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    Shooting at Loons
    Shooting at Loons
    Shooting at Loons
    Audiobook7 hours

    Shooting at Loons

    Written by Margaret Maron

    Narrated by C.J. Critt

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From the pen of the Edgar Award-winning author of Bootlegger's Daughter and Southern Discomfort flows a tale of mystery, money, and murder on the Outer Banks. Populated with colorful, richly drawn characters, Margaret Maron's latest novel captures the flavor of life in rural North Carolina. Arriving in Carteret County to fill in for a sick colleague, Judge Deborah Knott finds herself in the thick of battles between sport and commercial fishermen and between old and new money. It is Deborah's bad fortune to discover the body of Andy Bynum, a retired waterman respected by all sides. With no obvious suspects in the murder, Deborah must find the killer in a place where people shoot at loons, sea turtles, and their neighbors. C.J. Critt's skillful narration brings Deborah Knott to life, as the judge-detective searches for the truth in her quiet but determined way. Shooting at Loons is Margaret Maron at her suspenseful best.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 11, 2008
    ISBN9781449800420
    Shooting at Loons

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    Reviews for Shooting at Loons

    4/5

    156 ratings12 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I didn't enjoy this novel as much as some of the others in the Deborah Knott series... not sure if it's because I didn't sit down and just read it in one or two sittings as I do with most of Maron's novels, or what. Perhaps, as a result, the plot seemed a bit convoluted at times. Overall, though, it was still a fun read and I did wind up reading the last half or so of the book in one sitting. I thought I had it all figured out, but wound up fairly pleasantly surprised. I'm enjoying this series and will continue to pace myself so I don't read all 14 or so novels in "one fell swoop" (to sound quite Deborah-like).
    • 4/5
      I was very excited to see the continuation of a feature which I enjoy as it provides a "heading" and/or very effective "lead-in" at the beginning of each chapter. In this novel the italicized sentences are verses of hymns which are credited on the copyright page to: "Gospel Hymns: Nos. 1 to 6," by Ira D. Sankey, James McGranahan and George C. Stebbins. Copyright 1895 by the Biglow & Main Co. and The John Church Co.Deborah is staying at a cousin and his wife's cottage on Harkers Island on the southern coast of North Carolina as she's substituting for another judge at the Carteret County courthouse. Discovery of a body brings Deborah a close-up view and understanding of the differences between appreciating the offerings of the island as a "weekender" or "tourist" and that of a "local."Margaret Maron does an excellent job of giving readers this "insider's or local view" through Deborah's experience and learning curve which gives her a deeper perspective to the challenges of all parties. Sadly, "weekenders" and vacationers are not always respectful to the environment of not only coastal towns but all locations they so revere during their escape planning.This book is one of many that clearly highlights that a novel doesn't need to be over a certain number of pages to offer a powerful message and especially for those that visit coastal towns. I think this novel would make an excellent book club selection to provide a comfortable setting for thoughtful discussion.
    • 5/5
      Asked to sit in for a hospitalized judge in gracious old Beaufort, Deborah hopes to spend a restful week at her cousin's nearby Harkers Island cottage; but her very first clamming expedition turns up the corpse of a well-known fisherman in the shallow waters. Discovering the body puts her right in the middle of the fight between the locals who have long made their living from the sea and the new tide of well-to-do "dingbatters": weekenders and land developers who view the coast as their personal playground and gold mine. Deborah soon realizes that the centuries-old way of life in this isolated corner of the South is as endangered as loons and sea turtles, and the fisherman's murder is clearly tied to the coming changes. On the bench and off, she can feel the rage and fear and greed these changes arouse. Even so, sipping her bourbon in the fresh salt air proves beneficial for Deborah's soul, and life at the beach takes a definite upswing when she meets a game warden who's hunting for loon poachers. Not untila second murder occurs and a lover from her past becomes a suspect does Deborah realize she's up to her own neck in intrigue - and dangerously close to a killer...
    • 4/5
      Good entry in a nicely developing series. Deborah takes her show on the road as visiting judge on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. Excellent locale and political environment descriptors support the mystery nicely. Family ties and history confound the current crime scene. She finds a serious friend and resolves the situation but not without some serious conflicts.
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Deborah Knott has been assigned to fill in for a judge one one of the islands off North Carolina. Luckily, she has cousins in the area who let her use their house. She finds that the blissful days of her youth had not been as happy as she remembered and the current situation with curtailment of fishing seasons, regulation of how to fish, and where to fish has become a hardship for some of the subsistence fishermen in the area. Shortly after arriving, she discovers one of the local fishermen has been murdered and a local realtor is developing the land in the area. Murder of the realtor leads her to believe that a local judge is involved and puts her life at risk.Review: This interesting, fun to read, book takes you down several paths before revealing the murder and making all the clues that led in one direction lead in another.
    • 4/5
      Deborah goes on vacation, sort of. She goes to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to fill in for a judge down there, but instead of a relaxing time by the sea shore she finds a dead body and gets embroiled in the native citizens craziness over the environment, fish, tourism, etc.She meets a lot of people from her past, but, unlike the previous two books there aren't any of her family in this novel. And we also get to meet a new guy named Kidd Chapin.The mystery is interesting enough, who killed the victim and there are definitely a lot and a wide variety of suspects. Maron keeps the reader guessing pretty well too, until the end, and the killer isn't someone we've never met either (one of my pet peeves in mysteries).The novel is also one of the novels in the Deborah Knott series that stands alone very well, partially because her family isn't in the story. A solid 4 stars.
    • 4/5
      When Judge Deborah Knott is asked to substitute for a hospitalized judge in gracious old Beaufort, North Carolina, she is looking forward to spending a restful week at her cousin's cottage on nearby Harkers Island - relative peace and quiet is Deborah's plan for the entire week. However, when her first clamming expedition turns up the corpse of a well-known fisherman in the shallow water, peace and quiet quickly flies out the window. Discovering the body puts her right in the middle of the contentious fight between the long-established locals who make their living from the sea and the more recent - and rising - tide of well-to-do "dingbatters": weekenders and land developers who view the coast as their personal playground and gold mine. Deborah soon realizes that the centuries-old way of life in this isolated part of the South is just as endangered as loons and sea turtles, and the fisherman's murder is somehow tied to the coming changes. In her time both on the bench as well as off, Deborah has certainly seen her share of change, and she's intensely aware of the rage and fear and greed such changes arouse. Even so, sipping her bourbon in the fresh salt air does wonders for Deborah's weary soul, and life at the beach takes a definite upswing when she meets a game warden who's hunting for loon poachers. Yes, in her mind, Deborah's short vacation certainly has proved to be beneficial. Not until a second murder occurs and a lover from her past is implicated does Deborah realize she's up to her own neck in intrigue - and dangerously close to a killer...To be perfectly honest, I may not have been in the proper mood to read this book to begin with. It was very difficult for me to get into the flow of the story. I had such trouble keeping the characters straight in my mind, that it lessened my enjoyment of the book somewhat. Actually, it was only when the story picked up appreciably - about halfway though, I think - that I began to enjoy it more.I have one other book by Margaret Maron on my bookshelf, the twelfth book in this series. I may read Winter's Child some time in the future, but I have to give this book - Shooting at Loons - a B!
    • 4/5
      Deborah Knott is at it again. This time she has been "loaned" to the North Carolina coast for a week to hear cases for a vacationing judge. She is staying at her cousins house out on the islands and has close friends that she visits with. When she finds a dead body the race is on, will she solve the mystery or will someone get to her first.

      I do enjoy these stories and the cast of characters that inhabit them. Deborah is a fascinating character and all of her relatives just add to the fun.

      I thought I had this one figured out and Maron threw me for a loop so as usual I was surprised at the ending.

      More of her books are on my tbr list.
    • 5/5
      Great Deborah Knott Mystery book!
    • 3/5
      I really liked the first book of this series but this book, which is the third, didn't do it fo rme at all. I guess moving Deborah out of her town and into a coastal town maybe cut some of the connections for me, but I just didn't find this mystery engaging. It's set in the outer banks in the Carolinas, and it's all about fishing rights and the slowly eroding lives of the 3rd generation (at least!) boat builders and fisher men there, but just as Deborah was an outsider, looking in, so was I. She's so enmeshed in her world usually, she drags me in with her, but here we both perched on the ledge, looking in, not being quite involved enough.
    • 4/5
      Judge Deborah Knott is sent to fill in for another judge at Beaufort for a week. On the first day of arriving at her cousins' seaside cottage, she discovers a dead body, obviously murderered. As she unravels the tangled web of connections between possible suspects, she also discovers the battle between various interest groups in how the resources of this unique area should be used. A second murder of a key person in the debate turns her focus and forces her to suspect a friend. The revelation of the murderer is sudden and dramatic.
    • 5/5
      The third in the Deborah Knott series, Shooting at Loons takes place on Harker's Island, North Carolina. As usual, Maron takes a social issue and makes it personal to her characters. In this case, it's the clash among many groups who use the coastal resources--shrimpers, clammers, fisherman, environmentalists, sports fishermen, tourist industry. Maron gives a really good picture of a way of life that is in danger of dying out; there are very good descriptions of the people and culture of Harker's Island, all integrated into the investigation of the murder of a prominent businessman/resident. The title of the book is a pointed referrence to that culture, in which stewed loon is a delicacy and the islanders resent the protection given to the loons. Maron takes no sides in the argument over use of resrouces but does a beautiful job of showing ALL sides, not an easy task.This instalment also introduces Kidd Chapin, game warden, as Knott's romantic interest.The murder mystery itself is well done and builds to a nice climax. As usual, good writing and believable characters in a well-defined North Carolina setting--all Maron trademarks in this series. Chapter headings are verses from hymns taken from Gospel Hymns: Nos. 1 to 6, by Ira Sankey, james McGranahan and George Stebbins, copyright in 1895. Each hymn uses the sea or sailing as metaphor. Highly recommended.