Better To Rest

Liam Campbell #4

by Dana Stabenow

Alaska state trooper Sergeant Liam Campbell, the sole law enforcement representative in the small fishing village of Newenham, becomes involved in a decades-old mystery when a downed World War II Army plane is found mysteriously frozen into a glacier. By the Edgar Award-winning author of Nothing Gold Can Stay.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Romance, Adventure, Thriller, Ebooks

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Dana Stabenow was born in Anchorage and raised on 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska. She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere.

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better to Rest by Dana Stabenow is the fourth Liam Campbell story and as usual it's a great mystery this time set in two time periods separated by sixty years. Oh, don't forget ther is murder and the still ongoing struggle between Liam and Wy. I do enjoy the humor in these books and the fact that we get to know more about the characters all the time.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Liam Campbell/Wy Chouinard mystery/romance. In this one a wrecked WWII plane is found in a melting glacier and leads to the death of a woman and her daughter. Many of the reviewers refer to this as the last book in the series, but I am sure there are more where Liam and Wy are married. Hope so. Highly recommended.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining mystery set in Alaska. The primary mystery starts in 1941, and is described through flashbacks from a written diary. This triggers a contemporary murder, which involves numerous characters, both established and new. These provide the necessary red herrings and other distractions, and the resolution comes from left field. As always, Stabenow includes the wilds of Alaskan geography, environment, and people as important characters. In addition, there is a strong undercurrent of sexual tension.

Liam's stories aren't as deep as Kate's, but they're still solid mysteries.

I re-read this in anticipation of Liam #5. If you are considering doing the same - don't. There is a jarring disconnect between #4 and #5. Each book is fine, but they don't flow together.

[Albieglad · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Way too much gratuitous sex. Not necessary at all...seemed like a filler.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Crime/Mystery set in Alaska. I like this author and her stories. This is book #4 in the Liam Campbell series, but it's the first one I read. Liam, as an MC, was quiet and mild mannered. Likable? Yes. But it was bit boring. I think I like the Kate Shugak series much better.

So overall, 3 stars.

[Penny Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review covers all four Liam Campbell mystery books....


What do you get when you mix one sexy Alaskan state trooper, one sassy pilot love interest, lots of cool details about Alaskan history and culture, juicy plot lines, juicy sex scenes, complex relationships, and a little touch of the paranormal? The Liam Campbell mystery series. I read all four books back-to-back and inhaled them like a greasy cheeseburger at Bill's diner. I think Stabenow has done a fabulous job balancing the storyline and characterization in these books. Sometimes mysteries are too light on the characterization, and the stories suffer as a result. Not so with this series. She creates complex characters and real issues for the characters to deal with. Although I do think she went slightly overboard with Liam's troubles....adultery, scandalous demotion from a tragic accident, kid killed by drunk driver, and comatose wife would have been enough. Then she heaped on Liam having to confront the drunk who killed his son in a routine traffic stop....that was pushing it. Nevertheless, I loved how Liam and Wy had to deal with difficult decisions in their lives, and how their love continued to grow and flourish. This is a great mystery series for romance lovers! (I did have a bit of a problem with book #3....it deals with the abduction, rape and murder of women by a serial killer, a topic that was a bit too gruesome for me).


Overall, this series is a super epic win! Highly recommended!!!!

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one took me a while to get into. Seemed like it was a little to related to the last book she wrote and the characters roles in that BUT it turned out it was of no importance. I finaly just gave up on trying to remember the who is who and figured that if they were important, I would hear about them again. I was right. That worked. I also felt like she dropped the ball is resolving the "spy" angle unless I missed something, which I thought was the reason for the "journal" entries throughout the book??? And the love scenes were too sappy for me. It was OK. Have read better Alaskan authors.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plowed through this series again in anticipation of #5. It’s been nearly 15 years since #4! Stabenow writes beautifully of Alaska and astutely of the politics surrounding indigenous rights and the limits of natural resources. Her Kate Shugak series is more widely read, but this one - focused on a fiery romance between a state Trooper and Bush pilot - is great. Glad to hear the series off the ice and back into play.

[Leah Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

MYSTERY GOOD

Then why 2 stars?. Stabenow made this a more modern book with the sex scenes, but I will no longer read about Liam. That type of details to me adds nothing to the story. So many want voyeurism these days. I read the first books years ago, and I liked him. I have read all Stabenow books and sorry to see her go.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wyanet - worried about Liam leaving, to go back to Anchorage for the promotion, unable to give him the words he wants to hear, unable to fully commit - when he brings up buying a bigger bed, she puts him off... and Moses tells her about her birth parents - that he is her grandfather, and he fears she will hear the voices as he does... she's worried about the vices... and a few times she has an 'itch'
at the back of her neck that leads her to throw herself & Liam to safety when part of the glacier slips... and later, to finding the pilot's journal, hidden in the snow... and she seems a bit worried about it...

