If you attended the Sisters in Crime International Bouchercon in Anchorage a couple of years ago, you may have met up with retired Alaska State Trooper-turned-author Mike Kincaid, who was part of a panel on real-life police work in the North. He’s lived all over the state, including McKinley Park, Talkeetna, Valdez, Glennallen, Fairbanks, Bethel, King Salmon, Girdwood and Palmer, places where he says he “hiked, fished, hunted, skied, snowshoed, mushed dogs, flew Bush planes, chased bad guys, protected the wildlife of Alaska, and built log cabins deep in the woods.” Here, Mike checks in with a guest post on his new digs and his books.
Greetings from Coeur d’ Alene. Nope, this isn’t in France, but a town in the northern part of Idaho. I still have trouble saying I live in Idaho instead of Alaska, but after retiring from an exciting career with the Alaska Department of Public Safety, I found a decent compromise between Alaska and the real world. Still missing the Last Frontier, I’ve found this a fine place to continue my romance with seaplanes, and hiking without a squadron of bugs has its advantages.
In an attempt to tell one view of the tough and unique job of an Alaska State Trooper, I wrote ALASKA JUSTICE. That adventure follows Trooper/Bush Pilot Jack Blake across the frozen tundra of the Last Frontier, where he’s challenged by glaciers, grizzlies, blizzards, plane crashes, and crazed-killers. Based on actual cases, this tale is “novelized” for legal and other reasons. A.J. continues to do well, with the audio version coming out recently. Ivan Calhoun wrote a movie script for what they call in the entertainment business a “short.”
Continuing in the Trooper Jack Blake series, ALASKA & BEYOND follows Trooper Blake to the Lower 48, creating a serious case of culture shock for a guy much more comfortable in the Bush than in a city of ten million. Jack’s mission is to track down a rogue trooper bent on evening up the odds for the little guy using the most creative of methods. Meanwhile, his new wife and fellow trooper, Jet, go undercover to catch a serial killer in the wilds of Alaska.
Many folks in this part of the world love Alaska lore and have welcomed me to book stores for signings and to interesting places for presentations and chat. This week I’m flying to Portland in a Widgeon amphibian airplane to push books, then we will visit the big city of Idaho, Boise, for two book signings, with a stop in the mountain village of McCall. Later this summer there are scheduled book signings in Idaho and Washington, including a beachside event in Sandpoint. Hopefully, we’ll make it to Alaska for signings and family visits in the fall.
These books look interesting to me. Looked them up on Amazon, but was only in audio. Where might I purchase them in paperback? or are they just of audio version. Thanks! Leslie
Leslie
Thank you for your interest in the Alaska Trooper Jack Blake series. For unknown reasons, the image for the cover of Alaska Justice is missing from Amazon. We notified Amazon some time ago, so hopefully it will show back up someday. Both books are still available on Amazon and may also be purchased from our website, http://www.adventurousbooks.com and in Alaska bookstores. Thank. Mike
I managed to buy both books — "Alaska Justice" and "Alaska and Beyond" — through Amazon.com's used/new other sellers option, but was amused that the sequel was available at a decent price ONLY from a bookseller in ENGLAND!
If the law-enforcement difficulties and the judicial nose-thumbing at the law actually occur in Alaska as written in the above-mentioned books, it seems like chaos — or anarchy — reigns in Alaska like no other state in the US.
I also was amused at the references to the fictional governor of Alaska in the first chapter, in light of the current political "situation" in the state.
Actually, "amused" doesn't half describe it… 🙂