Northern Lights

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Great!! - Rated
One of the best Nora Roberts books - the unique setting is a really enjoyable plus.

Easy reading, lightweight fiction - Rated
Northern Lights is set in Lunacy, Alaska, where we follow the adventures of a policeman, Nate Burke, who has transferred from Baltimore. The story centres on a murder, committed many years ago, and body frozen in a cave. The sideshow is Burke's deepening relationship with a lady pilot, Meg Galloway.

The book ticks many of the boxes for a novel of this type. As an adventure story, it keeps moving, and is nicely-paced with the main story building out of a series of smaller, self-contained scenes. The setting, in the Alaskan winter, is unusual and interesting, and there are a good variety of characters who are set out in contrasting colours and styles. It is also well-written - certainly a lot better than a Dan Brown, for example.

The weaknesses are also classic for a work of this type. The principal characters are wooden and stereotyped, and there is little that they say and do with which we can empathise. The setting, although described in some detail, fails to convey the sense of life in the arctic (and here one may suspect that the author's research was limited to one or two short visits and lacked an extended stay). Finally - and this is probably the biggest failing - the denoument of the villain comes as no surprise and is somewhat anticlimactic, though rather lacking the intricate clues of a classic whodunnit.

You get what you pay for. This is a bestselling adventure novel, to read on a plane or on the beach. Don't expect to be challenged with a complex plot, emotional depth, psychological insights, or to be drawn into a close relationship with any of the characters.

A Real Page Turner - Rated
I found this book fascinating; the setting being so different to your average Crime Thriller and it really kept me guessing right until the end! I couldn't put it down... would definitely recommend it!

Alaskan Atmosphere Adds Appeal - Rated
Lunacy, Alaska is the kind of place where the weather turns everything on its head. The sun is either always down . . . or always up. The cold is almost always a presence. A little storm can dump 4 feet of show suddenly. A little jaunt can turn deadly if you aren't cautious.

When the weather isn't providing such extremes, the wild animals are. Don't face down an angry moose or a hungry black bear!

The demographics are also unusual . . . there are a lot more men than woman, which can mean that the women can play the field while the men have to be loyal.

Travel isn't simple. You use snowshoes, land planes on frozen rivers and fly hundreds of miles for ordinary shopping.

Is it any wonder that tempers can get short, disagreements can get out-of-hand, and families find themselves in conflict with one another?

With Alaska as the main character in this book, Ms. Roberts turns what would normally be a pretty average romance/murder mystery story into an intriguing one.

Nate Burke was a good cop . . . so good that it cost him his marriage. Distracted by the loss of his wife, Nate Burke even begins to doubt he can be a good cop again. Running away becomes attractive, and he takes the job as police chief in the small town of Lunacy, Alaska. As soon as he arrives, he realizes that he's out of his depth and may not last the winter.

Two women immediately begin vying for his attention and his attractive body. That's enough to make most men come alive . . . but it's even more significant when they both turn out to be untamed . . . and are mother and daughter.

While he's dealing with the possibility of love, Nate finds himself drawn into solving an old, unsuspected murder . . . while realizing that the killer must still be in Lunacy.

How will it all turn out? You'll spend over 500 interesting pages finding out. At the end, you'll feel rewarded for your effort . . . whether you are a romance or a mystery buff. The book is above average from both perspectives.

I would have graded the book higher but I found that it didn't move quite fast enough for me, and the Nate Burke character was a little too predictable. Meg Callaway, on the other hand, is an original and fascinating heroine whom you will greatly enjoy.

Exposure - Rated
I was recommended this novel by a friend who said it took a long time to get into the story, but I found it fascinating; the descriptions of Alaska and the Aurora borelis; the town Lunacy (tongue in cheek, for lunatics); the cold and light of the land; and lifestyles of the characters. By the end of the book I wanted to go to Alaska.
As for the storyline - it was written from the hero's point of view in the third person which was a change. It was atmospheric and tension grabbing. The only part that lowered its standard was the ending. I felt it was a rush job to tie the loose ends together for its conclusion. From the parade onwards its tone changed. Other than that, very enjoyable.