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Book Reviews of Starvation Camp

Starvation Camp
Starvation Camp
Author: Bill Pronzini
ISBN-13: 9780425183052
ISBN-10: 042518305X
Publication Date: 12/1/2001
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 5

3.3 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Berkley
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Starvation Camp on + 102 more book reviews
When Corporal Zachary McQuestion veered off his icy route in the Yukon, he was eagerly anticipating the warmth and comfort he'd always found at Molly Malone's. What he finds in her cabin, however, makes his blood boil: Intruders have murdered Molly for her maeger provisions-little more than a few bags of flour.
Now, the corporal vows to find Molly's murderers and bring them to justice-even if it means tracking them through a frozen wilderness and reliving his own tortured past...
WhidbeyIslander avatar reviewed Starvation Camp on + 684 more book reviews
Although I enjoyed the writing style, there was something lacking in it as a gripping story. The dogged pursuit of a villain by the obsessed Mountie was detailed in the extreme, and pointed out how difficult living in the 1890's in the Yukon must have been, especially for gold-rushers trying to get there through the mountain passes from Skagway. There are some grim parts detailing how animals fared during their trek. In a time when a lot of people get annoyed that they can't find a closer parking spot at the mall, it points out how soft we've become.

Corporal McQuestion follows his prey though those passes to Skagway and down to California. The author gives us a taste of what life was like in those places, but it seems more like a travelogue than an interesting tale. The final 70 pages recount his journey post-Alaska and I thought the corporal's actions were a bit too obsessive.

There is an unbelievable coincidence that seems to set up a possible sequel as McQuestion continues to try and right old wrongs. It's an okay read, but I was looking for more story set in the gold fields of Canada's west.