I really need to visit Alaska.  If I hadn't thought that before, this book would have convinced me of it.  The picture that John Straley presents of Alaska has me ready to hop the next plane headed that direction.

Cold Storage, Alaska, a decrepit old fishing town reachable mainly by seaplane, is the home of a cast of characters that you'll never meet anywhere else.  Primarily, it is the home of Miles, an army veteran who runs the local clinic and desperately wants to hook a King Salmon. His brother, Clive, has just been released from prison and their aging and ailing mother is convinced Clive will come home to her.  Clive's return will bring consequences to the town that none of them could have foreseen. Not only does he return, but his former partner is chasing him. Cold Storage is the perfect setting for their reunion.

The magic of this book is the characters.  They are the most quirky, weird bunch of characters you could ask for and yet they ring true. From Billy who wants to meet the Dalai Lama to the local school teachers who moonlight at the fish factory, every character is interesting and well drawn.  The characters do things that surprise you and yet are completely in character for them.  That's a pretty amazing thing for the author to achieve.

I received this book from Goodreads FirstReads program and I appreciated the opportunity to read it and give an honest review.