The Chee-Chalker

November 24, 2008
The murder of James England, the owner of the radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, presents a challenge for FBI agent Bill Norton, who's been assigned to break up a heroin ring in that small town in this Hubbard novella from the golden age of pulp fiction. Norton and his green partner, Chick Starr, who arrived in the area after the disappearance of Norton's former boss, must struggle to achieve a measure of justice without the cooperation of the locals. A stock figure—the attractive woman whose loyalties and intentions are ambiguous—lends a dash of romance, but contemporary readers are less likely to be swept up by this ordinary action yarn than the original 1930s audience.

January 26, 2009
This layered tale takes listeners to Ketchikan, Alaska, where FBI agent Bill Norton finds himself in the middle of a heated investigation involving a group of heroin smugglers. The recording production is the highest quality, filled with realistic sound effects and a powerful musical score. But the ensemble cast lacks the spark of excitement usually found in Galaxy Audio's productions. Though Hubbard's prose is terse and witty as always, the performances are flat and uninspired. Perhaps this particular story lacked the command to captivate the cast's full energy. A Galaxy paperback.