Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
So Sure of Death
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Dana Stabenow
Class/Genre: Mystery
Series: Liam Campbell # 2
Dutton, Oct 1999, $23.95, 288 pp.
Several years ago, his superiors busted Liam Campbell from sergeant to trooper when two of his men fell asleep and failed to heed a call for help, leading to five deaths. Besides the demotion, the brass exiled him to Newenham, a town on the southwest coast of Alaska. Liam’s superior hopes that the reassignment will lead to the incident’s media frenzy finally ending and the young person returning to his rising career.
Even in the backwaters of Alaska, Liam still has homicides to solve. At an archeological dig, Liam’s former lover Wyanet Chounard finds the murdered corpse of an assistant. Someone else notices a fishing boat aimlessly floating downstream. Liam grounds the vessel that carries seven badly burned bodies. Someone tried to cover up the crime by removing the plugs from the boat so it would sink. While his difficult investigation leaves Liam buried in work, his personal life remains in shambles as he still loves Wyn, but cannot find a way back into her arms.
Anyone familiar with the works of Dana Stabenow knows that no one paints a more vivid picture of the Alaskan outback than this awesome author. Her second Campbell mystery (see FIRE AND ICE for Liam’s debut) highlights how the native people feel about whites, federal and state laws, and government officials. The mystery is classic Houdini as Ms. Stabenow cleverly misdirects her audience. The touch of romance and other personal problems add a humanizing effect to an already rich police procedural.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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