Liam - though offered the promotion, hasn't said yes or no... he's afraid to talk with Wy - afraid he'll lose her... has the opportunity to see and work withhis father in a more honest way - his doing, not his dad's...

Tim - upset because Wyanet is making him see his mother - after 3rd visit, he finally talks a bit about it with her, instead of just yelling... she tells him she wants him to have different memories of his mom, that is right to be angry, but it's right to see more fully and move on with his life - to not let anger determine who he is...

the mystery - a feisty, sexy, well-liked 74 year old woman is dead in her kitchen... Sylvia - Liam met her the day before when she came in because she saw a buryly guy breaking into her car and she beaned him with a can of sun dried tomatoes... she was a widow, financially well off - as are her 4 children... her husband had been a successful fisherman, and invested well - perhaps... and then 3 days later, her sexpot daughter is also found dead in the mother's kitchen...

and a WWII plane is found in a glacier that is calving (breaking apart?)... hunters fround a forearm & hand... Liam and Prince (his assistant) find out about it when they go to their home after an attempt to 'kidnap' the ATM... and in the bar, where he went to get Billy to swear out a warrent & to store the arm - and the arm tumbles out of the bag, and a 1927 gold coin rolls out of the hand - for the whole bar to see... and Liam's dad shows up wanting to recover the plane - an impossibility in how it mostly encased in the glacier... it ends up that a current general's father was in that plane & there was some question of a traitor on the plane... with a questionable stash of gold...

and it ends up that Sylvia and Eric (currently a town elder), when dating and kissing when they were 16... saw the plane crash, and she insisted on going up to see if there were any survivors... and they found the leather bag of coins... and though they felt uncomfortable about it, they kept them... and Eric enlisted, and when he returned 4 years later, Sylvia was married with one kid... and he thought maybe the kid was his... and didn't bring up the coins... and he married and had a good life... and Sylvia used the coins to finance her husband's boat, etc... and explained how she & the kids were so well off...

and after Sylvia's husband died, she rehooked up with Eric and had 4 months of wonderful... but when he wanted to marry, she said no, and he realized she didn't love him... he started drinking a lot... and when the hand & coin were discovered, he went to Sylvia's house the next day, confronted her, got angry - she wanted to turn in the rest of the coins, he wanted his share... there was some shoving... she slipped and hit her head... and then 3 days later, the daughter called him to meet him at her mother's house - and when he got there, she wanted to know where the coins were - and when he said he didn't know, then she said awful things about her mother - and Eric got angry and wanted to 'tear out her tongue' and strangled her...

And in the end, Liam figures it all out...

and when he and Wy are in the plane, they have their 'talk', admiting a bit to their fears - and declaring their love... and the story ends in her bed - and he says he'd make a bargain - he'd stay if she got a bigger bed... and she agrees, then asks him to marry her... ahhhhh

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better to Rest

It is ALASKA!

What is not to love?


I enjoyed this book about Liam Campbell the other Alaskan state trooper. The mystery is sharp and has a historical aspect to it because of the WWII fighter plane. Well done.

4 stars

happy Reading!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading Dana S and was confused by all the characters at first. Recommend reading the series in order; this is no. 3 Liam series. Good plot. Moves along well but couldn't figure out who was the spy???

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better to Rest by Dana Stabenow is the 4th book of the Liam Campbell mystery series, set in the contemporary Alaska bush. Liam is an Alaska State Trooper. He formerly served in Anchorage, but was demoted and sent to the bush after an error with a case. He's recently been reinstated and offered his old job back, but he hesitates, due to his love affair with Wy, a bush pilot. They live together, but are currently not on speaking terms, each too afraid to discuss their choices for the future.

Eccentric characters populate the story, most scenes taking place at the town bar. Town drunks, up on a glacier where a WWII C-47 went down, find a severed hand when the glacier calves. Clutched in the hand is a gold coin.

Alternating chapters are journal entries from December 1941, made by a crew member on the C-47.

When an elderly woman in town is murdered shortly after the hand was discovered at the glacier, Liam investigates. Not until the second murder does he suspect the crimes are connected to the discovery of the hand, and the gold coin.

