What do you think?
Rate this book
Professor Simon Shaw #2
Snipe Hunt
Simon Shaw travels to Pearlie Beach, North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving vacation with his friends, David Morgan, an archeologist, Marcus and Marianne Clegg and their three younger children, and his former crush Julia McGloughlin, a police attorney. Simon is expecting to spend Thanksgiving vacation working and preparing for the finals week that's ahead, but is talked into solving another mystery of the past. Simon, Morgan, and Julia try to find the missing links between a diver's suit that is dredged from the water, a dark family secret, and confederate gold.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2000
30 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Sarah R. Shaber
20 books170 followersSarah Shaber is an award-winning mystery author from North Carolina. Her WWII historical mystery series begins with LOUISE'S WAR. It features young widow Louise Pearlie, a government girl who works for the Office of Strategic Services, the United States’ first spy agency.
Shaber is also the author of the Professor Simon Shaw mysteries, BLOOD TEST, and editor of TAR HEEL DEAD. Her first book, SIMON SAID, won the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Award for best first traditional mystery. She is the Bouchercon15 (World Mystery Conference, 2015) Local Guest of Honor. Her home bookstore is Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh. www.facebook.com/LouisePearlie
Shaber is also the author of the Professor Simon Shaw mysteries, BLOOD TEST, and editor of TAR HEEL DEAD. Her first book, SIMON SAID, won the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Award for best first traditional mystery. She is the Bouchercon15 (World Mystery Conference, 2015) Local Guest of Honor. Her home bookstore is Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh. www.facebook.com/LouisePearlie
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 12, 2019
Professor Simon Shaw was always intrigued by history but when he went to Pearlie Beach in North Carolina to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with friends, he was determined to rest and rejuvenate before the finals week. But it was not to be. The discovery of a diver’s suit that dated back to Confederacy, and the mystery surrounding it soon occupied his thoughts. As he joined with archeologist, David Morgan and police officer Julia McGloughlin, both good friends, the mystery deepened and secrets from a long ago past began making their way to the surface. What would be the outcome to this strange and intriguing mystery?
Snipe Hunt is the 2nd in the Professor Simon Shaw series by Sarah R. Shaber and I quite enjoyed it. The editing issue with lack of dates was in this one again, same as the first; the sentence just missing what was meant to be there. But the story was a good one, and I enjoy Simon Shaw’s character. I’ll be looking for book #3 soon. Recommended.
Snipe Hunt is the 2nd in the Professor Simon Shaw series by Sarah R. Shaber and I quite enjoyed it. The editing issue with lack of dates was in this one again, same as the first; the sentence just missing what was meant to be there. But the story was a good one, and I enjoy Simon Shaw’s character. I’ll be looking for book #3 soon. Recommended.
February 18, 2018
Another enjoyable book in the Professor Simon Shaw series.
I like Simon Shaw. He is smart and funny and altogether likeable. Having an appealing main character always helps make a book easy to read. The other characters are good too and their dialogue rings true.
Unfortunately there is far too much detail included about insignificant things. Every new character is described to the last detail including exactly what they are wearing. Every new location is pictured minutely. And worst of all several of the meals are also described including the preparation. I skimmed:)
On the other hand the author includes a lot of very interesting details. I did not know that German submarines came in so close or that some American citizens aided them with supplies. There was also heaps of great information about treasure troves and gold coins. All very intriguing and adding to the story.
Definitely worth reading and I will be moving on to book 3.
I like Simon Shaw. He is smart and funny and altogether likeable. Having an appealing main character always helps make a book easy to read. The other characters are good too and their dialogue rings true.
Unfortunately there is far too much detail included about insignificant things. Every new character is described to the last detail including exactly what they are wearing. Every new location is pictured minutely. And worst of all several of the meals are also described including the preparation. I skimmed:)
On the other hand the author includes a lot of very interesting details. I did not know that German submarines came in so close or that some American citizens aided them with supplies. There was also heaps of great information about treasure troves and gold coins. All very intriguing and adding to the story.
Definitely worth reading and I will be moving on to book 3.
January 26, 2014
I'm a big fan of crimes in the past that lap over into the present, and I found the information about German submarine crews coming ashore during WWII intriguing.
April 23, 2014
As previously - the book was slow-paced, but that's completely OK with me. I'm not in a hurry so I like it unraveling at its own tempo.
Another plus was that Simon stopped being over-sensitive, constantly overwhelmed by his personal tragedy of divorce hero. He was much more alive and I really liked that.
