"Polar Bear Dawn", by Lyle Nicholson

Detective Bernadette Callahan Mystery book #1

Multiple murders in the high Arctic have police searching for answers. Two detectives, one in Alaska, one in Canada are given the case. They find similarities in the murders that will lead to a chilling conclusion. Detective Callahan knows she is right but her superiors are intent on silencing her before she can prove that the murders are connected. They want her to wrap up the case in a tidy murder/suicide. But doing so is not in Bernadette’s DNA.

There are so many characters in this drama that I found it took time to get into the swing of things but once I pieced everything together I started to enjoy the story better. It is a tale of corporate terrorism and manipulation with a mad professor held bent to case trouble with the aid of his sidekick “Margaret”, they intend to deploy his invention: a chemical treatment to disrupt oil production in Alaska and Alberta. This wouldn’t be an Artic saga without mention of a polar bear and yes we have one to play havoc with the oil workers.

Although this story may be a bit unrealistic and over the top it is nevertheless quite engaging, of course if you don’t mind some editing and formatting issues that can be somewhat distracting. I did find the plot to be convoluted and keeping track of all the characters challenging. Hey, who doesn’t like a mystery with terrorist attacks, brutal murderers, conspiracy plans, a few plot twists thrown in to keep your attention at bay?

It is an easy reading story I didn’t mind spending with.