AK: "most of the people I contact aren't big readers"

One cool public defender investigator, from Oregonlive.com:

Alaska's mystery man

John Straley works as an investigator for the Alaska public defender's office, interviewing witnesses, gathering and analyzing evidence, finding experts. It's challenging work that introduces him to people who have no idea that he's written seven novels and is Alaska's state writer laureate...

I've read one of his, The Woman Who Married a Bear, an entertaining book, with great Southeast atmosphere.