Aaron Kuhn and his brother Walker own and operate an auto body shop in Centerville. They were lucky enough to bag their limit of one buck each on the first day of hunting. When Al Jones’s wife calls the chief of police, Willie Brand, to report him missing, Aaron and Walker agree to be part of a search party. They are the ones to find Al’s body. It appears that Al was hunting out of season. Someone forced him to strip then stalked him the way a hunter stalks game before shooting and killing him.

Diana Brooks is a feature writer for the newspaper of a nearby town. Prompted by the murder, her editor has given her the assignment to write a series of feature articles on hunters and the hunting mentality. Diana comes to Centerville and meets Aaron in a local bar. He is pointed out to her as having found Al’s body. There is an immediate attraction between the two of them. Aaron agrees to talk to her about his interest in hunting and to arrange for her to go out with a hunting party. Walker is bothered by Diana’s interest in his brother.

Then two other men are found shot the same way as Al. They had been “jacklighting”–illegally hunting deer by shining a light in the animal’s eyes to immobilize him. The murders are understandably worrying everyone. The local economy depends heavily on the revenue from hunting season. The various law enforcement officers are desperately trying to solve the killings before anyone else becomes a victim. The only lead is that the killer might himself be in law enforcement.

The Hunted’s main fault is that it’s not very exciting. The suspense ratchets up near the very end, but by that time, it’s too late. The whodunit is thin with the story bulked up by frequent digressions such as the miserable home life of the conservation officer and the local district attorney’s hopes that the “Maniac Hunter Murderer” case will promote his career.

The romance thread is similarly unengaging. Romance isn’t falling into bed with a stranger you just picked up in a bar and ignoring the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted disease because “you’ve got to believe in someone sometimes.” Maybe Aaron’s taking her home to meet Mama right away is supposed to convey depth of feeling and permanency, but there’s no sense that these two are meant for each other.

The story’s strong climax isn’t enough to save The Hunted. With so many mysteries to choose from, readers are advised to keep hunting and bag another. This one isn’t a keeper.

--Lesley Dunlap