The Woman Who Married a Bear

(Paperback)

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Description

Cecil Younger, local Alaskan investigator, is neither good at his job nor great at staying sober. When an old Tlingit woman, unimpressed by the police's investigation, hires him to discover why her son, a big game guide, was murdered, he takes the case without much conviction that he'll discover anything new. But after a failed assassination attempt and the discovery of previously missed evidence, Younger finds himself traveling across Alaska to discover the truth in a midst of conspiracies, politics, and Tlingit mythology. High drama meets local color as Cecil Younger works to uncover the motive and identity of the killer.

Reviews

Praise for The Woman Who Married a Bear

Winner of the Shamus Award for Best First Novel

Atmospheric . . . vigorous prose.
The New York Times Book Review

A fascinating Alaskan setting, great characters, a highly unusual plot and remarkably good writing. Its a winner.
Tony Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author of the Leaphorn and Chee novels

Echoes of James Crumley . . . Flashes of the dark poetry of Ross Macdonald.
Chicago Tribune

Blazes a new trail through the dense, familiar forest of the mystery genre . . . A highly refreshing setting, a great cast of characters, and an intriguing plot . . . A winning combination.
The Bloomsbury Review

Outstanding . . . Satisfies on all levels.
The Kansas City Star

A rich stew of deception and menace . . . a superior mystery novel.
Anchorage Daily News

As great writers have always done, Straley breathes new life into a stock character by remaking an ancient myth.
The Vancouver Sun

Clear and crisp, like a Juneau morning.
Albuquerque Journal

"A darkly poetic thriller with a strange sense of place, and exotic debut which augurs well for the author."
Time Out

"The Woman Who Married a Bear weaves Alaska's two wildest sides togetherthe dark secret world of city nights, with its streets and bars, and the sprawling world of the bush country and mountain forests where bears and ravens preside. [Straley] lets you breathe the chill wetness of the country and he gives you the people of these outpost communities exactly as they are."
Richard Nelson, author of The Island Within

Praise for John Straley

"Strong and sobering . . . with his storyteller's sense of dramatic action [Straley's] in his glory."
The New York Times Book Review

Lesser writers look to their characters poor choices and attempts to rectify them, John Straley loves his characters for just those choices. Hlderlin wrote: 'Poetically man dwells on the earth.' Some of us wind up in limericks, some in heroic couplets. But damned near every one of us, sooner or later, ends up in one of Straleys wise, wayward, wonderfully unhinged novels.
James Sallis, author of Drive and the Lew Griffin mysteries

Like the Coen brothers on literary speed, John Straley is among the very best stylists of his generation.
Ken Bruen, Shamus Award winning author of The Guard

"Chandler, Ross Macdonald, James Crumley . . . Straley proves once again that he is up there with the great ones . . . His prose is as smooth as a well-tuned cello. He has tremendous feeling for the setting: not only the open waters and frosted countryside outside of Sitka and Juneau, but also the somewhat seedy streets of these cities."
Chicago Tribune

"Superior thriller writing, once again by Straleyan excellent plot against Alaska's gigantic and bizarre backdrop."
Janwillem van de Wetering

"Now and then a writer dares to flout the rules and in so doing, carves out a niche that belongs to him alone. John Straley's novels are like no others."
San Diego Tribune

"Like James Lee Burke, Straley transcends the genre . . . Marvelous."
The Tampa Tribune and Times

"Straley's beautifully understated narrative, vivid sense of place and unapologetic, unadorned characters make this a riveting, unpredictable ride."
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Outstanding . . . satisfies on all levels."
The Kansas City Star

"Straley hits all the right notes."
Booklist, Starred Review

Author Bio

The youngest of five children, John Straley was born in 1953. He received a BA in English and a certificate of completion in Horse Shoeing. He is the author of ten novels, and was appointed the State Writer Laureate of Alaska in 2006. John Straley lives with his wife, Jan, a prominent whale biologist, in a bright green house on the beach in Sitka, Alaska, where he works as a criminal defense investigator by day and sleeps, writes, and plays with his band, The Big Fat Babies, whenever he can.