I was also very happy to get to know more Morgan - the one who was described as misogynist :)
However - I so very much despise the author's(probably involuntary) sketching the historical background where Nazis are depicted as some kind of separate nation. They were Germans, one of the German political parties - militarized for the wartime purposes. And they did not appear out of the blue just to disappear after the war was over. Why make people believe that their unspeakable atrocities were committed by some foreign nation called 'Nazi', not Germans?
And one more thing - the author mentions that swastika was originally Greek symbol - NO! It was an ancient Roman centurions symbol, depicted on their banners. A bit more research is due when describing historical facts...
All in all - lengthy, interesting book, with more and more realistic characters and rather obvious culprit. I wish it was on sale when I bought it and I will wait with purchasing the third one for that exact moment, when Amazon shall have it for 0,99.
Another plus was that Simon stopped being over-sensitive, constantly overwhelmed by his personal tragedy of divorce hero. He was much more alive and I really liked that.
I was also very happy to get to know more Morgan - the one who was described as misogynist :)
However - I so very much despise the author's(probably involuntary) sketching the historical background where Nazis are depicted as some kind of separate nation. They were Germans, one of the German political parties - militarized for the wartime purposes. And they did not appear out of the blue just to disappear after the war was over. Why make people believe that their unspeakable atrocities were committed by some foreign nation called 'Nazi', not Germans?
And one more thing - the author mentions that swastika was originally Greek symbol - NO! It was an ancient Roman centurions symbol, depicted on their banners. A bit more research is due when describing historical facts...
All in all - lengthy, interesting book, with more and more realistic characters and rather obvious culprit. I wish it was on sale when I bought it and I will wait with purchasing the third one for that exact moment, when Amazon shall have it for 0,99.
August 1, 2014
Simon Shaw, History professor vacations in Pearlie North Carolina over the Thanksgiving Holiday. There he is pulled into helping to solve a mystery. A body of a diver is pulled from the water. A man who drowned in the 1940s is determined a murder victim. On his person he has rare gold coins that date back to the Civil war era. The mystery is engaging and the history interesting. However the romance between Simon and his girl friend police detective lacks chemistry. The mystery and the history more than compensated.
August 21, 2017
Book Description:
The Discovery of an old corpse dredges up the past for a small town with a lot to hide...
Professor Simon Shaw wants nothing more than to spend a peaceful Thanksgiving with friends, staying in Pearlie Beach, a small town on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But even has the turkey roasts, he finds himself embroiled in a fifty-year-old mystery of strange disappearances, suspicious deaths, and treasures lost and found.
The holiday disruption begins with the body of a local man is dredged from the waters of Pearlie Beach. In his hand, several rare Confederate coins; in his decaying ribs, the sharp blade of a knife. Soon Simon, aided by Julia McGloughlin, a mesmerizing police attorney, discovers that secrets in this small town run as deep as the waterways that surround it.
Simon knows that finding another cache of coins is about as likely as getting the guarded residents of Pearlie Beach to talk. But he also knows that if he doesn't continue to investigate, a decades-old murder will remain unsolved--and another may be close at hand...
My Review:
Simon Shaw is a college professor and detective who investigates decades-old unsolved murders. He is a very quirky but believable character. This book is a fast, easy read with historical information about the German subs off the coast of North Carolina's Pearlie Beach during World War II and a body from that era which has recently been discovered. Simon, along with his ex-wife, try to solve this old murder but have to dig through lots of secrets in the lives of the local residents. When a new murder is discovered things really heat up and the book becomes a real page-turner until the murderer comes to light. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I would highly recommend this series to those who like history with their mystery.
The Discovery of an old corpse dredges up the past for a small town with a lot to hide...
Professor Simon Shaw wants nothing more than to spend a peaceful Thanksgiving with friends, staying in Pearlie Beach, a small town on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But even has the turkey roasts, he finds himself embroiled in a fifty-year-old mystery of strange disappearances, suspicious deaths, and treasures lost and found.
The holiday disruption begins with the body of a local man is dredged from the waters of Pearlie Beach. In his hand, several rare Confederate coins; in his decaying ribs, the sharp blade of a knife. Soon Simon, aided by Julia McGloughlin, a mesmerizing police attorney, discovers that secrets in this small town run as deep as the waterways that surround it.
Simon knows that finding another cache of coins is about as likely as getting the guarded residents of Pearlie Beach to talk. But he also knows that if he doesn't continue to investigate, a decades-old murder will remain unsolved--and another may be close at hand...
My Review:
Simon Shaw is a college professor and detective who investigates decades-old unsolved murders. He is a very quirky but believable character. This book is a fast, easy read with historical information about the German subs off the coast of North Carolina's Pearlie Beach during World War II and a body from that era which has recently been discovered. Simon, along with his ex-wife, try to solve this old murder but have to dig through lots of secrets in the lives of the local residents. When a new murder is discovered things really heat up and the book becomes a real page-turner until the murderer comes to light. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I would highly recommend this series to those who like history with their mystery.
