Lunacy was Nate Burke's last chance. As a Baltimore cop, he'd watched his partner die on the street-and the guilt still haunts him. With nowhere else to go, he accepts the job as Chief of Police in this tiny, remote Alaskan town. Aside from sorting out a run-in between a couple of motor vehicles and a moose, he finds his first weeks on the job are relatively quiet. But just as he wonders whether this has been all a big mistake, an unexpected kiss on New Year's Eve under the brilliant Northern Lights of the Alaska sky lifts his spirit and convinces him to stay just a little longer.

Meg Galloway, born and raised in Lunacy, is used to being alone. She was a young girl when her father disappeared, and she has learned to be independent, flying her small plane, living on the outskirts of town with just her huskies for company. After her New Year's kiss with the Chief of Police, she allows herself to give in to passion-while remaining determined to keep things as simple as possible. But there's something about Nate's sad eyes that gets under her skin and warms her frozen heart.

And now, things in Lunacy are heating up. Years ago, on one of the majestic mountains shadowing the town, a crime occurred that is unsolved to this day-and Nate suspects that a killer still walks the snowy streets. His investigation will unearth the secrets and suspicions that lurk beneath the placid surface, as well as bring out the big-city survival instincts that made him a cop in the first place. And his discovery will threaten the new life-and the new love-that he has finally found for himself.

"Lunacy was Nate Burke's last chance. As a Baltimore cop, he'd watched his partner die on the street-and the guilt still haunts him. With nowhere else to go, he accepts the job as Chief of Police in this tiny, remote Alaskan town. Aside from sorting out a run-in between a couple of motor vehicles and a moose, he finds his first weeks on the job are relatively quiet. But just as he wonders whether this has been all a big mistake, an unexpected kiss on New Year's Eve under the brilliant Northern Lights of the Alaska sky lifts his spirit and convinces him to stay just a little longer. Meg Galloway, born and raised in Lunacy, is used to being alone. She was a young girl when her father disappeared, and she has learned to be independent, flying her small plane, living on the outskirts of town with just her huskies for company. After her New Year's kiss with the Chief of Police, she allows herself to give in to passion-while remaining determined to keep things as simple as possible. But there's something about Nate's sad eyes that gets under her skin and warms her frozen heart. And now, things in Lunacy are heating up. Years ago, on one of the majestic mountains shadowing the town, a crime occurred that is unsolved to this day-and Nate suspects that a killer still walks the snowy streets. His investigation will unearth the secrets and suspicions that lurk beneath the placid surface, as well as bring out the big-city survival instincts that made him a cop in the first place. And his discovery will threaten the new life-and the new love-that he has finally found for himself."

I'm kind of leary of Nora Roberts, simply because I don't like her "occult" type books...the ones that involve spirits and like-things.
I got this book on a whim...and I got the audio book on CD. May I tell you, I was hooked from the FIRST disc!

This is a long book (there were 13 CDs), but worth it all...you're NEVER bored with it, by any stretch of the imagination! I have a long drive to work and back, so I could do a CD or so a day...and it made my trip feel like nothing, as I was so into that book. I was so hooked, as a matter of fact, I'd find myself thinking about it during the day, then again once I got home. I was tempted to go get it and bring it inside to listen to it when I was home...but then I knew that would be one less day left to listen to it on that long drive! I nearly fell all over myself trying to get to the car the next morning, though .

This book is set in a town of Lunacy, Alaska. The town grown and so much that they felt a need to hire a police chief for their small 2-man force (not counting Peach). Ignatius "Nate" Burke was their choice...and what he found was a was the proverbial "bag of worms": a secret had been hidden for years in a cave on a moutain. A secret that Chief Burke can't ignore as he finds himself in the middle of not one, but two murders-one 18 old, and another tied to the first one by a suicide during the first part of his tenure in Lunacy.

This book is not only an adventure in the icy North, but a love story, too. Can't leave that out! Nate and Lunacy's VERY independent bush pilot, Megan (Meg) Galloway, are the story's love interest...and they leave a trail of sparks from their first meeting!

The way I see it is if it's so good you think about it when you're not reading it, then, it's a great book! When you can't wait to hear (or read) another chapter, it's a great book! Hats off to you, Nora...this one was one of your greatest!

All I can say in the way of recommendation is: GET THIS BOOK...it's certainly worth it (and then some)!

I adore Nora Roberts. Her male characters have always been so appealing, and her plots have always hooked me. Not so with her book Northern Lights. I'm so sorry to leave only two stars (I would give Nora herself 10 stars if I could!) but this was borderline unreadable for me. Her male lead, Nate Burke, is not as likeable as Nora's other heros have been. Her female lead, Meg Galloway, is tougher than titanium and viciously independent, just like all her other female leads, except that Meg is also unnecessarily vulgar. As if to prove that she's as testosterone-filled as any man, she throws the "F" bomb around and talks about sex every single chance she gets. There is no respite from it. The reader knows Meg is going to get crude as soon as she and Nate are together. It is constant, and it does NOT add to the story. Toward the end, when Nate gives Meg something, she acts extremely cute, but inevitably suggests some baudy sex. Other interesting characters, like Jacob, are not given the attention they deserve. The plot is a bit of a stretch. A couple of suspects say it best when they suggest that the killer should have just shot his/her victim and hidden the body where it would never be found in the vast Alaskan wilds. Would a killer really set up time-consuming, elaborate traps that might or might not work? Especially when said killer has a gun at his/her disposal? If you have never read Nora Roberts, do not start with this book. Maybe start with Homeport. Her male lead in that one is positively dreamy, and the girl's not so hard-edged that you can't like her.

I wish there had been more Native American lore included, but that is my only quibble. Nora Roberts uses the Alaskan bush as a character in its own right, and that works just fine. I love quirky characters, and there are plenty of odd humans to be found in this romantic mystery. Actually, the romance is secondary to the mystery, and the solution to the mystery can be guessed fairly early, but the real pleasure in reading this book is in watching how the townspeople of Lunacy, Alaska, interact...and how Nate Burke, the new police chief, adapts to life under the Northern Lights. I've read this book 4 times, and enjoyed it just as much each time. I particularly appreciate that Nora Roberts doesn't have any perfect characters; no one is perfectly beautiful, or perfectly behaved. In fact, the heroine is a real handful, and you can tell there won't be any conventional Happy Ever After...there will be some rough patches, but you leave the book rooting for Nate and Meg.

Northern Lighs was a one of Nora Rober's greater books. I thouhgt it was a great mix of romance and mystery. I found it near impossible to put it down. Nate is a cop who finds himself in the small Alaskan town of Lunacy. Within no time Nate falls in love with a local piolet, Meg, and has a 16 year old murder case to solve. This book kept me guessing all the way to the end.

I've decided to make this review (my first ever!) because to me it's one of the "original" Nora Roberts (and lately I was pretty disappointed by many of her books). What makes the difference is the attention to details, both in description of places and of people. It may be a mystery/ love book, but you feel like you live in Lunacy, Alaska, a place where nature transformed people and sentiments are described in strong connection with outside weather. The author had done a wonderful job looking at how Nate start to live again after the lost of his friend. I see some reviews complain about love entering the story to early: I disagree! It's not love, in the beginning it's just sex and it really makes sense at that point of the action(much more than the usual "I see you, I'm in love with you"). Both characters are mature people with a life that had it's fair share of unhappiness.
I strongly recommend this book because it has substance and atmosphere!