BETTER TO REST

Stabenow's tales of the Alaskan wilderness are populated with eccentric groups of outsiders and are always full of wry humor and rugged individualism. Whether writing about state trooper Liam Campbell, as here, or the main character of her other excellent series featuring P.I. Kate Shugak (also available from Books On Tape), Stabenow's novels are filled with a strong sense of place. Marguerite Gavin, who narrates both, is an accomplished storyteller whose droll delivery and expert timing wring every ounce of humor and pathos from the clever material. This time around, the investigation of a sixty-year-old crashed WWII army plane, now reemerging from a calving glacier, has Campbell wishing this mystery had been better left to rest. A good sprinkling of Alaskan history, humor, an unfinished love story, and suspense make this a great entertainment value. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]