Gwen Moffat
Audio Tape Soundings (2003) |
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The Raptor Zone
On the foggy coast of Oregon lies a tiny community in seeming wilderness. The people there lead an urban lifestyle that encompasses both gourmet food and a passion for the natural world. The only crime in Sundown is that of exploitation, as the local logging industry destroys the habitat of the spotted owl.
In this civilized enclave are several authors, most notably Lois Keller, the successful crime writer and her more unfortunate husband, Andy, a screenwriter. When Andy introduces his ‘assistant’ Gayleen, he puts the cat among the pigeons, and in his perverse humour attaches a bumper sticker to his wife’s car: I LOVE SPOTTED OWLS. ROASTED.
When Miss Pink arrives in Sundown on the heels of Andy and Gayleen, she finds a volatile situation. Some people have taken matters into their own hands. Raptors have begun to operate in the canyons and not all of them are feathered.
Patricia Gallimore has been broadcasting regularly for the BBC since winning the Carleton Hobbs student drama award. She is currently best known for her role as Pat Archer in The Archers, with whom she shares strong beliefs in conservation and organic growing. Her other work includes poetry recitals, film dubbing and voice-overs.
6 Cassettes Running Time: approx. 7 hrs 30 mins
About The Author
Gwen Moffat’s day job was rock climbing and she broke moulds. As the first woman guide she carved a niche in the macho world of professional mountaineering; as a crime writer she specialises in wild country: from the Rockies and deserts of America to the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides.
She delights in research. For Grizzly Trail she worked cattle on a Montana ranch; for Last Chance Country (based on Death Valley) she rented a house in the Mojave Desert. Her main protagonist, Melinda Pink, follows her creator’s interests: surpassing her in some, falling short in others. Miss Pink is an intrepid rider but not much of a climber, she is a perceptive investigator and a large woman of imposing presence (Moffat is tiny, unobtrusive but as inquisitive as
a cat). Both are ageing now, politically incorrect, and greatly concerned with injustice and abuse: towards animals, the environment and people. Such concerns surface in the mysteries - from traffic in endangered species in Rage to incest in The Lost Girls, and the media invasion of a remote crofting community in Quicksand.
Agent: Juliet Burton (020 8762 0148/fax 8743 8765)
e-mail: juliet.burton@virgin.net
Meet the Author in Washington DC
Gwen Moffat will be attending Bouchercon 2001 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City from October 31st to November 4th and would be happy to meet readers with common interests in wild places, crime, cats, and that formidable old bat Melinda Pink.
Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.
The Raptor Zone
(Soundings,
2003)
Oct 03
The Raptor Zone
by Gwen Moffat
