Silencing Sam

April 12, 2010
Cartoonish characters and thin prose mar Kramer’s third media-savvy thriller featuring Minneapolis, Minn., TV reporter Riley Spartz (after Missing Mark
). When someone shoots to death newspaper gossip columnist Sam Pierce, who recently raised questions in his column about Riley’s relationship with a former cop, Nick Garnett, so soon after her husband’s death, Riley becomes a murder suspect. Another thorn in Riley’s side is showboating Texan Clay Burrel, a fellow Channel 3 investigative journalist, who will stop at nothing to bury the competition, including Riley, with stories about such topics as a decapitated female corpse, Sam’s murder, and the hijinks surrounding a wind turbine farm disrupted by explosive protests. Clay’s corny, over-the-top John Wayne manner and an unconvincing subplot about Sam’s personal life weigh down the action, though Kramer registers some sharp observations regarding the changes rocking the journalism industry.

RenÄe Raudman is perfect as Riley Spartz, the investigative TV reporter in Julie Kramer's series. Raudman's warm tones and skillful timing convincingly portray the spunky heroine's Midwestern affability and understated humor. Raudman is less adept with male characters, especially in her rendering of an obnoxious Texas transplant. Further, the plot itself seems as forced as her Texas drawl. Unlikely coincidences, heavy-handed clues, and tired subplots distract from what starts as a promising mystery. Awkward breaks to give stage directions whenever Spartz is on camera also disrupt the narrative flow. Ultimately, these weaknesses combine to produce a disappointing product and a rare instance in which an audio presentation fails to improve a text. M.O.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine