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Liam Campbell #3
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Alaska state trooper Liam Campbell becomes ensnared in a tangled net of violence and evil secrets when he investigates a string of murders at a fishing village. Reprint.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
301 people are currently reading
610 people want to read
About the author
Dana Stabenow
104 books2,147 followersDana 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
February 24, 2023
A very brutal murder mystery by Dana Stabenow. Nothing Gold Can Stay is the third book about Liam and it's not as good as the second but far better than the first. Some random killing and custodial problems at the same time as well as the ongoing problems between Liam and Wyanet. I really like this series and I am very curious how Liam and Kate will happen onto each other. Well onto the next.
August 28, 2021
A good entry in the Liam/Wyanet series as they must track down a serial killer in the bush. The airplane ride in the storm was white knuckle time for me. So well written. Recommended.
September 27, 2013
This is the 3rd entry in the Liam Campbell series, following So Sure Of Death. The story begins approximately one month following the end of the previous novel.
As in the two previous novels, there are two storylines intertwined. One revolves around the murder that is discovered by Wy and the other revolves around the emotional growth of Liam, Wy and, this time, Moses.
And by “emotional growth,” I mean just that; this book is not a romantic suspense. The romance was covered in the first two novels; now we are dealing more with Wy’s backstory and how it relates to her choices as a person, as a woman and as a lover. We are also given much more information about Moses, just the beginning of a backstory but very important as to his choices and reactions also. And some of Prince’s backstory is revealed also.
And, in fact, it is elements from Prince’s background that the author uses to surreptitiously guide the murder investigation. Prince has a “because he could have done it, he did do it” attitude. Her professional ambition drives her to be more interested in closure rate than actual evidence or lack thereof.
With this established, the author drives the investigation in an oblique manner. She uses scenes during the investigation, rather than using internal dialogue, to carefully guide the reader to see Prince’s true nature – her immorality, her hypocrisy with respect to the law and her singleness of purpose with respect to her career. And the author lets us know that Liam is only aware of that last motivation which seriously hampers his investigation and ultimately leads to other deaths and very nearly his own.
The author also uses a different writing style in this book compared to the previous ones in the series. The chapters are divided by day and place. The reader has an omniscient view so that we know what different characters are doing simultaneously and consecutively with respect to each other and the storyline. This causes the tension to build slowly as the reader follows the victims before and after they meet the killer.
Tension also builds as the reader sees that Liam seems to be just one step behind the situation. The author introduced Liam in the first book as a disgraced rising star in the Alaska State Trooper system. He did not get this “rising star” reputation as an administrator but as a crack field investigator. Yes, he is now in a Bush area, with an indigenous Native population that he does not truly understand, but he did not suffer brain damage in his “disgrace.” Perhaps this “slowness” is a device to show how much Liam is changing personally and professionally. However, since we were presented with such an omniscient view of others during this book, it seems out of place not to have one for Liam. And this is the reason for my rating of 4, rather than 5.
As in the two previous novels, there are two storylines intertwined. One revolves around the murder that is discovered by Wy and the other revolves around the emotional growth of Liam, Wy and, this time, Moses.
And by “emotional growth,” I mean just that; this book is not a romantic suspense. The romance was covered in the first two novels; now we are dealing more with Wy’s backstory and how it relates to her choices as a person, as a woman and as a lover. We are also given much more information about Moses, just the beginning of a backstory but very important as to his choices and reactions also. And some of Prince’s backstory is revealed also.
And, in fact, it is elements from Prince’s background that the author uses to surreptitiously guide the murder investigation. Prince has a “because he could have done it, he did do it” attitude. Her professional ambition drives her to be more interested in closure rate than actual evidence or lack thereof.
With this established, the author drives the investigation in an oblique manner. She uses scenes during the investigation, rather than using internal dialogue, to carefully guide the reader to see Prince’s true nature – her immorality, her hypocrisy with respect to the law and her singleness of purpose with respect to her career. And the author lets us know that Liam is only aware of that last motivation which seriously hampers his investigation and ultimately leads to other deaths and very nearly his own.
The author also uses a different writing style in this book compared to the previous ones in the series. The chapters are divided by day and place. The reader has an omniscient view so that we know what different characters are doing simultaneously and consecutively with respect to each other and the storyline. This causes the tension to build slowly as the reader follows the victims before and after they meet the killer.