Liam continues to struggle with his fear of flying, as he continually must be flown to crime scenes in order to investigate. He faces another challenge when his father, an Air Force colonel, arrives with an FBI agent in tow, and demands recovery of the plane (deadly dangerous due to the season, the weather, and the glacier calving).

Descriptions of the history of Lend-Lease in early years of WWII explain why the plane was flying across Alaska, but a mystery remains: why it was so far off course? Was the crash a crime instead of an accident?

[Rosemary Cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD. It is my first Dana Stabenow and I was only moderately impressed. She clearly writes series-style and while the story may be a stand alone, the books really are not. There is so much of the book spent on filling in the past and the ending seems to cry out that there will be more.

Solving the mystery is pretty good and the characters are interesting, although I must admit that I didn't much like Liam and some of his actions were downright disgraceful. There is also a bit too much of the sex thing which takes away from a good mystery big time.

Having said that, she does set up a unique mystery - two mysteries, actually - and the road to solving both is pretty good storytelling. Of course, the two mysteries are intertwined and it is interesting to see the pieces come together. I thought the ending just kind of happened and lacked any true denouement.

So, good for a quick mystery read, but not the best out there.

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've now read two Dana Stabenows and I liked them both a lot. She seems to specialize in a funky mixture of traditional private eye mystery, Alaskan history and culture and a lot of interpersonal conflict. I know absolutely nothing about Alaska, so the picture she paints (Alaska is apparently a lot like Baltimore in the 80s and 90s, except worse and with nature, plus you have to fly everywhere) is really eye opening and interesting.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last in the series. I put off reading it because I loved the characters, the Alaskan setting, the romance, the mystery, and I didn't want it to end. Now that it has...wasn't my favorite in the series, but was excellent. I love this author. I'm going to read more of her books. Loved Liam and Wy's interactions and love story. Bill and Moses are rather interesting characters, too. My mind could get involved with the story and away from reality. Perfect!

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. I listened to it on tape. The story spans 60 years from WWII to the present. An Air Force plane from the big war is discovered in a glacier in Alaska. A severed hand clutching a gold coin is found in the wreckage. State trooper Liam Campbell is looking into the mystery when an elderly woman in town is murdered. How these two events are related is a good story. War stories and family dynamics make for a satisfying mystery.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Liam Campbell mystery, combined with romance and history. What better? Set in a small Alaska town, the discovery of a DC-3/C-47 embedded in a glacier sets ripples throughout the town. One glitch: if the son of the C-47 copilot (who perished in 1941) was coming up for Senate confirmation as a four-star general, he'd be 71 years old at the 2003 publish date...too old for active service. The mystery is topped off with a couple of romances and it's all a good story.

[Elle Druskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so happy this last one of the four books came out on Kindle, snatched it up and started immediately and finished in one day. I am so glad Liam and Wy finally got their act together and the opening chapter is absolutely hilarious! Thanks to Dana Stabenow for the Liam Campbell series which I have enjoyed immensely.

[Bonnie Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Better to Rest somewhat predictable, and I am not a fan of the trend toward inserting a historic narrative in small bits throughout the novel, but Stabenow remains one of my favorite mystery writers. Her characterization of life in the Alaskan bush is always entertaining, and I have come to know her characters as if they were my friends.

[Linda Look · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liam Campbell is in a small Alaskan town with winter coming on. Town drunks found a severed arm with a gold coin clasped in the hand. This led to a world war II plane being found and uncovered family secrets which led to two deaths. Liam's girlfriend, Wy Chouinard, is the pilot flying him back & forth to crime scenes. Good, fast mystery. Easy to read. I rate this a 4.6.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery plot not very dense or detailed; more satisfying in character development of regular characters. I would rather have had more details of the WW2 subplot.

