mutt.

Though Not Dead (2010) is 18th in the series. Entertaining.

The residents of Alaska’s largest national park are devastated by the passing of 87-year-old Old Sam Dementieff, a beloved community patriarch and Kate’s uncle.

The Inheritance: Sam leaves his entire estate to Kate, along with a cryptic, one-sentence letter instructing her to “find my father”.

The Mystery: Sam’s father was an outsider who vanished decades ago, taking a priceless tribal artifact—a Russian icon—with him.

The Danger: Within days of launching her investigation, Kate is threatened by unknown entities who are tracking her every move.