Shooting at Loons

By: Margaret Maron

Narrated by: C.J. Critt

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Don't miss the other books in the Deborah Knott mystery series.

©1994 Margaret Maron

Critic reviews

"The down-home prose flows well, spiced by Judge Knott's wit, charm, and extended family as well as by references to the local food and drink." (Library Journal)

Disappointed Fan

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I think CJ Critt's performance was only so-so, because the content in the story was lacking. Generally, Margaret Maron spins a tale in ways that make you want to sneak into a quiet corner to finish non-stop. This novel lacked the "Margaret Maron It Factor!"

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Surprised by the ending - yes! a real "who dun nit," but it took too long to get there. By the time I got to the ending, my attitude was "who cares!"

Did Shooting at Loons inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

Glad this was not the only Margaret Maron book I brought with me while on break!

Interesting location for story

What made the experience of listening to Shooting at Loons the most enjoyable?

the the - strong disagreement between sport and commercial fishing

What did you like best about this story?

see above

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

no idea

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Fish

Any additional comments?

MM's books are always a good read and the location is interestingly different

Excellent Series!

This book has everything I enjoy. Interesting characters, intriguing stories with some plot twists, and mysteries that keep me guessing until the end. I also enjoy the descriptions of rural North Carolina. It's an area I know almost nothing about.
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Deborah Knott is the main character. I like her. She is smart, and sensible. She also knows how to enjoy herself.

Narrator C.J. Critt does an excellent job of giving characters distinctive voices in a subtle way. Her diction is clear and her voice is pleasing.

This is the third book of the series that I have read. So far I have found nothing to dislike. I look forward to reading all the books is this series.

A Rare Good Story

Where does Shooting at Loons rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I consider Margaret Maron a rare good story teller because she developed her story and characters without resorting to bad language, sleezy characters or sexually explicit scenes. This was my first Deborah Knott and first Margaret Maron and I became an addicted fan immediately. A carefully developed story about an interesting character with enough slowly increasing tension leaves a very satisfied reader or listener.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I immediately became interested in the main character, Deborah Knott. She is the narrator and comes across as a very believable character and as a person in real life I would like to know.

Which character – as performed by C.J. Critt – was your favorite?

C J Critt does a very good job of giving the different characters unique voices.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this series and Margaret Maron to any devotee of mystery stories

So so narration

The narrator really needs to check on pronunciation of real places. As a long time North Carolina resident, I cringed at the number of mispronunciations while listening to this otherwise really good book.