I think this is a series that you can’t start in the middle. With so many characters and the backstory of the main character, I felt like I was pushed into cold water and told to swim like hell to catch up.

I did enjoy the mystery but with so much time spent on trying to get some background info I couldn’t get into it as much as I hoped.

I would still pick up the books of this series though! Loved the setting in Alaska

Paige Shelton has given us another excellent mystery set in a small town in Alaska, Lost Hours, the fifth book in her Alaska Wild series. The stories all take place in Benedict, a small town that isn’t far from Juneau, but is rather isolated, near the famous Glacier Bay. There are a lot of references to how hard it is to get a cell signal - and just forget about internet access, other than at the library and a couple of other places around town.

The main character, Beth Rivers, is a well-known writer of mysteries/thrillers. She is living in Benedict under her real name, rather than her pen name, recovering (mostly psychologically) from a terrible experience, having been kidnapped by a stalker-fan and held in a van for a number of days before she escaped. But it’s been about a year and Beth is feeling quite at home in Benedict these days. The action takes place in the middle of Alaska’s busy summer tourist season.

There are a couple of mysteries in Lost Hours, a complex story with a lot of interesting aspects. Beth is on a boat with her father (he has moved to Benedict to try to repair their fractured relationship) to finally see the glaciers, when the boat is hailed by a distraught woman on a small island. She is covered in blood. That sets off a series of events that wind up involving many of the town’s mainstays as well as a tourist family. It had me puzzled as to how things would eventually work out. Small clues for the attentive reader are dropped along the way and I kept changing my mind about the mystery’s solution.

Lost Hours can be read as a standalone, as the author does give a decent amount of backstory, and it doesn’t really impact the mystery in this book much. The story ends with an indication that there is at least one more book in this series to look forward to!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I am just a bit late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Suzie Althens, did a good job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the story and liked the characters. This is the first book in this series that I have read, but I will be going back and reading the previous books. Beth is living in Alaska. She has kind of been hiding in Alaska. There was a woman discovered, with blood on her, on an island, a missing teenager and an escaped convict. They seem to be separate incidents, but Beth thinks they are connected. As she had previously been kidnapped, she had a sympathetic ear for the woman from the island, but she isn't so sure that her story rings true. When the girl goes missing, Beth thinks back on the things the girl told her and begins to think that there was a plan for all of this. Add in the escape convict that the woman from the island seems to know, and you have a really good mystery.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*

Beth is settling in well in Alaska in the 5th installment of this series. And after a woman is found who claims to have been kidnapped, she is helping law enforcement again with finding clues and solving the mystery.

I really enjoy this series! Reading the books, I can feel immersed in the Alaskan weather and wilderness and isolation. It's enough to make me glad to be in the lower 48!

I also love how Beth's parents have been coming back into her life in their own ways and how the investigation and trial of her kidnapper are progressing. Very happy to know that another book is coming!

Fifth book in the series, and that said, I have only read book one so far!
Beth is still in Benedict, a small town outside of Juneau, Alaska. She is off to finally see the glaciers aboard a larger boat, when a woman flags the ship down from an island. The woman claims to have been abducted, had a bear kill her abductor, and "doesn't remember anything". Beth's father, Eddy is also now in Benedict, while her mother is MIA.
Interesting, well written, and I am curious to read the filler books. Sort of a cozy mystery, yet not at the same time, in my opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Shelton, St Martin's Press for the preread in exchange for an honest review

Fifth in the series, <i>Lost Hours</i> takes place in a small coastal town outside of Juneau, Alaska. Author Paige Shelton combines this beautiful and fascinating setting with a varied cast of equally interesting characters. Although the plot landed more at the “cozy”, rather than gripping thriller, end of the spectrum, it was still a very entertaining read.

From what I could tell, I thought the series had good “bones.” This was my introduction to the series and, for me, it had two drawbacks. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make all the connections to the backstory which made it a little difficult to keep up with a few of the characters and locations. The second is I would have liked a bit more action – showing rather than telling. In places, staying in the main character’s head made the story drag.

Overall, I’m glad I discovered this series and will go back to the first to see what I missed.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun series! I love the Alaskan backdrop and the dangers it’s brings. With multiple crimes happening, it’s none stop! It feels so low key but you stay invested! With that ending I’m really looking forward to next one and what’s going to happen!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy

Beth is enjoying her life in Benedict. Her kidnapper has been caught, the locals are embracing her, and she's getting to know her long-lost father. On a boat trip to see the glaciers, a bloodied woman is found, claiming that she's been kidnapped. As Beth investigates the island, a girl goes missing, leading Beth and the local police to search for connections.

This is a comforting murder mystery series. The premise grabs you, the pace is quick, and there are enough turns to keep you guessing. However, the ending resolution didn't do it for me. Too many people are tied too closely together. The perpetrator was and wasn’t a surprise at the same time.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Three stars mostly because nothing really happens the first half of the book. I enjoyed the Alaskan atmosphere and the author's easy writing style. The mystery took too long to develop, for me. I would have appreciated more clue dropping and fewer characters to keep track of.

However, I am intrigued enough to go back and read the previous books in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Lost Hours is the 5th installment in the Alaska Wild series. I read it as a standalone. Although the plot and characters kept me engaged, it would have been a better read if I had a better grasp on the back stories, characters and their relationships.
The story takes place in Alaska, and creates an immersive setting, filled with the wilderness, adventure, climate and character of the last frontier. The plot gathered suspense and included several story lines. The characters were flawed, authentic and nicely developed. The plot is suspenseful, character driven and wrapped around a good mystery. Beth Rivers, the protagonist and her friends and law enforcement team together to solve the mystery of a woman named Sadie, found blood covered and screaming for help on a remote Alaska Island.
I enjoyed Lost Hours a and plan to read the preceeding books in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of Lost Hours in exchange for my honest review.

I'll Werner's be going back to read the other books in this series. Enjoyed the characters and storytelling in this book! Great read 5 stars

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this series. The characters are flawed and authentic, relatable even though they’ve been through unimaginable things. I’ve enjoyed the character development in this series and this installment was no exception. The case was interesting and started off with a bang. There were so many red herrings and everyone had me suspecting them at some point! I can’t wait for the next in the series.

For the last year Beth Rivers, an author of thriller novels, has made a life for herself in Benedict, Alaska after surviving an abduction. During what was to be a scenic boat ride the passengers come across a frantic woman on an island. She is covered in blood. Taken to Benedict, her story raises questions. Something about her just isn't right. Then a teenage girl goes missing. Can this be linked to the mysterious woman?
The secondary characters are a varied lot and their unique personalities add much to the story. Lost Hours is a well plotted and multi-layered mystery. Skillfully told, there are enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged throughout the entire narrative. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Lost Hours is the 5th book in the Alaska Wild series. I have not read the previous books but guarantee I will be going back and reading them all. This book can be a stand alone but reading the previous books will give you more information and insight into the mystery. The mysteries in this story take the readers along with the characters on quite an adventure. Beth Rivers, a successful thriller writer known as Elizabeth Fairchild, is still recovering in Alaska following her abduction a year ago. Until recently, only a few locals knew Beth’s story including police chief Gril Samuels and his deputy Donner. She now feels at home in Alaska, even as tourists return to the area for the summer. When she and Tex, Beth’s boyfriend and local search and rescue expert, decide to take a tour boat to view the glaciers, the boat is diverted to an island to rescue a woman covered in blood and waving for help. She claims she was kidnapped from her home in Juneau and that a bear killed her captor. Author Beth Rivers, who was herself a victim of a kidnapping, is intent on digging deeper into the woman's story. Lost Hours is a compelling story filled with suspense and intrigue. I did enjoy the book Beth made for a strong character and the mystery kept me reading but, perhaps most of all. I loved the descriptions of the Alaskan setting which Shelton does beautifully.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Paige Shelton

Lost Hours is the fifth in the Alaska Wild cozy mystery series by Paige Shelton but the first I’ve read. Much of the plot here was directly or indirectly related to events of previous books which could have been confusing. However, Shelton integrated past events in the story in a way that didn’t interfere with flow or continuity, making it easy to read as a standalone.

