The Boy in the Snow

February 25, 2013
In this sequel to 2011’s White Heat, McGrath’s half-Inuit guide Edie Kiglatuk finds herself in Nome, Alaska, helping her ex-husband in the Iditarod dog-sled race. But Edie soon stumbles upon the frozen body of an infant boy lying on the saddle of a snowmobile. Edie and her friend, policeman Derek Palliser, embark on a quest to find the truth behind the baby’s demise. Kate Reading provides clear narration, but over-articulates some of her consonants—notably t and k sounds—in a way that proves distracting. Reading’s rendition of Kiglatuk features the clipped dialect of what is presumably an approximation of an Inuit accent, and the narrator is effective in lending voices to the book’s other characters, including Palliser and the weaselly mayor Chuck Hillingberg. A Viking hardcover.

Starred review from September 24, 2012
The two-week 1,150-mile Iditarod dog sled race from near Wasilla to Nome, Alaska, forms the backdrop for McGrath’s outstanding second mystery featuring half-Caucasian, half-Inuit Edie Kiglatuk (after 2011’s White Heat). A native of Ellesmere Island, Edie comes to Alaska to help her ex-husband, Sammy Inukpuk, who’s trying to regain his self-respect by racing. In the forest outside Wasilla, Edie encounters a mysterious bear that leads her to the frozen body of a baby boy lying in the saddle of a snowmobile. Edie, a homesick, guilt-ridden “outsider in her own world,” seeks to untangle the disturbing truth behind the infant’s death, aided by her policeman friend, Derek Palliser, who’s also assisting Sammy in the race. McGrath has a firm grasp on a little known culture, its values and language, and excels at bringing to life such characters as conniving Anchorage mayor Chuck Hillingberg and his power-hungry wife, Marsha. This affecting novel should melt even the most frozen human hearts. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, Inkwell Management.