Tension also builds as the reader sees that Liam seems to be just one step behind the situation. The author introduced Liam in the first book as a disgraced rising star in the Alaska State Trooper system. He did not get this “rising star” reputation as an administrator but as a crack field investigator. Yes, he is now in a Bush area, with an indigenous Native population that he does not truly understand, but he did not suffer brain damage in his “disgrace.” Perhaps this “slowness” is a device to show how much Liam is changing personally and professionally. However, since we were presented with such an omniscient view of others during this book, it seems out of place not to have one for Liam. And this is the reason for my rating of 4, rather than 5.
December 20, 2025
Heartbreaking.
One of the characters in this series is Moses he's an elderly man, a known drunk,, very cantankerous and he does Tai Chi. Moses is also a shaman, he hears voices nobody else does, has done most of his life, these voices are the reason he drinks he's trying to drown them out with no luck. I would hate to be Moses he has no control over what he knows, it's not like he gets the lottery numbers no his voices mainly share the bad news. So when he looks at a young girl and sees nothing good for her he prays with everything in him that for once the voices are wrong they occasionally are, not very often but it does happen........................... As for Liam and Diana well as par for the course Wy comes across another dead body when doing the postal deliverys, she blames Liam this never happened to her before he came to town. A woman shot in her home miles from the nearest neighbour with no clues as to who may have done it ............ The chances of Liam being able to find the killer are slim............
One of the characters in this series is Moses he's an elderly man, a known drunk,, very cantankerous and he does Tai Chi. Moses is also a shaman, he hears voices nobody else does, has done most of his life, these voices are the reason he drinks he's trying to drown them out with no luck. I would hate to be Moses he has no control over what he knows, it's not like he gets the lottery numbers no his voices mainly share the bad news. So when he looks at a young girl and sees nothing good for her he prays with everything in him that for once the voices are wrong they occasionally are, not very often but it does happen........................... As for Liam and Diana well as par for the course Wy comes across another dead body when doing the postal deliverys, she blames Liam this never happened to her before he came to town. A woman shot in her home miles from the nearest neighbour with no clues as to who may have done it ............ The chances of Liam being able to find the killer are slim............
October 26, 2023
Finally got around to the third Liam Campbell Alaska-bush mystery-thriller. It's well-written but I wasn't quite in the mood for it. The mystery turned out to be a particularly grim serial-killer of young women, who is undone when his last victim escapes. Stabenow is a great writer, but this series pales in comparison to her long-running Kate Shugak series. There's some nice coming-of-age stuff for Wy's 13-year-old adopted son. And lots of first-rate bush-pilot flying! But some of the romance gets a little over the top. Overall, this was a 3.5 star book for me. Solid work, so I'm rounding it up, but hesitantly. Not a book I'm likely to re-read.
December 23, 2011
I like Mysteries
I like Alaska
I do not care for gratuitous sex
I do not care for profanity
Will usually give an author two shots before they are struck from any to-read list
Stabenow will be the exception
not very believable
I like Alaska
I do not care for gratuitous sex
I do not care for profanity
Will usually give an author two shots before they are struck from any to-read list
Stabenow will be the exception
not very believable
March 12, 2017
I like this series but Liam Campbell has nothing on Kate Shugak. I liked the way it ended and if I had to guess .
September 24, 2024
I love her Alaskan books. I have read all the Kate Shugak in order. Frustratingly I don't think Liam Campbell is in paperback over here and I don't do kindle. What a lucky find to get a US copy of the third book in a charity shop in the UK. in part at least... I first came across Liam in one of the Kate books. So I knew his back story. But between that and now there are two books I haven't read and my god she has sent him on a roller coaster because my goodness things have changed.
Having said that I think you could read this as a stand alone story.
I just love the setting of Alaskan life, out in the bush and the glimpses into the different native cultures. This time the legend of the hairy man, a kind of man eating big foot, comes into play.
People are randomly being found shot dead. There doesn't seem to be a connection. Then they can't find the wife of one of the dead men, and something longer ongoing and nastier than they realised is uncovered.
Having said that I think you could read this as a stand alone story.
I just love the setting of Alaskan life, out in the bush and the glimpses into the different native cultures. This time the legend of the hairy man, a kind of man eating big foot, comes into play.
People are randomly being found shot dead. There doesn't seem to be a connection. Then they can't find the wife of one of the dead men, and something longer ongoing and nastier than they realised is uncovered.
April 30, 2022
I ended up liking this much more than I thought I would. Part of a series, but definitely able to stand on its own. At least one murderer is on the loose, leaving a string of dead bodies for the Alaska State Troopers in Newenham to discover. Up in the Bush, there are plenty of places for a killer to hide and clues are hard to come by. When Trooper Liam Campbell and his girlfriend, bush pilot Wy Chouinard, realize the trail of bodies is pointing in the direction of the fish camp where Wy’s son and several of their friends are, they fight the elements to get there in time to save the day. Well-written, interesting characters. Seems like everyone is having a lot of sex!
September 9, 2025
I like the Alaskan setting and the mystery and detection, not the pornography & underage sex
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2021
This was a twisted tale of a man who kidnaps women, holds them captive in his cabin in the woods and then murders them. I had tweeted Dana about another serial killer who I thought it was possible that the book was based on. She responded that it was based on "Baker Bob". A man who moved to Alaska, married, opened a bakery and then systematically kidnapped and hunted sex workers.
The storyline is almost straight out of today's headlines and shows you how easy it is to just lose yourself in the woods.
The storyline is almost straight out of today's headlines and shows you how easy it is to just lose yourself in the woods.
April 2, 2024
Another lively mystery set in the well-described Alaskan bush. I read the first Liam Campbell books long ago and might have to go back and catch up but I like - very much - that each book is stand-alone, although reading them in order helps explain the characters better. Having spent time in rural Alaska I will disagree on one item. I understand that adopting Tim makes a great expansion in Wy's character and Wy & Liam's relationship, but I believe that the child of an abusive alcoholic parent would not be shunned by the village, but would be taken in by one of the many aunties nearby. I admire the description of the reality of the abuse and think it gutsy to include it in the story. But I also have to admit to cringing while reading it. Good job, Ms. Stabenow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2017
I enjoyed this book.. it went into more background of the characters. Liam is living in a camper at Wy house unless Tim is gone then he sleeps in the house.
Another murder has been found. Then another body discovered with the victim wife missing. Eventually Liam bf and Wy bf realize there is a serial killer out there on the loose.
We also learn more about Prince and her background while she is set on closing cases regardless of who did the crime.
Another murder has been found. Then another body discovered with the victim wife missing. Eventually Liam bf and Wy bf realize there is a serial killer out there on the loose.
We also learn more about Prince and her background while she is set on closing cases regardless of who did the crime.
May 23, 2020
Liam Campbell, wow!
Loved her characters; and I loved that she gave her characters, character. We were allowed to get to know Liam and crew. We knew how he would react in any given situation. She has even fleshed out the secondary denizens of small town Alaska so they are as real to the reader as people in our lives.
The mystery too is top flight. It’s not just the figuring “who done it”. The apprehension is just as riveting.
Good read.
Loved her characters; and I loved that she gave her characters, character. We were allowed to get to know Liam and crew. We knew how he would react in any given situation. She has even fleshed out the secondary denizens of small town Alaska so they are as real to the reader as people in our lives.
The mystery too is top flight. It’s not just the figuring “who done it”. The apprehension is just as riveting.
Good read.
November 18, 2012
What was the point of this book. A lot of drama but not much mystery. I get it , sex is a part of life, but sex and drama seems to be all this people have. Is the author trying to bore us to death? Maybe that should be her next mystery, a bunch of people die of boredom from reading this book.
December 26, 2018
Third in the Liam Campbell series; best in my opinion. Mystery: deaths on a trail through Alaska; a shaman who hears voices. Familiar characters of Liam, Wy, Moses.
August 10, 2019
Wow! Now this was a story. Maybe even four and a half. Great captivating mystery, lovely side stories, and the main romantic couple actually worked pretty well for me this time.
November 12, 2017
Corporal Liam Campbell is the Alaska state trooper in charge in Newenham, Alaska, and in charge of a large isolated area nearby. He has young, gung-ho officer Prince assisting him, and they come to investigate a murder in a remote village's post office location. Campbell's romantic interest, Wy, is also a bush pilot, so they often go to such remote places together when there is a problem. The problems multiply and things get more complicated as the reader finds out about two young men who were hunting in the area, and another couple who had gone to an area nearby to try gold panning.
The setting is a big draw for me, Alaska and wilderness and small town, but as I get further into the series, the support cast of locals grows on me more and more, particularly including Magistrate/Bar owner Bill, her man Moses, and Wy's adopted son, Tim. This could probably stand alone, but the background of the first two books helps. A solid procedural with good pacing, good setting, nicely made characters developing more each book and a very easy to root for good guy main character.
The setting is a big draw for me, Alaska and wilderness and small town, but as I get further into the series, the support cast of locals grows on me more and more, particularly including Magistrate/Bar owner Bill, her man Moses, and Wy's adopted son, Tim. This could probably stand alone, but the background of the first two books helps. A solid procedural with good pacing, good setting, nicely made characters developing more each book and a very easy to root for good guy main character.
May 2, 2011
Wynet and Liam, Tim, Billie and Moses, Amanda, crazy bad guy, victim, John and ???
Wynet & Liam's relationship is moving forward... Liam is staying with Wy - in the camper when Tim is there, in her bed with Tim is away... Liam tells her over & over he loves her when he is afraid their plane is going to crash... and then Wy finally tells him the truth, that she had been married, had been pregnant, lost the baby, and cannot get pregnant... Liam withdraws for a bit, but he tells her because she did not trust him to tell him the truth before... and at the end, Wy tells Liam she loves him... ahhhh
Tim is doing better - he's been at Eskimo camp, returns, but his biological mother wants to see him - she has a camp order for supervised visits because she has been sober... Liam & Billie & Moses decide to take him to Moses' fishing camp until school starts - and they are fairly certain that she will start drinking soon. Billie & Moses also take Amanda to camp... she is 17, married 5 months to an abusive man, drinking and driving 3 times this week...Moses uses tough love - having them in tai chi type exercies of posing for an hour, then movements... and Moses shares with Billie how the voices are always with him, feared by his family... 2 stints in psychiatric programs (they didn't help)... joined the army, learned his versionof tai chi overseas - the 1st that separated th voices out... as does being with Billie...
In the mean time, crazy man is looking for Emily/wife #20 - he has killed 19 Emilys and buried them... when he finds another woman, she becomes Emily, needing his protection and direction... he kidnaps them and terrorizes them to stay in his hidden cabin while he provides for them, and they cook & serve him - including in bed... he kills one of the postmaster on Wy's mail delivery... and then many miles away (so that it is hard for Liam to think it is the same man), he kidnaps the wife of a gold looker... the husband & wife have spent the summer in the cabin he bought (selling their home without telling her).. She is there because she loves her husband and wants him to be happy, but when he says he wants to stay there year round, she makes it clear she is returning home when Wy/pilot comes for them... but then the crazy man kills her husband, and takes her... they hide from the search planes that are looking for her - and there is no evidence that she had been taken forcibly - Liam and Prince (his partner, et al aren't sure what happened to her...
Wy & Liam return to the cabin a few days later looking for the wife, and their plane has trouble Wy gets them landed while Liam is telling her he loves her, over and over, not wanting to die before telling her... Liam is afraid of planes... Wy finally confides to him that she had been married, pregnant, lost the baby, told she couldn't have children, divorced...
At fishing camp, Amanda is getting stronger, and says she will not return to her husband... after a tough physcial work out with Moses, they are sent to the lake to cool down... where the peel down to their scivvies and play like children... when they return to the cabin the see Billie and Moses having sex on the porch and they sneak away... turned on, they turn to each other (a 13 year old and a 17 year old?) but perhaps that;s what she needs... Amanda is amazed having seen Billie & Moses that sex is different than what she has had - it doesn't have to hurt... reinforced by having gentle sex with Tim twice... and she spends a bit of time talking with Billie later, strenghthening her resolve to deserve better. Billie asks if Moses voices see good things for them, but sadly he does not - though he tries to reaasure her & himself that sometimes free will trumps his voices j- poor Tim... hmmmm
and Wy's best friend, report ______ and Liam's best friend, John show up with their boy/girl friends... and by the end of their uneasy visit (they do not like one another), they have puzzled together a list of dozen plus women in the last 20 years that have disappeared - their disappearance chalked up to the bush - and there is a spark between them started hmmmm....
When a 3rd body is found in the area, and in the midst of a growing strom, they attribute it to the same man, and Wy flies herself & Liam to the fishing camp - fearful that the killer is in their neighborhood, and they need to protect tim... and the woman has left the cabin, found 19 graves of other Emilias, sprays windex in the bad guys eyes, and runs... 24 hours later, amidst the storm, she finds the fishing cabin and they take her in... Wy & Liam show up... and then the crazy guy shows up... Moses invites him in out of the cold (why didn't he listen to his voices this time?) before Liam can stop him... there is a struggle - Amanda is shot dead, Moses shot, but not badly, Liam choked, but the bad guy finally taken down...
One of the Emily's was a tutor of Tim when he was younger, the only sane person in his life that encouraged him and taught him how to learn, how to read, how to speak Eskimo... Wy listens when Tim shares his memories of him, and takes two weeks to track down her parents, get picture of her, and present it framed to Time, who then hugs her with tears... Liam observes and later tells her that she sees a problem, and takes action to address it - Wy appreciates that he knows her so well, though others seem to miss it... she reflects about Tim's mother, thinks about how her life would have been different if she knew her father, ifher mother had been different, and how her adopted parents loved her.... and she invites Tim's mother over, when Tim is in school - and she opens the door to her... hmmmm... The story ends with Prince being offered department PR position (after Liam sends her to dialog with reporters over the seriel killer), she turns down... Liam is promoted to sargaent and asked to return to Anchorage (we don't know his answer), and Wy tells Liam she loves him...
Wynet & Liam's relationship is moving forward... Liam is staying with Wy - in the camper when Tim is there, in her bed with Tim is away... Liam tells her over & over he loves her when he is afraid their plane is going to crash... and then Wy finally tells him the truth, that she had been married, had been pregnant, lost the baby, and cannot get pregnant... Liam withdraws for a bit, but he tells her because she did not trust him to tell him the truth before... and at the end, Wy tells Liam she loves him... ahhhh
Tim is doing better - he's been at Eskimo camp, returns, but his biological mother wants to see him - she has a camp order for supervised visits because she has been sober... Liam & Billie & Moses decide to take him to Moses' fishing camp until school starts - and they are fairly certain that she will start drinking soon. Billie & Moses also take Amanda to camp... she is 17, married 5 months to an abusive man, drinking and driving 3 times this week...Moses uses tough love - having them in tai chi type exercies of posing for an hour, then movements... and Moses shares with Billie how the voices are always with him, feared by his family... 2 stints in psychiatric programs (they didn't help)... joined the army, learned his versionof tai chi overseas - the 1st that separated th voices out... as does being with Billie...
In the mean time, crazy man is looking for Emily/wife #20 - he has killed 19 Emilys and buried them... when he finds another woman, she becomes Emily, needing his protection and direction... he kidnaps them and terrorizes them to stay in his hidden cabin while he provides for them, and they cook & serve him - including in bed... he kills one of the postmaster on Wy's mail delivery... and then many miles away (so that it is hard for Liam to think it is the same man), he kidnaps the wife of a gold looker... the husband & wife have spent the summer in the cabin he bought (selling their home without telling her).. She is there because she loves her husband and wants him to be happy, but when he says he wants to stay there year round, she makes it clear she is returning home when Wy/pilot comes for them... but then the crazy man kills her husband, and takes her... they hide from the search planes that are looking for her - and there is no evidence that she had been taken forcibly - Liam and Prince (his partner, et al aren't sure what happened to her...
Wy & Liam return to the cabin a few days later looking for the wife, and their plane has trouble Wy gets them landed while Liam is telling her he loves her, over and over, not wanting to die before telling her... Liam is afraid of planes... Wy finally confides to him that she had been married, pregnant, lost the baby, told she couldn't have children, divorced...
At fishing camp, Amanda is getting stronger, and says she will not return to her husband... after a tough physcial work out with Moses, they are sent to the lake to cool down... where the peel down to their scivvies and play like children... when they return to the cabin the see Billie and Moses having sex on the porch and they sneak away... turned on, they turn to each other (a 13 year old and a 17 year old?) but perhaps that;s what she needs... Amanda is amazed having seen Billie & Moses that sex is different than what she has had - it doesn't have to hurt... reinforced by having gentle sex with Tim twice... and she spends a bit of time talking with Billie later, strenghthening her resolve to deserve better. Billie asks if Moses voices see good things for them, but sadly he does not - though he tries to reaasure her & himself that sometimes free will trumps his voices j- poor Tim... hmmmm
and Wy's best friend, report ______ and Liam's best friend, John show up with their boy/girl friends... and by the end of their uneasy visit (they do not like one another), they have puzzled together a list of dozen plus women in the last 20 years that have disappeared - their disappearance chalked up to the bush - and there is a spark between them started hmmmm....
When a 3rd body is found in the area, and in the midst of a growing strom, they attribute it to the same man, and Wy flies herself & Liam to the fishing camp - fearful that the killer is in their neighborhood, and they need to protect tim... and the woman has left the cabin, found 19 graves of other Emilias, sprays windex in the bad guys eyes, and runs... 24 hours later, amidst the storm, she finds the fishing cabin and they take her in... Wy & Liam show up... and then the crazy guy shows up... Moses invites him in out of the cold (why didn't he listen to his voices this time?) before Liam can stop him... there is a struggle - Amanda is shot dead, Moses shot, but not badly, Liam choked, but the bad guy finally taken down...
One of the Emily's was a tutor of Tim when he was younger, the only sane person in his life that encouraged him and taught him how to learn, how to read, how to speak Eskimo... Wy listens when Tim shares his memories of him, and takes two weeks to track down her parents, get picture of her, and present it framed to Time, who then hugs her with tears... Liam observes and later tells her that she sees a problem, and takes action to address it - Wy appreciates that he knows her so well, though others seem to miss it... she reflects about Tim's mother, thinks about how her life would have been different if she knew her father, ifher mother had been different, and how her adopted parents loved her.... and she invites Tim's mother over, when Tim is in school - and she opens the door to her... hmmmm... The story ends with Prince being offered department PR position (after Liam sends her to dialog with reporters over the seriel killer), she turns down... Liam is promoted to sargaent and asked to return to Anchorage (we don't know his answer), and Wy tells Liam she loves him...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2023
4 stars for a pleasant read in the Liam Campbell series by Dana Stabenow. My wife and I both enjoy reading this author's books and have been reading them for over 25 years. This is book 3 in the series and it could be read as a stand alone, but there are events in the previous books that are referenced in this one. I have read the 2 previous books.
This book has a serial killer murdering women over a period of many years. Not until two thirds of the way in do Liam and his colleague Prince realize that there is a serial killer murdering people in their part of Alaska.
This book deals with difficult issues:
domestic violence
child abuse
alcoholics who lead dysfunctional lives
There are also some happy parts to the book: Liam is in a healthy relationship with a woman that he wants to marry. There are also some humorous lines in the book.
I read this library book in 3 days.
This book has a serial killer murdering women over a period of many years. Not until two thirds of the way in do Liam and his colleague Prince realize that there is a serial killer murdering people in their part of Alaska.
This book deals with difficult issues:
domestic violence
child abuse
alcoholics who lead dysfunctional lives
There are also some happy parts to the book: Liam is in a healthy relationship with a woman that he wants to marry. There are also some humorous lines in the book.
I read this library book in 3 days.
February 21, 2021
Liam Campbell is called to a murder scene, discovered by his pilot-lover, Wy. The victim was the mother of a young woman who had disappeared years before. While he is investigating this crime, a gold miner is also murdered, and his wife is missing. This leads him to a serial killer, who has been abducting women for years. The subject matter of this story is creepy, and I don’t care for stories about women being held prisoner, but I persevered, because the creepy was kept at a level I could tolerate, and because I’m interested in the ongoing love story of Liam and Wy. In previous books, Liam’s story has been told. In this one, more of Wy’s background is explained. I am looking forward to reading the new book in the series.
November 5, 2018
This book was amazing! So many twists & turns. Still a bit sad at the end for Tim. Way to many senseless killings. Just goes to show that society hasn't changed and this book could be true. I don't want to give away any storyline. So I highly recommend this book.
I am a fanatical reader which means I have to know the character before I read about him in a combined book. The Kate Shugak book, Restless in the Grave combines Kate & Liam Campbell together. So I have to stop & read this series before I can read the next Kate book. All to say is that I am glad I did. Wow! Liam is every bit a great character as Kate.
