Shoot the Moon: Amazon.ca: Billie Letts: Books

Product Description

From Booklist

A man's desperate search for his identity drives this riveting offering from the author of best-sellers Where the Heart Is (1995) and The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (1998). No one in sleepy DeClare, Oklahoma, has forgotten the 1972 murder of pretty Cherokee Gaylene Harjo and the abduction of her infant son, Nicky Jack. Hard-nosed deputy sheriff Oliver "O Boy" Daniels pinned the blame on local preacher Joe Dawson, but few in town believed the kindly Joe was capable of such an act. Powerful emotions resurface 30 years later, when Nicky Jack, adopted and raised by a rich couple in Beverly Hills, mysteriously reappears, determined to learn about his mother and the circumstances surrounding her death. Veteran short-story writer Letts peppers her prose with a cast of quirky characters, including a quartet of nosy, domino-playing senior citizens and a perky pool-hall owner who bakes peanut-butter pies. Readers of Sue Miller and Wally Lamb are sure to embrace this memorable tale of love, loss, humanity, and hope. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'A great story...a little bit of mystery, a small piece of romance, and a whole lot of Billie Letts's special touch' - Oklahoman 'Letts's writing shines.' - San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle 'Riveting... powerful... readers are sure to embrace this memorable tale of love, loss, humanity, and hope.' - Booklist --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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His early morning flight from Los Angeles had been delayed for nearly two hours because of fog. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.6 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars IN THE PAST LIES THE FUTURE..., Mar 11 2012

By

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Shoot the Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

This book may not be quite up to the standard set by the author is her runaway bestseller, "Where the Heart Is", but, then again, few books are. Still, it is a book that is able to stand on its own merits. It has it own set of quirky characters, as well as an intriguing storyline.

When Dr. Mark Albright, a wealthy Hollywood veterinarian, discovers that he is adopted, he goes in search of his roots, a search that takes him to DeClare, a scraggly dustbowl town in Oklahoma. There, knowing only that he was born Nicodemus (Nicky) Jack Harjo to a woman named Gaylene Harjo, he discovers his roots and, in the process, unravels a murder mystery that is over three decades old.

In doing so, however, he uncovers secrets that some in that Oklahoma community are determined to keep buried, leading to new acts of violence. Still, Dr. Albright perseveres, discovering many things about himself in the process and setting right what has gone wrong in the past.

This is a well-written book, laden with thematically complex issues but without much of the charm of "Where the Heart Is". Therein lies the rub. You simply do not care all that much about the main characters, making it merely a good book, rather than a great one. Still, fans of the author will find it a worthwhile, though not so compelling, book to read.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good Characterizations From a Favorite Author, July 19 2004

By

Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Shoot The Moon (Hardcover)

This book was quite different from Billie Letts previous novels. On the surface was a mystery about a man who finds out he was adopted many years before and goes looking for his birth parents. This quest leads him to a town in Oklahoma with interesting and quirky characters, a hallmark of Billie Letts previous books. But if this was the surface the book really delves into how an act years before affects people years later and how these same people can help others to become whole again and allow them to take new chances in life.

Although I thought I was disappointed while I was reading this book, by the end I did realize how much I enjoyed many of the characters which included Teeve Harjo, the owner of the local pool hall, Kyle Leander, a man with a difficult past which included drugs and emotional breakdowns, Kippy, a man with Downs Syndrome who loves to fish, Ivy Harjo, a pregnant woman who is accustomed to roaming the country, never willing to settle down but most of all Nicky Harjo, who is looking for his parents but finds families come in all sorts of packages.

I do advise you if you're going to read this book and have read Where the Heart Is and The Honk and Holler Opening Soon, to approach this book with an open mind. While it isn't exactly the same as Letts' other books, there is enough here to keep any reader interested and in some parts the reason I loved her first two books also comes shining through in this one too.
Rating B+

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4.0 out of 5 stars Second favorite..., July 17 2004

By

S. Fields (Edmond, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Shoot The Moon (Hardcover)

It's no Where the Heart Is, but this offering from Billie Letts was an enjoyable read, and I knocked it out in three days. Shoot the Moon is set in the small town of DeClare, OK, where everybody seems to know everyone else's business. As always, Letts brings us a quirky supporting cast (all with too-crazy names, but please don't think everyone in this state is named Caney or Kippy or Teeve) that surrounds a long-ago suspicious murder of a teenage mom, Gaylene Harjo and the disappearance of her infant son, Nicky Jack. While a local man was accused by crooked lawman O Boy Daniels, the story was full of holes, and no one fully believed he was responsible.

When Beverly Hills veterinarian Mark Albright comes to DeClare searching for his birth mother, he discovers he is the presumed-dead Nicky Jack, and sets out to discover the circumstances and the truth surrounding her murder.

Letts tells us an interesting story, and keeps the reader guessing to the last. Her character development is rich, and though the romance that develops among the characters is a little unbelievable, they are likeable enough. I would recommend this read to anyone wanting to have a little fun!

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Letts keeps her reputation as a writer
Shoot the moon, so Billie Letts tells us, is a dominos term. It means to go for every point available in the game. Read more

Published on July 14 2004 by Kari Tompkins

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS WILL BE A MOVIE!!!!
This is an unforgettable book - and so much better than her other two. As I read I could picture the actors who will portray the characters. Read more

Published on July 14 2004 by Sandy Rhoad