Open Season

On her thirty-fourth birthday, small-town librarian Daisy Minor resolves to enliven her boring life by finding a man with whom she'll have a steamy fling. Makeover done, she dances the night away and later finds a place of her own on the seamy side of town. Then one night she sees something that puts her in danger, and she finds herself having to deal with the infuriating local police chief--single, attractive . . . and sexy. Although the premise is a little shopworn and the "makeover changes all" plot point a trifle unbelievable, Linda Howard gives Daisy a lot of spirit and the police chief a lot of spice--and the result is good chemistry that makes for an enjoyable romantic thriller. Kate Forbes's narration is relaxed and sensual, her Southern accents believable. Male voices are effective, and Forbes easily handles both the bantering and the suspense. M.A.M. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine


Deborah Hazlett's clear, soft soprano is perfect as librarian Daisy Minor, a predictable Southern small-town girl who hasn't had any excitement in years. Daisy determines to change this on her thirty-fourth birthday. Hazlett expresses Daisy's dismay at the blandness of her life, as well as her determination to be made over into a seductress and find herself a man. Daisy's turnaround is accompanied by a number of mistakes--some comical, deriving from Daisy's naivete and inexperience--and some dangerous, as when Daisy unknowingly witnesses a crime and endangers her new life almost before it begins. E.J.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine