Polar Night review and In Your Pants blogfest

Blurb:
When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

My review:
Detective Danny Fitzpatrick only wants to escape the horror of his past. He leaves his Chicago home and takes a job in Fairbanks, Alaska working cold cases. While he's successful at numbing his mind with alcohol, a case comes along that snaps him into sobriety. Danny links a cold case of a missing girl to a new one, and through further research, he finds several more. His investigation takes him north to Coldfoot and to the haunted establishment of Aleksei Nechayev. Danny knows something's going on with Aleksei, but can't manage to convince anyone else of the fact without some hard evidence. When he finally comes across some information, it changes Danny forever and puts him in danger of more than just catching a cold in the freezing Alaskan winter.

This supernatural thriller will chill you to the bone and not just with the wonderful descriptions of Alaska. POLAR NIGHT gives us various points of view that takes the reader on a dark journey filled with nail-biting suspense and intense emotions. Danny has the heart of a hero, but is scarred by his past and it's wearing him down. He's a flawed man and yet still admirable. Aleksei is cold and immensely fascinating. Maria has an amazing spirit even in a terrifying situation.

While there's a thrilling plot and a great cast of characters, it's the setting and atmosphere that really make this book stand out. We don't often find books that take place in the far north, and usually not in the winter. I loved all the little every day tidbits Julie Flanders included about life in Alaska. Plus, I was enthralled by the haunted asylum. The little strange happenings and scary noises added to the tension of the story and brought out an even chillier atmosphere.

POLAR NIGHT is the debut novel from Julie Flanders. I can't wait to read more form her!

You can buy POLAR NIGHT here:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Amazon UK  * Smashwords 

Bio: Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. POLAR NIGHT, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is her first novel. Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

This fun little blogfest is hosted by the lovely Summer Ross.

It's very easy: take the current book title you're reading and add "in your pants" afterward.

I'm reading L.K. Hamilton's newest book.
AFFLICTION in your pants!
That doesn't sound healthy.