In Dana Stabenow's 19th Kate Shugak novel, Restless in the Grave, the Aleut private investigator joins forces with Stabenow's other series protagonist, Alaska state trooper Liam Campbell, as an airplane crash leaves a prominent businessman dead, and a fight between Campbell's wife and the victim has the town wondering if the crash was truly an accident. At Campbell's request, Shugak goes undercover to expose the truth--and clear his wife--only to find an unfathomable evil no one expected.
Stabenow weaves a complex mystery, with each chapter bringing a new discovery, a new layer, a new suspect. The constant plot development sustains the momentum throughout the novel, with the strongest push coming in the final quarter. Stabenow's characters--including a "ninja demon," his bar-owner girlfriend, and Mutt, Kate's half-wolf, half-husky sidekick--are colorful and humorous, even if they aren't always entirely believable. In exchange for giving the author a little latitude with reality, though, readers get plenty of entertainment.
A cameo appearance from someone in Shugak's past leaves a few loose ends untied, hinting at what's to come in future installments of the series. Additionally, the natural fit that Shugak and Campbell have in this novel suggests it won't be the last time their paths cross.
As one would expect with the 19th book in a series, the characters and plot lines have deep roots, but a lack of familiarity with either the Shugak or Campbell series should not deter readers from enjoying Restless in the Grave. --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts