“Kodiak Island” by Ed Wilson
Ethan McLaren, emotionally bankrupt and financially strapped, returns home to Kodiak Island hoping to quietly recover from the personally traumatizing events of his past three years in southern California. Instead he finds himself drawn into the murder of a minister he met on the ferry crossing from Homer when seventy-three year old, former island madam, Mz. Martha Marie, dragoons him into investigating.
McLaren’s initial reluctance reflects his distaste for the island’s pervasive moral, ethical, legal, and sexual corruption as well as his own exhaustion. In overcoming his ambiguity he is pulled between his desire to reclusively tend to his own hurts and losses and his growing involvement with others, particularly a growing relationship with annual Kodiak summer visitor, jam making anthropologist Dr. Susan Dyson.
Increasingly drawn out of his isolation by the attentions of Dr. Sue, Mz. Martha, and elderly campground neighbors Grace and Paul Arnesen – who has his own reasons for being on Kodiak – and competitiveness with Kodiak police detective Ralphie Lee, Ethan begins nosing about.
Ethan’s commitment to solving Father Ross’ murder is ensured when a second death occurs, this time his former lover Lynne Daniels. Her death,at a remote Kodiak homestead, cements his need to find answers despite the island’s contradictions and his own ambivalence.
ISBN number Kodiak Island – 978-0-9914901-3-4
Reviews of “Kodiak Island”
“Slipping into this richly satisfying erotic mystery I realised I was in for a real treat. A very well written mystery novel was laying out it’s charms for me. Exotic location, characters who made me want to know more about them, some realistically terrifying characters who alarmed the heck out of me…. and a truly satisfying ending that I didn’t see coming. I would love to see more from this author, more stories of Ethan’s adventures.” – J. Philips
“In a word, WOW! I like the island, I like the bad guys, I like the good guys, I loved the ending. I loved the story, the place, the twisty, convoluted plot, the neat tie-ins to the old murder, I even liked the dog. If there is a top rating of 5, this is a 4.5. I want to read more.” – E. W. Stearmen
“This is a very good read. It is a thinking person’s mystery novel. It isn’t one of those novels where you know ‘who done it’ after the first couple of chapters. There are lots of twists and turns and unexpected happenings. There is a fun, motley crew of good guys, some very evil bad guys, and a highly satisfying ending.” – M.E., Los Angeles
“This good reading, definitely not one of the endless “mysteries” available today. Like a modern day visit to the old west, there is a huge sense of place, plenty of gritty, real characters, unexpected plot twists, and a surprise ending that actually makes sense. More please!”
“Edward Wilson’s mystery novel, KODIAK ISLAND, takes place on the isolated Alaskan island of the same name. This story grabs a reader by the throat and threatens to not let go, all the way to the shocking denouement. With a cast of believable, quirky—and sometimes terrifying—characters, this story is a must read for fans of the genre. Highly recommended.” – M.Sirota.
“I enjoyed this book. It has excellent characters, who are not all in their early 20’s. It has a complex plot with a fair number of surprises and it doesn’t get boring. There is an interesting, if motley crew of “good guys” and some really nasty “bad guys.” It would be fun to see this same cast of characters in another book someday. The book has some sex, a little bit kinky but done well and it is appropriate to the story line. I recommend this book if you like murder mysteries.” – M. E. Barnes
“This is good reading, definitely not one of the endless “mysteries” available today. Like a modern day visit to the old west, there is a huge sense of place, plenty of gritty, real characters, unexpected plot twists, and a surprise ending that actually makes sense. More please!” -K.B
“What a gift! A new voice, funny, smart and sensitive…Kodiak Island is a great read and terrific story with rich characters you want to know, a mystery you want to solve (except you probably won’t!) and a location that is just foreign enough for most of us to be curious about…That, and some sweet and sexy scenes that make it all just so much fun! I couldn’t stop reading it…” -G. Glaser
“Geez- as an erotic mystery for women, what could be better? I didn’t know there was such a category! YES!” – S. Parker