Missing, Presumed Dead, and a Trail as Cold as a December Night in the Alaskan Wilderness

In the wilderness of rural Alaska, people tell the legend of an elusive water predator called the Hana K’ilo. It’s said to hunt from beneath the surface of rivers only to spring out, clutch, and drown its victims, including humans.

Harlan Holt is a scientist, a university professor, a skeptic of everything paranormal or fantastic, and the last person to put stock in a cryptid tale like that of Hana K’ilo. However, after a family of campers, a fisherman, and finally, a colleague of Harlan’s each mysteriously disappear, he, along with his girlfriend Genevieve, travel to a beautiful destination lodge near the territory associated with the mythical creature.

As the pair investigates, they find themselves surrounded by a small group of staff and guests who all seem to have something to hide. They’re isolated in an inhospitable environment in the dead of winter, and every answer they uncover seems to lead to more questions. Does the Hana K’ilo cryptid actually exist? Have any of the missing survived? And can Harlan and Genevieve uncover the truth before they too join the growing list of victims…

Trail of the Hana K’ilo is the second book in Whitaker’s Skeptic Detective Series.