BIRDS OF PREY

Jance once again draws warm, empathetic characters, and Ron McLarty adds a unique voice and strong, dramatic emotions to those involved in this taut tale of an Alaskan cruise gone wrong. Semi-retired detective Jonas Piedmont Beaumont is accompanying, as EMT, his aging grandmother and her new husband on their honeymoon. But as the STARFIRE BREEZE, out of Seattle, sails northward, people are being murdered. McLarty's characterizations capture nuances of the many moods involved when sudden death strikes. His earnest but serene narrative style is a good match for Jance's puzzling case. Beaumont must figure out who the killer is before he too is a victim. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]