ISBN: 0-7887-0665-9 Order from: Recorded Books Amazon.com
Set in a colorful, well-drawn setting, this generally solid mystery suffers from a slow pace, lecturing tone, and lack of truly sympathetic characters.
Reviewed by David on June 22, 2002
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Shooting at Loons. A North Carolina Judge Deborah Knott is substituting for a sick colleague in a rural, coastal county on the edge of Outer Banks. The picturesque setting of Deborah's childhood vacations is experiencing pressure from conflicting interests. Between poor local fisherman, environmentalists, developers and larger, commercial operations, both the nature and the people are strained to the breaking point.
When Deborah stumbles upon a murder, these tensions come to the boil. The local police, along with Judge Knott try to decipher the politcial and personal motivations for the crime before more people die.
Full Review: Loons, now endangered birds, have long since been hunted by the islanders. Some of the them, resentful of the government regulations, still shoot at them in the dusk, used to the taste of the now endangered game.
The stubborn islanders, as are the game wardens keeping a watch on them, all get a share of Deborah's sympathy.
While being both non-judgemental and good at describing the nature and economy of this once isolated country, the protagonist still serves as a poor vehicle to explore this territory. The colorful background is described in a series of little lectures, triggered by every new character and setting, and the lecturing, somewhat superior tone of this exposition quickly grows irritating. Combined with rather slow pace and a lack of humor or suspense, this produces little sympathy for the protagonist or any surrounding characters.
The narrator of this audio book, while quite clear, sticks to much the same pace and a very restricted accent and tone range, further detracting from the suspense of the mystery. While slightly enjoyable for its colorful and interesting setting, this short mystery strains the reader's patience.
Overall: 5; Plot: 4.5; Characters: 5; Style: 4.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 1994, Recorded Books, 1996, Audio cassette, 5 cassettes
ISBN: 0-7887-0665-9 Order from: Recorded Books Amazon.com