Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Grimes's compelling second novel to feature the enigmatic young woman who calls herself Andi Oliver (after 1999's Biting the Moon) begins with Andi, who's still unaware of her real name or her past, adrift in the Dakota badlands. After rescuing an abandoned donkey, Andi makes a temporary home for herself in the small town of Kingdom, where she soon creates a stir by standing up to some local bullies. She really begins to shake things up in the placid community, however, when she takes a job at a pig farm to try to save the cruelly treated animals bred there. After sneaking into the farm's affiliated assembly-line slaughterhouse, Andi resolves to find a way, within the bounds of the law or not, to call to account the management of both places for violating humane animal treatment laws. While one late plot development stretches credibility, Grimes succeeds in sustaining suspense while graphically portraying the ugliness of animal abuse. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Amnesiac Andi Oliver, 20, whom readers first met in Biting the Moon (1999), returns as a vagabond whose recollections of the past 18 months and a man she ironically refers to as Daddy constitute her whole history. Her arrival in tiny Kingdom, North Dakota, causes a stir; after defying the owners of an abused donkey, she makes trouble for a local pig farm and a nearby slaughterhouse, both of which are violating the Humane Slaughter Act. Then a stranger from her misty past appears, as does a contract killer who aims to shut her up. Grimes doesn't harangue, but what comes out strongest here is her animals rights agenda, and she spares no detail, taking readers right into the slaughterhouse. There's a bit of suspense toward the close, but too many questions about Andi remain unanswered: Is she meant to be a paladin roaming from town to town advocating humane treatment for animals, with her story continuing sometime in the future? Grimes' well-plotted, skillfully characterized Richard Jury mysteries have a devoted readership; this book, though obviously close to the author's heart, won't appeal as much to that audience, but it well may draw interest from fellow animal-rights activists.--Zvirin, Stephanie Copyright 2007 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In this sequel to Biting the Moon, Renee Raudman (Eat the Dark) voices Andi Oliver, still searching for her past, as both mature beyond her years and young enough to engage in the occasional huff. Raudman makes the mostly male characters convincingly masculine, differentiating them with subtle accents and inflections. Suitable for YAs as well as adults, assuming listeners can weather the repeated descriptions of animal abuse. [Also recorded by Books on Tape. 11 CDs. unabridged. 14 hrs. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4159-2614-7. $110; audio clips available through us.penguingroup.com and library.booksontape.com; the Viking hc, released in February, made the New York Times Extended Best Sellers List.--Ed.]--Barbara Rhodes, Dallas P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
