Restless in the Grave

Despite the gloomy title, Kate is having fun in “Restless In The Grave”, even if she is constantly being beaten up and locked into confined spaces. Having freed herself from her duties as Chair of the board of the Niniltna Native Association, Kate grabs the chance to head out of town to carryout an undercover investigation of a possible murder at Newenham, Trooper Liam Campbell’s domain.

For those of us who have read the Liam Campbell books, “Fire And Ice”, “So Sure Of Death”, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and “Better To Rest”, much fun is had from seeing Liam’s world through Kate’s eyes. I was a bit surprised to find how much Kate enjoyed the sight of Liam in uniform. I figured that she and Wy Chouinard would work show more something out and I expected (and got) fireworks when Kate and Moses met.

Kate’s investigation uncovers something much larger and more sinister than she had expected and gets her involved with all kinds of Federal agencies. The plot twisted are nicely timed, the story is both plausible and cautionary with respect to security in Alaska.

Meanwhile, back in Niniltna, Jim Chopin finally acknowledges to himself that Kate’s house is now his home and that it is empty without her. He also discovers that Kate’s nemesis has been release from jail and has become a shareholder in the gold mine.

Although Kate has a good time in this book, there is a sense that her freedom, and perhaps her happiness, will be short-lived. It seems that “Restless In The Grave” refers to the spirit of Old Sam and that his legacy to Kate has still fully to unfold.

In bringing Kate’s and Liam’s worlds together Dana Stabenow again demonstrates her ability to bring characters to life with relatively few words and to maintain an ensemble cast without letting them slip into plot devices. This crossover also made me aware of what a good job Marguerite Gavin, the narrator of the Liam Campbell series and the Kate Shugak series, does in creating and maintaining distinctive voices for this wide range of characters. show less

Dana Stabenow’s Shugak novels really defy pigeonholing. Yes, they are mysteries, but they are also an intimate look at life in Alaska (where writer Stabenow was born and raised,) and an ongoing set of vignettes about a unique special woman: Kate Shugak. One of my favorite things about this series (Stabenow has several series, as well as some freestanding thrillers and several works in anthologies) is that the characters grow, change, age, and—yes—die. This series works well both in its serial form and as novels read in any order you like. In each book, Kate is a fully present three-dimensional character whose life is complex, interesting, and sometimes scary.

In Restless in the Grave, Kate has reluctantly, once again taken on an show more undercover job. It is exciting to see a character from another of Dana’s series pop up here. Liam Campbell is an Alaskan State Trooper whose wife is the suspect in a case, and he wants Kate to help out so he can back off. The murder occurs early on—seemingly a typical Alaskan bush plane crash—but the dead man is disliked by nearly everyone, including his nearest and dearest. Kate takes a deep breath and plunges into her assignment as a waitress at a bar and grill.

There, Kate can get the real scuttlebutt on the dead man, uber-rich Finn Grant. Grant has embezzled, frauded and blackmailed just about everyone he knows, and a lot of folks he didn’t know. It is not really a matter of finding out who-done-it, but weeding out the least likely to zero in on the best suspects.

Restless in the Grave begins in Afghanistan, about as far away in climate and temperament as you can go from Alaska. Short and to the point, it will shake you and make you wonder what the hell the two places, and the characters involved, have to do with one another. Well, read on, MacDuff, for Stabenow and the intrepid Kate will reveal all…eventually.

Wonderful sidebars (subplots?!) include the arrival of cell towers for this part of Alaska; poor Jim Chopin, Kate’s love interest and occasional boss, hates always being accessible. The Niniltna Native Association (NNA) is undergoing change; Kate is stepping down from the pivotal chair position she reluctantly accepted when her Grandmother died. Her cousin is going to go on the board, and she and Kate are not the best of friends. The new head of the board seems to be much like Kate’s grandmother, and there is tension in the air at each board meeting. As usual, Kate has a lot of eggs to juggle, and no resolutions are in sight.

Her usual sidekick, the half-wolf Mutt, joins Kate as her aide-de-camp at the bar, watching pushy men and rude customers with a baleful eye. Kate’s adopted son, Johnny, isn’t around much in this book, which is disappointing, but the whole book is so much fun I didn’t notice it after a while. The relationship between Jim and Kate continues steamy, and Kate’s struggle to follow clues to their bitter end becomes a struggle to do the right thing by the living.

I would love to see some new fans for Dana Stabenow and Kate Shugak coming from this book. If you are a Liam Campbell fan or a new reader, you will find this 19th-book in the Shugak oeuvre everything a murder mystery-thriller should be.

Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Laura Strathman Hulka, 2012 show less

3.5 not my favorite Kate novel. Kate took a licking again, this time out of town with no human support just her and Mutt. Kate is asked to dig into a case for a friend of Jim's and she find so much more than anyone was expecting. There were three really good looking men, one of them was a movie star. His part in this story and her reaction was different from previous books. Kate felt different, perhaps her reaction to these men ? or the way she put herself and Mutt in danger again after the last few books. I felt a shift in her and I'm not sure I like it.

Kate is still mourning the loss of Old Sam, when state trooper Liam Campbell enlists her help to determine whether a suspicious death of a pilot was murder, with the primary suspect being his wife. Kate works undercover as a bargirl in a small town, and quickly discover that the dead man seems to have built his business by blackmailing numerous people. Kate and Mutt get themselves into several near death situations (again) and eventually uncover a major federal crime, along with the assistance of a movie star, who reminds Kate of her long-lost love, Jack.

Thanks to reviewingtheevidence.com for an ARC of this book.

Restless in the Grave brings together the lead characters from two of Stabenow's series, Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell.
When Alaskan businessman,Finn Grant's plane crashes, the question arises was it an accident or murder? Alaska State Trooper Liam Campbell feels obligated to investigate but faces a conflict of interest since his wife, a business competitor of Grant's, was seen arguing with him shortly before his death and must be considered a potential suspect. For help he turns to fellow state trooper, Jim Chopin, and his significant other, private investigator, Kate Shugak. Kate's investigation of Grant's death uncovers blackmail, smuggling and embezzlement of a trust fund, show more while at the same time she is dealing with Grant's totally dysfunctional family.
A well-written novel, the plot flows smoothly building suspense, with enough unexpected turns to keep the reader wondering what's going to happen next and the right amount of humor to occasionally ease the tension. One of the problems with long running series is providing a new reader enough background to make continuing storyline understandable without boring to tears long time fans. Overall Stabenow handles this quite well. I know there were events in the book I would have understood better if I had read the entire series, but enough detail was provided to keep me from feeling lost. I thoroughly enjoyed it - enough so I went out and found Poisioned Pen Press' re-issue of the first Kate Shugak novel for my to-be-read pile. show less

This is the newest and most unusual of all of Ms Stabenow’s books. Dana writes 2 separate series set in Alaska. One is about state trooper Liam Campbell and the other is about private investigator Kate Shugak. Restless in the Grave combines the 2 main characters from both series and turns it into one action and mystery filled, un-put-downable book.

Some readers who have never read any of Ms Stabenow’s works may wonder if they can read this as a stand–alone book. While I believe these two series to be the best things since sliced bread and I whole-heartedly suggest you DO read them from book one…but with this particular book, there really is no need. You can dive right in because this is just a little different than her usual show more books. It does revolve around Kate so you might feel you need the full background but Ms
Stabenow’s writing is so complex in this novel and the past experiences of Kate really takes a back-seat to the action and adventure you will find in this book. Once you’ve read this one you may feel compelled to read them all. I hope you do.

This book takes place in Liam’s back-yard, where his wife has a shadow of suspicion thrown on her over the recent death of Finn Grant---who is a totally loathsome creature. Liam asks Kate to come and investigate the death of Finn and to put to rest once and for all whether or not it was pilot error or murder.

Kate starts working undercover and during the course of her investigation, gets locked in a chest freezer with her half wolf Mutt, (among other places she is locked into, meets a super hunky male movie star who may have the hots for Kate and find a plot sending American arms meant for our army into the hands of the enemy.

This book does tragically end the life of a much-loved character and that is not unusual for Ms Stabenow. Throughout this long running series fans have had to come to terms with the death both natural and un-natural of many beloved characters. Ms Stabenow does work her magic and never leaves you feeling bereft for too long.

This book is filled with the usual red-herring, humor and sharp wit that we’ve come to depend on. It has a very large cast of complex characters and leaves us with what appears to be the plot for her next book.
This is an exceptional installment into an exceptional series, or should I say 2 series? I really loved the blending of the two and I hope that Dana will do it again in the future. show less

Kate has reluctantly, once again taken on an undercover job. This is a crossover between Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell series; it will help the reader to have knowledge of both. I really had a hard time differentiating between Liam Campbell and "Chopper" Jim--both are Alaska State Troopers and act similarly. But, Kate pines for "Chopper" Jim. The plot unfolds nicely and in the end, what's good is tainted. On to the next in Shugak's series.