Run Cold: An Edna Ferber Mystery

Set in 1957, Ifkovic’s excellent 10th and final Edna Ferber mystery (after 2018’s Mood Indigo) takes the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer to Alaska, the setting of her forthcoming novel, Ice Palace. In Fairbanks, Edna meets old, cantankerous Jack Mabie, who bills himself as “the meanest man in Alaska” and claims to have killed dozens of men decades earlier during the gold rush era. “Takes a lot of gumption and spit to get folks to hate your guts, ma’am,” he tells Edna, who replies: “Strangely, I get my enemies to hate me simply by being myself.” Jack’s subsequent beating death suggests someone bore him a serious grudge. When two people with ties to Jack die violently, Edna believes the crimes are linked to an incident in the past: “Nothing lies buried under Arctic snow for very long. The crevasses eventually spit up their secrets.” Distinctive characters, intelligent dialogue, and a credible solution to the crimes ensure that the series ends on a strong note. Fans will be sorry to see the last of Edna’s sleuthing adventures. (Jan.)