Brought to Crow Cove by Myna when he was a little boy, the protagonist of Alek was called "Doup" while he was growing up after his mispronunciation of "Soup." Doup now wishes to be called by his birth name, Alek. He also wishes to go to Last Harbor to visit his beloved older brother, Ravnar, who left Crow Cove after being rejected as a husband by Myna. Taken by his father to Last Harbor, Alek is distressed to find his fisherman brother embittered and living in squalor when he is home from the sea. Alek decides to stay and take care of Ravnar, and he takes a job at the local inn. Returning home one night, he explores firelight he sees on the beach. He is horrified to discover villains murdering a man from a ship that they caused to shipwreck by falsely luring it ashore in a dangerous place. He also discovers a frightened young girl who survived the shipwreck and is hiding from the murderers. He takes her back to Raynar's cottage and conceals her, but he cannot understand her language. In beautiful prose filled with images of past coast dwellers in a cold climate, this fourth and final volume in the Children of Crow Cove series is exciting and compelling. The characters have the strength of those who make their hardscrabble living from the sea, a strength that can be quite scary when it is wielded by assassins. Alek is a satisfying end to a wonderful series.