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this before, but then I found an audio version at OverDrive. This wasn't better or different through listening than reading it. A good tale, not great.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for a pleasant mystery set in Alaska. This is book 4 in the Liam Campbell series, but it would work as a stand alone. Liam is an Alaska State trooper stationed in Newenham, on the Bristol Bay area of Alaska. He starts an investigation when a severed arm is discovered at the home of some sketchy characters suspected of trying to steal an ATM. This leads to a long buried WWII airplane uncovered by glacier melt.
Some characters:
John Kvichak, leader of the ATM robber group
Liam Campbell, Alaska State Trooper, head of Newenham office
Prince, Alaska State Trooper
Wyanet Chouinard, owner of an air taxi service and Liam's lover
Lydia Tompkins, 74 year old widow who flirts with Liam while reporting a crime
Bill Barrington, bar owner and town magistrate
Two murders occur in this book and Liam does solve the case, but not until the end is the killer revealed and I did not suspect the killer until the end.
There is some bad language, but no graphic violence. There are also some sex scenes, including between Bill, in her 60s, and Moses Alakuyak, in his 70s, who rejoice in their ability to have sex 2 or 3 times a day. i am in my 70s and that level of sex is beyond me.
One quote on Lydia flirting with Liam: "She uncrossed and crossed her legs, rearranged the skirt of her blue-flowered housedress, fussed with a short, smooth cap of still-black hair and smiled at Liam."
This was a library book. Both my wife and I enjoy this series.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aha! I recently read a book in this series and really enjoyed it. I wondered why I'd never finished the series and vaguely thought I had started it and just didn't like it. I read another book in the series. Loved it too! Characters amazing, setting wonderful, writing drew me in. BUT... not this one AND I think it's the one I read before. I know that when Stabenow is on her game, she's at the top, but that a few books here and there disappointed me. I'm glad I read this on because I relearned part of the storyline for the series but truly, it falls flat. Characters are not charming or particularly interesting, the usually compelling setting is flat, the concept so-so at best. So, read the series and include this book but don't expect as much as the others offer. The main mystery revolves around a WWII crash site and a piece of gold associated with it. The other investigation is into the death, possibly murder, possibly not, of a well-loved 74-year-old town widow. Eh. Gave 2 stars cause learned a little more about some characters.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember trying to find this authors books online and not being able to. Maybe I was spelling her last name wrong or something. Months later, I decided to check the Library and was happy that there were books available. I checked out the first one and have not looked back. Each is as exciting as the first... and I have many more to read.

This is not the second of the Liam Campbell series, ( # 4).. even though it is not the second in the series, it all ties in to the storyline of #1.

"After the grisly discovery of a dismembered hand leads him to a crashed World War II Army plane frozen precariously in a glacier. Stretching back more than sixty years, the case will pit Liam against his Air Force colonel father, whose very presence makes Liam question what secrets the glacier holds-and who exactly was on that ill-fated flight."

[Martha Burke-Hennessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Storyteller

Dana Stabenow is a great storyteller with a feel for the beauty and chill of Alaska's Bush. In this the fourth (and last?) of the Liam Campbell series, state trooper Liam questions a sexy 74 year-old grandmother about the possible origin of a newly revealed World War II bomber discovered in a glacier. The next thing he hears, she's been murdered. Then her daughter is killed. As Liam investigates, he needs the help of the woman he loves, the pilot Wy. Their tangled feelings reflect the power of love and lust in the Alaskan community Stabenow describes so well. Her writing can be transporting. Here the flying sequences has you gripping your seatbelt along with Liam. If I have any criticism it's the ending is a little too neat.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better to Rest is #4 in the Liam Campbell series. Reading this series is a must as Dana Stabenow combines mystery protagonists Kate Shugak with Liam Campbell in book #5/#19. In this book, Better to Rest Dana has advanced her characters development along with with an amazing description of the Alaskan Bush & aviation in WWII history by setting up this murder mystery. The 2 murders are related to the downing of a C-47 cargo plane during WWII, a large sum of gold coins, and a lasting relationship. Liam & Co-worker, Diane Prince have their work cut out for them as they solve the mother/daughter murders by the same man. Great storyline & engaging book. Reading the large print makes it easier on your eyes & you sail right through it in 5 days.

[Anne Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, especially the great opening chapter. Lots of the longer story arcs of the series were resolved - did the author intend to finish it here? I know there is another books, so I suppose she will open up some new avenues for her main characters.

The mysteries at the heart of the book were, however, not quite so well written for me. The resolution came along rather suddenly with some details left open. Although maybe that was either intentional or my own fault with memory issues.

Anyway, I have had a good time with these characters and the amazing setting and hope that I can read more books in this series.

[Mary Heron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a fun read even with all.the murders.

These books.have such a rich vein of humor running through them it makes you wish the characters were real.so.you could visit with them. Then there is the state of.Alaska a character in her own right she adds so much to these stories what with its amazing history and the major challenges faced by those who.choose to live there. This book sees a plane crash buried in an iceberg become exposed in the thaw and the mystery behind where it came.from and where it was going. Then there is a murder (or.maybe an accidental death) of an elderly lady that Liam had.quite a fondness for.so.he.is.determined.to.find.answers.................