And yes in my opinion, Dana needs another Liam Campbell book , too.
I am a fanatical reader which means I have to know the character before I read about him in a combined book. The Kate Shugak book, Restless in the Grave combines Kate & Liam Campbell together. So I have to stop & read this series before I can read the next Kate book. All to say is that I am glad I did. Wow! Liam is every bit a great character as Kate.
And yes in my opinion, Dana needs another Liam Campbell book , too.
May 8, 2020
I waited to book #3 in this series to make sure, my first impression of it isn't tainted by my high expectation coming from the Shugak series. If I didn't know the brilliance of the character depiction within the Shugak series, I might have given this a higher rating. But spoiled as I am I really miss the detailed characters in this series - to my taste they have been simply replaced by graphic sex scenes. Which for my taste is boring. You can get access to graphic sex scenes almost everywhere if you want to - but to get a view inside a person which is living under totally different circumstances than myself: that is the really interesting stuff and worthwhile reading. IMHO, of course.
November 10, 2020
I think that this book is the best in the series so far. Once again, the Alaskan scenery, people and wildlife are essential and so very well depicted. The back stories of the main characters are fleshed out a little more, and interesting stories they are. The actual act of flying relatively small planes also seems to play an important part in the tale. And as for the plot itself, this one had me on the edge of my seat (well, perhaps it was more like on the edge of the mattress as I read in bed!).
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and I do hope that the author intends to write more. There is her other Kate Shugak books, but, so far, I prefer these ones.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and I do hope that the author intends to write more. There is her other Kate Shugak books, but, so far, I prefer these ones.
October 16, 2021
In this third volume of the series featuring Alaskan state trooper Liam Campbell, Stabenow has Campbell trailing a serial killer preying mostly on young women over a 20 year period. Stabenow enlists her usual cast of characters in the Alaskan wilderness. Besides Campbell, there is Wy, an Aleut pilot and his love interest. She has adopted a son, Tim, who was abused by his mother. Bill is the local magistrate when she is not tending bar and romancing Moses who is the town eccentric who also teaches tai chi. It is a good read if you can stand reading about the harsh cold winters of northern Alaska in early March.
February 18, 2023
I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed Stabenow’s books with huge doses of life in Alaska. This was a well-written story about Liam Campbell’s hunt for a serial killer with many subplots, including one about Wyanet’s adopted son Tim. Perhaps because of the unnecessary side issues, such as Wy’s visitors and her air transport rival Finn, which don’t go far, the story lagged at times, but others, e.g., about Bill and Moses, were entertaining. At others, the tension was high, especially the flights in a storm. A bit less head hopping would have tightened the book.
January 13, 2020
Book 3 of the Liam Campbell series - and by this time I’m really enjoying the characters!
This was a bit strange as it seemed to have several thread and you’re not sure how they’ll all tie together.
Missing woman, “Elaine the Fair”, a total nutjob - they all tie together.
It’s really fun seeing Wy adapt to the role of Mom! And - young love. Truly young and innocent love - that warmed my heart.
I’m ready for the next one!
This was a bit strange as it seemed to have several thread and you’re not sure how they’ll all tie together.
Missing woman, “Elaine the Fair”, a total nutjob - they all tie together.
It’s really fun seeing Wy adapt to the role of Mom! And - young love. Truly young and innocent love - that warmed my heart.
I’m ready for the next one!
September 21, 2020
I have a hard time when the reader is gifted with more information than the main character has. Rationally, I understand that Liam's decisions are driven by lack of information; but emotionally, I can't help being frustrated as we watch the bad guy get further and further away and the innocent victims further from help. I think I would have liked the story better if we hadn't gotten the crazy man's POV so early in the book.
February 14, 2020
The fourth mystery concerning Wynet, an Alaskan pilot, and her boyfriend, Liam, a state trooper. A WW 2 plane is discovered in a Glacier with missing gold coins. What was fastinating was that I did not know that the Japanese had taken two Alaskan islands in the war and that there were actual bloody battles on US terrain! Live and learn.
July 25, 2020
Dana Stabenow is so solid and so dependable. This is another entry in amazing repertoire.
My favorite thing about Stabenow's work is that Alaska is a major character. Always interesting. Often surprising.
My favorite thing about Stabenow's work is that Alaska is a major character. Always interesting. Often surprising.
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