September 21, 2008
I love a good mystery. This is the 2nd of the Simon Shaw mysteries. Shaber is a master researcher. There was some interesting information about shipwrecks, the Wilmington area, hurricanes, WWII and the Civil War. This was also a pretty good story. Simon is definitely growing on me. He is a very likable character. He is at the beach near Wilmington with a friend of his. They are asked to help answer some questions about some coins found with a dead body. A dead body from the 40’s they just dredged up off shore. Interestingly enough, the dead body is a relative of some locals. Simon thinks he is reluctant to get involved in another case but with the help of his former love interest, Julia, he is hot on the trail of a killer. A killer who is still killing. This was a mystery that had clues that threw you off the real motive. I liked that about this one. Shaber did a good job directing Simon and the reader off track. Although, Simon should have gone with his gut and proceeded with what he deduced in the first place, he reacted like anyone would and went on a couple wild goose chases. But these just brought him closer to Julia. It will be interesting to see what happens to this relationship in future books in this series. Looking forward to continuing this series.
October 19, 2012
This is my first cozy mystery by Author Sarah R Shaber. I have since discovered that she has a slew of different series set in the same southeastern USA coastal area, Pearlie Beach, North Carolina.
I said this is my first Shaber mystery but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed her offbeat hero Simon Shaw, archeologist, and heroine and hint of romance. I enjoyed all the colorful characters and natural beauty of the oceanside setting. I also like the interplay of history with the present.
I appreciated the fact that I liked her characters. So many times, I don't care about the people in the mystery and don't really care what happens to them. (Those mysteries I don't finish.) I cared about her characters and I only disliked the murderer. Agatha Christie would call Sarah R Shaber a kindred soul!
I said this is my first Shaber mystery but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed her offbeat hero Simon Shaw, archeologist, and heroine and hint of romance. I enjoyed all the colorful characters and natural beauty of the oceanside setting. I also like the interplay of history with the present.
I appreciated the fact that I liked her characters. So many times, I don't care about the people in the mystery and don't really care what happens to them. (Those mysteries I don't finish.) I cared about her characters and I only disliked the murderer. Agatha Christie would call Sarah R Shaber a kindred soul!
April 12, 2016
I enjoy Sarah R. Shaber's books. Snipe Hunt is a mystery involving Professor Simon Shaw. Professor Shaw is an intelligent man who is able to piece together clues to solve the mystery. In this case there were several deaths during WWII on the North Carolina shore. Simon and his friends are staying on the beach for the Thanksgiving holiday when the neighbor is murdered. The tenacious detective is able to figure out what happened and who is responsible. The gold coins are a clue that adds questions to the investigation. A nice read.
October 12, 2012
I really enjoyed this story set on coastal North Carolina! I didn't guess whodunit, so it was an interesting surprise! While Professor Simon Shaw does get a little snoopy (I dislike snoopy protagonists in cozy mysteries!!!!), the character snoops in a very smart way, I think. I enjoyed the plot and character development, and it seems that Shaber did a lot of research for this book. I look forward to reading more in this series!
June 1, 2016
A nicely paced mystery with not too much violence. This is the 2nd book in the Professor Simon Shaw series. There amateur sleuth aspect is plausible and her descriptions of history and geography bring the North Carolina Coast alive. Solving the mysteries revolves around untangling events that happened during WWII. Shaber weaves in bits of Civil War and 1940's history in an entertaining manner.
June 23, 2013
Though maybe not the best cover art in history (this particular cover art for the book), Sarah R. Shaber's second novel is a wonderful sophomore book!
June 8, 2012
Amazing author!!! LOVE Dr. Shaw!!!
February 29, 2020
The North Carolina coast is the site of many shipwrecks. Some weather-related merchants but many are war casualties. Blockade of the barrier reefs has always occurred in times of war and many ships lie under the water here, from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and even WWII. The tales of treasure and artifacts within these wrecks is used by Sarah Shaber as the background for the finding of a body and the investigation of a mystery.
Local historian and amateur sleuth, Professor Simon Shaw is spending Thanksgiving with friends at Pearlie Beach, North Carolina when a body dredged from the sands that have over the years have filled the Inter coastal channel. A body identified as a naval man thought lost and drowned during WWII, a body from the time of the civil air patrol of the US coast, a body with a cache of gold coins minted in the Civil War.
The plot was more complex than I expected and very satisfying!