The story is told by the main protagonist, Beth who had been, in a previous book, a kidnapping victim. She has moved to Alaska to hide out although the kidnapper was arrested and is now in jail so when a woman, Sadie, is found on a small island covered in blood, claiming to be also a kidnap victim who had managed to escape, Beth believes she can help her. However, as the story progresses, Sadie’s story seems less and less plausible.

But this is just one of many plot lines and, although they are tied up fairly neatly at the end - well, except one that becomes a cliff hanger - I found it all suspended my disbelief almost to the breaking point. Still, overall, I did enjoy the book Beth made for a strong character and the mystery kept me reading but, perhaps most of all. I loved the descriptions of the Alaskan setting which Shelton does beautifully.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to St. Martins Press, NetGalley and Paige Shelton for an advance copy of this fascinating mystery. Beth moved to Benedict, Alaska after being kidnapped and in running away she finds her father she hadn’t seen since she was little. After living there for a year she decides to take a tour cruise of the glaciers. However, the trip is pulled up short when one of the little islands they pass has a woman covered in blood on the beach trying to flag them down. She claims she was kidnapped but got free when a bear killed her attacker. Oh and by the way she can’t go home because she’s in WITSEC. Do I have you hooked? I hope so🤗this will keep you on your toes guessing about the solution.

I have loved this series from book one and am so excited that it is continuing AND that I was able to read this new one as I R E A L L Y needed a good book to reignite the reading love; it absolutely did not fail me.

Get ready some vague reviewing [as I don't give spoilers], as this is absolutely one series that you need to read from book 1; if you start with this book you will be soooooo lost, but I don't want to give away anything major to those who DID choose to start with book 5.
Beth is finally in a good place. She really likes the life she has made in Benedict and even while she knows she will have to go back to Missouri at some point, she is content to continue on here in Alaska.
While on the first excursion she has been on since arriving a year ago [with her new boyfriend Tex] to see the glaciers, they come across a woman on an island, covered in blood, waving for help. And so starts a story that is perplexing from the moment they meet the woman until the very end, and will leave you wondering why people do the things they do and how our choices affect so many others and not just ourselves.

My *ONLY* complaint [seriously, there is just one. That is why I love this series, I never have complaints about them - the author is an excellent writer] is the end felt very rushed. I had to listen to several sections twice because I missed things in the rush of the reveal [and the most excellent end - for those who read these...you KNEW this had to happen right?? There had to be more of a conclusion than what we were initially given] and that was a bit frustrating for me. This was an excellently written mystery [which is why it is still a 5-star read for me] and I felt it deserved a less-rushed ending.

Really looking forward to book 6 and ALLLLLLL that will happen in that one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Paige Shelton, and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This reminds me of the old Avenue. Christie books, that's why I really liked it. Because it was so well written.. Beth is really interesting character in this book. Because she had things in her past but everything seemed to tie together. Your father somehow ended up in the same town is her but he was not present when she was growing up. She also had a person who tried to hurt her when she was very young, and he just tried to get out of prison and she was really nervous. She was also a writer as well. And.
And things seem to tie together in this one novel she wrote. SA Dle was a very interesting person too. She was involved in two different murders in the small town outside of juneau. That's started to do some soothing. And she started to realize who this woman really was. There's so many different terms in this book and it all seems to tie together at the end. Everybody had something with their past. But you'll find out as you read the book how it ties in. Nobody is perfect in this book there's a lot of things which I can understand. Things can go crazy sometimes. Greg and betty dupont came up to the glaciers with their daughter. This is also interesting because it's movement into the book as well. They had a pass which was really interesting and this was tied to the murders. Really well written and I loved every part of it

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Lost Hours by Paige Shelton in exchange for an honest review. Lost Hours is book five of the Alaska series and they are so good! In this book there is a woman on the run, a missing girl and a murdered man. Are these events connected or just a coincidence. Beth is helping the investigation again with her unique insight.

Another great story in the Alaska Wild mystery series. I love that this series is edgier than Paige Shelton's Scottish Bookshop cozy mystery series and that it takes place in Alaska.

This story ends with a bit of a cliff hanger and I cannot wait to see what Beth's family and friends do with the news.