Free Fire

This installment in the Joe Pickett series is set in Yellowstone Park, where the murder of four young environmentalists has local law enforcement officials stymied. The perpetrator has confessed but can't be prosecuted because the murders occurred in a section of the park over which, according to federal law, no court has jurisdiction. When more murders follow, Joe discovers a connection to local competition for bio-mining rights. The flat though highly individualized voices David Chandler uses for the characters mesh well with the story, and the minor variations in tempo and volume capture the ambience of the Western setting. Chandler sustains the story's tension and suspense throughout with a nuanced performance. S.S.R. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2008
This mystery weaves together captivating scenes of Yellowstone National Park with details of the gruesome killing of four people there and the subsequent investigation. Joe Pickett, an honest and astute former game warden, is rehired by the governor to look into the crime. Box conveys a great appreciation of the park and its environmental importance, making it the centerpiece of the drama while keeping an eye on the suspenseful developments of his story, which turns on a unique feature of the park: a "zone of death" inadvertently created by congressional mandate when the park was established. Since the zone is uninhabited, crimes committed in it are not prosecutable because a jury cannot be formed. The political and bureaucratic corruption Joe uncovers involves an assortment of interesting characters, including the governor of Wyoming. David Chandler modulates his voice with expert skill, creating vivid pictures of people and events. Strong language and sexual scenes are minimal and appropriate to the characterization. Recommended for adult collections.Bernard E. Morris, Modesto, CA

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