From AudioFile
In 1972, in DeClare, Oklahoma, 10-month-old Nicky Jack Harjo disappears when his single mother is murdered. Thirty years later Mark Albright, Californian veterinarian to the stars, having just learned he was adopted, arrives in DeClare, looking for an explanation from the mother who gave him away. His search for answers to the past turns into a mission of justice for his murdered mother and an explanation of his own mysterious adoption in California. Although the murderer's identity is obvious early, Kathe Mazur's easy-on-the-ears voice makes the story an enjoyable companion on a long road trip. She uses nuances in her voice to move between past and present, giving us a sense of the story's characters, culture, and community. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


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


Book Description
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Where the Heart Is comes this eagerly anticipated tale of a small Oklahoma town and the mystery that has haunted its residents for years. In 1972, the tiny windswept town of DeClare, Oklahoma, was consumed by the terrifying disappearance of Nicky Jack Harjo. When he was no more than a baby, his pajama bottoms were found on the banks of Willow Creek. Nearly 30 years later, Nicky mysteriously returns in this intriguing and delightfully hypnotic tale, full of the authentic heartland characters that Billie Letts writes about so beautifully. Billie Letts first novel, Where the Heart Is (Warner, 1996), was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a selection of Oprah Winfreys Book Club, and was made into a motion picture starring Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman. It has sold more than 3.2 million hardcover and mass market copies combined. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (Warner, 1998) has more than 397,000 hardcover and paperback copies in print. Trade paperback sales remain strong, with an 85% sell-through. Billie Letts won the Walker Percy Award at the 1994 New Orleans Writers Conference and the Oklahoma Book Award for Where the Heart Is. It was also named one of the best books of the year by the American Library Association. Until recently, she worked as a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Available as a Time Warner AudioBook. Also available in a Large Print Edition.


Download Description
In 1972, the town of DeClare, Oklahoma, was consumed by the terrifying murder of Gaylene Harjo and the disappearance of her baby, Nicky Jack. When the child's pajama bottoms were found on the banks of Willow Creek, everyone feared Nicky Jack was dead, although his body was never found. Nearly thirty years later, Nicky Jack mysteriously returns to DeClare. His sudden reappearance will stun the people of DeClare and stir up long-buried emotions and memories. But what Nicky Jack discovers among the people who remember the night he vanished is far more than he, or anyone, bargains for. Piece by piece emerges a story of dashed hopes, desperate love, and a shocking act with repercussions that will cry out for justice...and redemption.

Full of the authentic heartland characters that Billie Letts writes about so beautifully, SHOOT THE MOON is a hypnotic tale filled with suspense and emotional truth. It further establishes Billie Letts as an American writer to be reckoned with—an original storyteller whose words go straight to our heart.


About the Author
Billie Letts lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Where the Heart Is comes this eagerly anticipated tale of a small Oklahoma town and the mystery that has haunted its residents for years.

In 1972, the tiny windswept town of DeClare, Oklahoma, was consumed by the terrifying disappearance of Nicky Jack Harjo. When he was no more than a baby, his pajama bottoms were found on the banks of Willow Creek. Nearly 30 years later, Nicky mysteriously returns in this intriguing and delightfully hypnotic tale, full of the authentic heartland characters that Billie Letts writes about so beautifully.

FROM THE CRITICS

Kirkus Reviews

A Beverly Hills veterinarian goes south hoping to locate the mother who gave him up for adoption-but finds himself instead investigating a murder, a cover-up, and attempts on his own life. Evoking the closeness of small-town life in DeClare, Oklahoma (epitomized by Teeve's Place, a combined diner and pool hall owned and run by Teeve Narjo), bestselling Letts (Where the Heart Is, 1995, etc.) begins her third outing as handsome Dr. Mark Allbright arrives in town. Mark has just learned that he is adopted and that his mother was Gaylene Narjo, from DeClare, and he now wants to confront her and ask why she didn't want him. But Gaylene, he learns, when he introduces himself to Teeve, was murdered 30 years ago and her son Nicky Jack, then ten-months-old, disappeared and was never seen again. The murder was attributed to a well-regarded African-American, Joe Dawson, who allegedly killed himself in jail. DeClare is a politically correct mix of good guys (Native Americans, a gay lawyer, a crusading anti-Republican journalist) and bad guys (a sadistic white sheriff, O Boy Daniels, a gun-nut, bigoted teachers) that may look good but makes for a blindingly unshaded story. As Mark reads Gaylene's diary, he learns how she dreamed of becoming an artist and how, as a native Cherokee, she was angered by the bigotry she experienced at high school. He also learns that she was pregnant when she graduated, and no one knows who was responsible. With the help of Ivey, Teeve's single and pregnant daughter, and of lawyer Hal Duchamp, Mark begins his search for Gaylene's killer. Some of the locals, though, including O Boy Daniels and the radio station's Arthur McFadden, aren't happy aboutMark's continuing presence. Still, even when someone tries to take him out, Mark is not deterred. Eventually, of course, his amateur sleuthing pays off-and he even finds someone to love. Perfect for the beach. Author tour. Agent: Elaine Markson/Elaine Markson Agency

Library Journal

Having sold 3.2 million copies of Where the Heart Was, Letts returns with the tale of Nicky Jack Harjo, who mysteriously disappeared from DeClare, OK, as a baby and then puts in an appearance 30 years later. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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