The Cat Dancers

Cam Richter, Book 1

By: P. T. Deutermann

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

When two lowlifes rob a gas station, murder the attendant, and then incinerate bystanders who are filling up their minivan, the Manceford County, North Carolina, police quickly arrest the killers at a nearby motel.

But a stubborn judge throws out the case, because the suspects were not read their rights, leaving Sheriff Bobby Lee Baggett and Lieutenant Cam Richter to face the anger of the victims' families.

Soon thereafter, a mysterious e-mail arrives in the department: a link to a video of one of the murderers being executed in a homemade electric chair, ending with a voice announcing, "That's one". The shocking video spreads throughout the Internet, drawing the attention of local, state, and federal authorities, and national media, and putting intense pressure on Bobby Lee and Cam to find the vigilante before he claims his second victim.

Assigned to head the search, Cam finds himself resented by some of his fellow officers and subtly threatened by others. His job is further complicated by the fact that the offending judge is also his ex-wife, and now - after years apart, and an uneasy reconciliation - his sometime lover. Cam's questions lead him to a remote mountain area in western North Carolina and a group of daredevils who call themselves "the cat dancers" - so named because they have tracked the last wild mountain lions in the region to their dens, where they have photographed the animals face-to-face, or died trying. Cam must hunt this group and the cats they seek, or become their next target.

Listen to the sequel, Spider Mountain.

©2005 P. T. Deutermann (P)2005 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Well-drawn characters, intelligent, realistic dialogue and top-notch writing....Petrified readers will be checking under the bed and in the closets for any panthers that may have crept inside while they were glued to the pages." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Reader Dick Hill brings the best in voice and vocal variety to this effort. His voice is as rough as a raging river, as soft as falling snow - a perfect match for this engaging story." ( AudioFile)

Underwhelming

This should have been more interesting from the setup of a couple of low-life robber/murderers who become hunted by vigilantes, but it just kind of limps along. The narration here didn't help with a voice that largely lacked a lot of inflection. Particularly annoying was the reading of passages in which a phone conversation was taking place and someone decided half of the conversation should have a tin can echo to it. Poor choice and ultimately unsatisfying. I think Deutermann has a better grasp of the world war 2 action thrillers he writes than the detective genre. I would pass on this book.

Incredible! One of the best ever!

What other book might you compare The Cat Dancers to and why?

I cannot compare this book to any book I've read or heard, so far as I can remember. The structure, setting, character development, and reading are absolutely stellar.

What does Dick Hill bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really like to read a book. I really really like to hear Dick Hill's performance of a book; absolutely incredible; can't figure how he does it.

Any additional comments?

This book will push a lot of buttons. I didn't know anything about P.T. Deuterman until a friend recommended this audio version of The Cat Dancers. It's entertaining and enlightening, provocative, worthwhile reading and listening. Don't miss this.

Tedium to the Nth degree

Took a long time to an unsatisfying conclusion. My first read by this author. Love dick hill's narrating though. I'll try another one but if it takes as long to tell as this one did I'm done.

Worked Initially as Comedy

This seems to be a book about an adult that trains for years to play with a Mountain Lion with a military grade yarn ball and then take its picture. I didn't make it far.

Author should stick to what he knows about

What disappointed you about The Cat Dancers?

The first half was pretty good but then he got into mountain lions stalking the main character in the Smokey Mountains, that was too far fetched. The book also took the the character from one impossible situation to another. It was almost like each segment was written by somebody else and then pieced together. This type of writing turned me off from Ludlum and Clancey.

What could P. T. Deutermann have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Stick to what he knows about

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's voice, volume and accents of different characters made it difficult to understand without turning up the volume like for the indian, female computer expert who was difficult to follow versus the southern lawyer's loud booming voice.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Cat Dancers?

The second half of the book.

Any additional comments?

I was very disappointed with the author and I understand that the next book is almost a sequel. I probably won't read or download it. Some of his earliest books were his best.

Had no idea this is about vampires

I disliked this book because I don't read vampire stories . Too bad the reviews don't mention anything about this.