Hoot to Kill by Karen DudleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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First things first: this author is my friend. We volunteered together many years ago. However, if I didn't honestly enjoy her books I would read them surreptitiously and slink off without leaving a review. Here's the thing, I really do enjoy her writing.
I like Robyn Devara as a main character, her environmental awareness and her lack of luck in love. We also get a glimpse into her family dynamics, which have some troubles. I often struggle with humour in books, but I get Karen's sense of humour, possibly because I know her and can hear her voice in my head as I read. For example, Robyn has a cat named Guido, named after an unfaithful ex-boyfriend and subsequently neutered. She's not above some symbolic revenge!
By taking this mystery to a small B.C. town, Dudley is following the example of Dame Agatha Christie in using a small community as a setting. It's so much easier to write a good mystery in a small group of known quantities. She also sets up the character of Jaime Cardinal as the equivalent of Miss Marple, the villager who knows everyone and who can fill in the blanks for Robin and her coworker (and love interest) Kelt. (This interest in romance is in good gothic mystery/romance form.)
I've read this book before, back when it was first published (1998) and I remembered only bits and pieces, so it was once again a good read. I'm glad I bought all four books featuring Robin. I'm going to enjoy this re-read cycle.
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