In Termination Dust, her much-anticipated second Alex Jensen mystery, Sue Henry again seizes the rich history of Alaska and Canada's forgotten frontiers and delivers a fast-paced mystery with one of the most adventurous and charming detectives around. The virgin landscape along the Yukon River has hardly changed since the gold rush began in 1897. Frostbiting winds slice the rugged terrain, and, like a shroud, the first dusting of snow covers the low hills. Braving thick snow on the Top of the World Highway -- where one slip could mean a fall down thousands a cold-blooded killer. His only witness is Jim Hampton, a rugged canoeist whose vacation has abruptly ended. And Jensen's only clue is an 1898 prospector's journal -- detailing an eerily similar murder -- that Hampton discovered on the killer's path.  (ALA282, $7.99)

An Alaska Mystery