Scan barcode
carolpk's review against another edition
3.0
I got a hair behind on my reviews and have been trying to find some time to say a bit about White Heat. This book must have been under my radar before I heard about it on The Readers but it's definitely Simon, who made me run to the shelves to scoop this up to read. His enthusiasm sparked my interest and I can say I was not disappointed.
What captured me most about White Heat was its Arctic setting and Inuit culture and heritage. You can not read this without being just a tad curious about what the Inuit are all about. For lover's of Swedish mysteries, you won't find a colder place than Autisaq. Edie Kiglatuk, half Inuit, half white, hunter guide, is one kick-ass character and I loved her no nonsense attitude, spirit, survivor instincts, and just a bit of femininity that shone through. Yep, it's a mystery, so there's a murder, a whole bunch of characters with motive to cast suspicion and enough events to speculate the motive. It's action packed, humorous at times, and yet all is not happy for our Edie. She's got family issues in the closet and out, some solid characters in supporting roles including one great mutt, Bonehead, real good at warning when there's bear about. There's a theme of silent film, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin weaved throughout that will make you go hunting these old classics.
I learned quite a bit; found myself looking up words, to familiarize myself with animals, food, etc, part of Kiglatuk's daily life. Lemmings, particularly were appealing. I also used my atlas to pinpoint the locale.
White Heat is a debut that begs for the next in the series. I'll be on the list. Thanks Simon.
What captured me most about White Heat was its Arctic setting and Inuit culture and heritage. You can not read this without being just a tad curious about what the Inuit are all about. For lover's of Swedish mysteries, you won't find a colder place than Autisaq. Edie Kiglatuk, half Inuit, half white, hunter guide, is one kick-ass character and I loved her no nonsense attitude, spirit, survivor instincts, and just a bit of femininity that shone through. Yep, it's a mystery, so there's a murder, a whole bunch of characters with motive to cast suspicion and enough events to speculate the motive. It's action packed, humorous at times, and yet all is not happy for our Edie. She's got family issues in the closet and out, some solid characters in supporting roles including one great mutt, Bonehead, real good at warning when there's bear about. There's a theme of silent film, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin weaved throughout that will make you go hunting these old classics.
I learned quite a bit; found myself looking up words, to familiarize myself with animals, food, etc, part of Kiglatuk's daily life. Lemmings, particularly were appealing. I also used my atlas to pinpoint the locale.
White Heat is a debut that begs for the next in the series. I'll be on the list. Thanks Simon.
courtharman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
danchrist's review against another edition
3.0
Found in Parade 12 Great Summer Books, July 10, 2011.
An enjoyable read, but no great art here.
Edie Kiglutak is a likeable enough hero, and one that we root for throughout the book, but there is just something missing. She suffers the loss of her stepson, and soldiers on to find his killer.
The most interesting part of the story for me proved to be McGrath's insights into Inuit culture. From Edie never locking her door to burial practices to the life lived close to the land, I felt I had a behind-the-scenes look at an entirely unique way of life.
An enjoyable read, but no great art here.
Edie Kiglutak is a likeable enough hero, and one that we root for throughout the book, but there is just something missing. She suffers the loss of her stepson, and soldiers on to find his killer.
The most interesting part of the story for me proved to be McGrath's insights into Inuit culture. From Edie never locking her door to burial practices to the life lived close to the land, I felt I had a behind-the-scenes look at an entirely unique way of life.
lauren_cuellar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
Recommended by Susie (Book 1 of the Edie Kiglatuk series)
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Swhite%20heat%20mcgrath__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Swhite%20heat%20mcgrath__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
tbsims's review against another edition
3.0
I read because I like the dana stabenow books. and liked learning about greenland, and the canadian islands next to greeneland. but the storyline seemed overly complex.
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
1.0
What I liked: the author's encyclopedic knowledge of Inuit culture and the Arctic environment, two things I knew pretty much zilch about before reading this book, and found very interesting. The sense of place was superior; I was freezing the whole time I read. Also, the two main characters, Edie and Derek, imperfect but sympathetic. What I didn't like: the writing - dulll, uninventive, amateurish. The plot: boring, unnecessarily convoluted, major "so what?" The character development: none; potentially interesting characters utterly disserved by the overlong, tiresome story. My advice: skip this unless you're having trouble sleeping.
kiramke's review
4.0
Solid, good writing by every metric. I found this mesmerizing for a crime novel and the scene-setting was particularly well-done. I felt like I was reading it very slowly, and although I'm sure there's room for improvement, I think my reluctance was actually just that I didn't want to see anything bad happen to these people; a credit to the characterization.
jheckman324's review
2.0
I was really not a fan of this book. No real good reason why - I just didn't connect with the author's voice.