Rain Dance (Worldwide Library Mystery) [Paperback]

Moody (Author)

Book Description

Series: Worldwide Library Mystery | Publication Date: June 1, 1998

Back home in Seattle and recovering from the malaria she contracted while in Bangkok, Fish and Wildlife agent Venus Diamond is assigned to the murder case of a timber magnate in Ozone Beach, a small resort town. The townspeople, Venus quickly discovers, do not like outsiders. Martin's Press.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this first of a series, Fish and Wildlife Agent Venus Diamond, daughter of American movie star/British peer Lady Bella Winsome-Diamond, has just returned from Bangkok, where she was hard on the trail of international bear poachers. Back in Seattle, she ducks snipers and the animosity of colleagues as she recovers from malaria and investigates the connection between the murder of timber magnate Madge Leroux, pelican environmentalists, and the navy's interest in an old lighthouse in Ozone Beach. Not surprisingly, Madge's murder and the bear poaching come neatly together in a nasty drug scheme involving Ozone Beach residents and a renegade naval officer.The convoluted plot and failed humor make this a secondary purchase. Perhaps the second in the series will hit the mark.?Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Featuring an under-five-feet-tall, leather-clad, motorcycle-riding heroine named Venus Diamond, this first novel clearly is offering the reader something different. Moody delivers that and more with a wonderfully quirky, whimsical, and thoroughly entertaining story. After surviving a near-fatal case of malaria while in Southeast Asia tracking international poachers, Venus is ordered to Seattle to work on what her boss dubs "the Pelican Patrol" case. A bullet-riddled body has washed up on the shores of Ozone Beach, a remote village that's both a pelican sanctuary and home to 200 surly eccentrics. When Venus arrives in Ozone Beach, she encounters rampant hostility from the villagers, who appear to have something to hide--so much so that Venus' life is quickly put in danger. Moody's fresh-as-a-breeze style, in-your-face humor, offbeat plot, and delightfully sassy heroine produce an utterly captivating crime novel--but one with a serious message about the environment and animal rights. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Worldwide Library (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373262787
• ISBN-13: 978-0373262786
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,856,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious, homorous and educational, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rain Dance (Worldwide Library Mystery) (Paperback)

It's been a long time since I have picked up a book to read for fun but ended up learning so much. Skye Moody delivers all of this in a very humorous mystery that made me laugh so much I couldn't put it down. The main character of Rain Dance, Venus Diamond, reminds herself of Peter Pan and children think she is possibly a freak. Her family is enough to drive anyone insane and she has to deal with malaria. These aspects just make her a stronger and more outgoing person that everyone will grow to love. The Pacific Northwest is always a favorite backdrop for mysterious happenings but Moody is unique for picking the coast. This is a must-read for mystery lovers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully quirky characters populate this mysterious romp, October 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rain Dance (Worldwide Library Mystery) (Paperback)

Skye Moody has assembled a cast of quirky and offbeat characters - the type you never believe really exist until you actually meet them - in a mystery that holds your attention from beginning to end. The twists and turns were delightful, and basing the story on the real-life issues of an endangered species added a real timeliness to the plot. I am not a "tree-hugger," but the threat to bears became very real to me. The main character, Venus Diamond, is wonderful. She is full of all the insecurities and self-doubt that most of us suffer, but is still driven to achieve her own goals on her own terms, regardless of the differing opinions of her movie star mother. She is dynamic, sardonic and combative - in other words, totally intriguing to me and I'd love to meet her. I very much look forward to finding out more about her in succeeding books.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar mystery set in the Pacific Northwest, August 30, 2001

By 

Daphne Ashling Purpus (Vashon, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rain Dance (Worldwide Library Mystery) (Paperback)

Skye Kathleen Moody's first novel in the Venus Diamond, Fish and Wildlife agent, is exciting and suspenseful. Venus, recovering from malaria, is recalled from Bangkok in order to investigate the murder of Madge Leroux in Ozone Beach, a Puget Sound resort town. Venus is an intelligent, dynamic, humorous detective who quickly discovers a connection between the black market activities she had been investigation in Bangkok and Leroux's murder. The power of this novel resides in Moody's combination of action with interesting, believable characters. Her research into the issues surrounding poaching, endangered species, and the black market provides a depth to the novel, making it more than merely a terrific mystery.