Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780380782444
ISBN number: 0380782448
Label: Avon
Manufacturer: Avon
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 212
Printing Date: September 01, 1997
Publishing house: Avon
Release Date: September 01, 1997
Sale Popularity Level: 252599
Studio: Avon
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Hitting The Books
Miss Helma Zukas is reluctant to go hiking on the Cascade mountains, but her friend Ruth is insistent. When she agrees to go, Helma, ever the librarian, does her research, reading up on survival techniques, packing like a pro, and making up a list for her irresponsible friend. As usual, Ruth comes unprepared, having neglected to read Helma's list. But even Helma's careful preparation couldn't have anticipated the discovery of a dead body high in the rocky wilderness.
SURVIVING THE TRAIL
Since it appears unlikely that the hole in the hiker's chest was caused by a fall, Helma suspects foul play. When the victim is airlifted off the mountain, Ruth is ready to accept a ride back to civilization, but Helma insists they stay and search for the hiker's missing companion. Being good samaritans is one thing, but getting stranded in a blinding snowstorm is quite another. Especially when escaping Nature's deadly fury means holing up in a little cabin with some motley strangers who may be planning a murderous adventure for a couple of dangerously inquisitive women...
HITTING THE BOOKS
Miss Helma Zukas is reluctant to go hiking on the Cascade mountains, but her friend Ruth is insistent. When she agrees to go, Helma, ever the librarian, does her research, reading up on survival techniques, packing like a pro, and making up a list for her irresponsible friend. As usual, Ruth comes unprepared, having neglected to read Helma's list. But even Helma's careful preparation couldn't have anticipated the discovery of a dead body high in the rocky wilderness.
SURVIVING THE TRAIL
Since it appears unlikely that the hole in the hiker's chest was caused by a fall, Helma suspects foul play. When the victim is airlifted off the mountain, Ruth is ready to accept a ride back to civilization, but Helma insists they stay and search for the hiker's missing companion. Being good samaritans is one thing, but getting stranded in a blinding snowstorm is quite another. Especially when escaping Nature's deadly fury means holing up in a little cabin with some motley strangers who may be planning a murderous adventure for a couple of dangerously inquisitive women...
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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First let me say that I think cat lovers and librarians should be banned from reviewing Miss Zukas books. Show them a cat or a catalog and they lose all objectivity. "Out of Circulation" is a hugely flawed book not worth wasting your time on. For one thing, it is supposedly a mystery, but Miss Zukas DOES NOT solve a mystery in this book! She is stuck in a cabin with a bunch of likely suspects, no clues are revealed for her or the reader to chew on, and in the last 20 pages the baddie picks up a gun and declares herself. Nobody solves anything! Other problems: The names of people are ridiculously contrived. A suspect builds a snow cave, apparently in a few minutes in freshly fallen snow. This is an impossibility. I half expected the know-it-all Miss Zukas to say "Wait a minute, you can't build a snow cave in fresh snow" but that bit of reality doesn't intrude on the plot. I was shocked when I saw the other reviews of this book as I expected at least some bad ones.
Rated by buyers -
Helma Zukas' best friend Ruth talks her into going on a hike in the Cascade Mountains to celebrate Ruth's 40th. birthday. Ruth promises that two hiking experts will accompany them, but when the day arrives, Ruth's friends are unable to join them. They set out on their own, and to their horror they discover a dying man. Before he dies, he is able to tell them that he had a companion who may be in trouble, so Helma and Ruth decide to look for him. A blinding snowstorm forces them into an emergency cabin, along with a group of other hikers. This setting allows Jo Dereske to introduce a whole new set of characters who are an interesting change from Miss Zukas' usual co-workers ath the library. This is a well-written and entertaining "cozy".
Rated by buyers 
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This is my favorite of all of Helma's adventures. Great mystery/thriller story interspersed with Helma's very inspiring examples of being properly prepared to be on a mountain in a blizzard surrounded by some not very civilized people. I love this series. Always look forward to Helma's interactions with Boy Cat Zukas too (I love cats but this is hilarious!).
Rated by buyers -
Perhaps because I am a retired librarian and my father was a librarian, I was able to see the little bits of irony and the take-off in Ms. Dereske's discription of Miss Helma Zukas. Helma almost fits "the typical librarian" in the libraries of the past. She is over-organized, dedicated to knit-picky details, dresses in such a way as to seem almost invisible, and (possibly her worst character defect)she has no sense of humor.Ms. Dereske has written tongue-in-cheek about most librarians' favorite stereotype. The idea that Miss Zukas enjoys adventures that few people get involved in, much less staid and sober librarians is part of the fun. I have enjoyed all the murderous events that Miss Zukas has become enmeshed in and I'm hoping for many more. Go, Miss Zukas. The Dewey Decimal System, though inadequate, will lead us out of the vale of ignorance.
Rated by buyers -
If you like "cozy" mysteries, you will like this book and the others in this series a lot. Not only interesting plots, but well-drawn, complex, appealing characters. Plus a cat, Boy Cat Zukas, what more could you ask for?
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