Alaska State Trooper Alex Jensen confronts a confounding puzzle when the spring thaw reveals the broken hulk of a small aircraft containing an unidentified corpse, apparently killed by a bullet Melting spring snow uncovers the smashed remains of a small aircraft with a corpse in the passenger seat. Alex Jensen, the Alaska state trooper introduced in Murder on the Iditarod Trail (LJ 4/1/91), seeks out the missing pilot. Solid. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Set amidst the geographic grandeur of Alaska, Henry's latest mystery has state trooper Alex Jensen investigating the disappearance of pilot Norm Lewis. When Norm's battered plane is found, empty except for the decomposed, bullet-riddled body of an unidentified female, his wife, Rochelle, is shocked and puzzled. Did Norm kill the woman? Was someone trying to kill Norm? And where is he? When the body in the plane turns out to be that of a federal agent who was investigating big-game poachers, the FBI steps in. But it's Alex and Rochelle who go after the killers and put their lives on the line to discover what's behind Norm's disappearance. The conclusion to the case is sad but somehow satisfying. Along with appealing descriptions of the Alaskan landscape, Henry offers straightforward writing, engaging characters, and an inventive plot. A captivating mystery. Emily Melton Alaskan charter pilot Norm Lewis has been missing for months when the spring thaw reveals the ruins of his missing plane. But the corpse inside, beaten to death even before the final bullet, isn't Norm's: It's the body of a woman, a federal agent who vanished during a sting operation against poachers in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Rochelle Lewis, convinced that her husband must have tried to walk from the plane to the nearest settlement 30 miles away, flies out to follow in his footsteps- -and she does, in more ways than one. Luckily, featureless State Trooper Alex Jensen (Termination Dust, 1995, etc.) is on hand to rescue Rochelle from the transparent bad guys and pull together the scant loose ends. More frigid adventure than mystery, though the Alaskan snapshots may satisfy less demanding fans of John Straley and Dana Stabenow. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Used Book in Good Condition