"Cheechako," now available on Smashwords, in all ebook formats!

Fast-paced, Alaska adventure

Cheechako, first book in the Cheechako Series—written for age ten to forever—is now available in ANY ebook format.

You can find it here: "Cheechako" on Smashwords

A reminder to Facebook readers you need to click on the post and go to the blog site for the link to work.

Adventure for boys ... but girls are reading, too. 

An exciting story is still an exciting story. This one has it all: dogsledding, hatchet throwing, getting out on the trail with no parents around—a plucky dog for a best friend—and lots of living by wits, so there are no computers or cellphones to save the day. Does it get any better?!

Check out this new review of my Alaska mystery, "In Gold We Trust."

5.0 out of 5 starsA terrific read, like coming home to old friends.

By lelliott541 on October 27, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

A strong follow-up to "Indecent Exposure," the next installment in the Father Hardy series, "In Gold We Trust" follows our beloved cast of characters into a new chapter in their lives.

Returning to the Post-WWII Alaskan frontier at a dangerous time, the Spring thaw, we find Father Hardy being used as a pawn in a long-running blood-feud, fueled by murder and missing gold. In order to save his friends, and a new love, Hardy confronts danger head-on, but it isn't long before he needs saving himself.

What chance can faith and compassion have in the face of corruption, greed, and murder? Father Hardy's unique mixture of kindness, optimism, and skilled fisticuffs are put to the test when he faces off against a corrupt clan of murderous thieves, who may or may not be operating under the auspices of a shadowy new government organization known as the CIA.

The Father Hardy series is a return to the gee-whizz days of Post-WWII innocence, optimism, and encroaching Cold War paranoia. The harsh beauty of the setting is primed for adventures that could happen nowhere else. Ranging from a young Seattle to the fading glory of the last Riverboat on its final voyage over the wild and deadly Yukon River, in search of stolen gold.

If this is your initial entry into the Father Hardy series, you'll find a cast of complex characters that mesh and conflict in ways that ring true to life. Amateur detectives by accident, these friends are made up of Alaskan Natives, an itinerant preacher, an army sniper, and a Russian spy. Layered and complex characters whose lives evolve in ways compelled by the navigation of the real issues of their day, and ours as well: faith, racism and bigotry, loyalty and betrayal.

A terrific entry into the serial detective genre, "In Gold We Trust" is a brisk read. As is Stratman's style and forte, he deftly balances the pacing, plot, and characterization, while exploring a world he is intimately familiar with from his own childhood in the wilds of Alaska. If you are a returning fan, welcome back to your home away from home.