Local historian and amateur sleuth, Professor Simon Shaw is spending Thanksgiving with friends at Pearlie Beach, North Carolina when a body dredged from the sands that have over the years have filled the Inter coastal channel. A body identified as a naval man thought lost and drowned during WWII, a body from the time of the civil air patrol of the US coast, a body with a cache of gold coins minted in the Civil War.
The plot was more complex than I expected and very satisfying!
July 20, 2023
Simon Shaw and David Morgan are professors at the University of North Carolina. They have decided to take a vacation with another colleague, Marcus Clegg at his vacation home on Thanksgiving weekend. The area is Pearlie Beach on the Outer Banks.
They are vowed to take a real vacation until a diver brings up a corpse dressed in an old diving suit holding several Confederate gold coins.
Is this about the gold? Or was there some other reason that this man was killed?
Trying to piece together a mystery from the days of WW2 is not easy. But there are a few survivors that remember those days. ( this was written in 2000)
Simon and Morgan try to piece together what could have taken place at a time when German subs were patrolling off the coast, American civilians were called upon to watch for German subs and the whole area was in an uproar over the trials of WW2.
Can Simon piece together what happened? And why?
If you like a bit of history with your stories you might enjoy this story.
They are vowed to take a real vacation until a diver brings up a corpse dressed in an old diving suit holding several Confederate gold coins.
Is this about the gold? Or was there some other reason that this man was killed?
Trying to piece together a mystery from the days of WW2 is not easy. But there are a few survivors that remember those days. ( this was written in 2000)
Simon and Morgan try to piece together what could have taken place at a time when German subs were patrolling off the coast, American civilians were called upon to watch for German subs and the whole area was in an uproar over the trials of WW2.
Can Simon piece together what happened? And why?
If you like a bit of history with your stories you might enjoy this story.
June 1, 2017
A decent mystery with likable characters and a satisfactory conclusion. Well paced and well written. Had a few grammatical errors, but sadly too many books do these days.
November 3, 2018
The Professor Shaw mysteries are excellent and I wish there were more in the series.
November 22, 2018
Excellent. I sure did miss the obvious clue near the beginning.
Read
November 16, 2013Professor Simon Shaw wants nothing more than to spend a peaceful Thanksgiving with friends, staying in Pearlie Beach, a small town on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But even has the turkey roasts, he finds himself embroiled in a fifty-year-old mystery of strange disappearances, suspicious deaths, and treasures lost and found.
The holiday disruption begins with the body of a local man is dredged from the waters of Pearlie Beach. In his hand, several rare Confederate coins; in his decaying ribs, the sharp blade of a knife. Soon Simon, aided by Julia McGloughlin, a mesmerizing police attorney, discovers that secrets in this small town run as deep as the waterways that surround it.
Simon knows that finding another cache of coins is about as likely as getting the guarded residents of Pearlie Beach to talk. But he also knows that if he doesn't continue to investigate, a decades-old murder will remain unsolved--and another may be close at hand...
(less)
One of the Perlies, Henry, a Nazi sympathizer and bigot, is the killer. He killed all the others in the picture to protect himself.
The holiday disruption begins with the body of a local man is dredged from the waters of Pearlie Beach. In his hand, several rare Confederate coins; in his decaying ribs, the sharp blade of a knife. Soon Simon, aided by Julia McGloughlin, a mesmerizing police attorney, discovers that secrets in this small town run as deep as the waterways that surround it.
Simon knows that finding another cache of coins is about as likely as getting the guarded residents of Pearlie Beach to talk. But he also knows that if he doesn't continue to investigate, a decades-old murder will remain unsolved--and another may be close at hand...
(less)
One of the Perlies, Henry, a Nazi sympathizer and bigot, is the killer. He killed all the others in the picture to protect himself.
July 1, 2016
I was disappointed. The plot moves extremely slowly. The resolution is supposed to be a twist, but ultimately is a far fetched disappointment. I also felt like the author included a lot of unnecessary details, painstakingly describing a dinner and all of the food preparations that have nothing to do with the story. The relationship between Julia and Simon is confusing because it's not clear why they aren't dating yet act like they are. There are also several places where dates or years relevant to the plot are missing. Bummer. The first book was much better.
May 31, 2016
Too much of the wrong kind of detail
This was the second book I have read in the series , and I confess to being a bit disappointed. Some details are necessary, but others just seem to get in the way. I didn't need to know that the watch was a Rolex or that the refrigerator was a Frigidaire. I will read the next book in the series, however, because as a historian I find the characters and the narrative interesting.
This was the second book I have read in the series , and I confess to being a bit disappointed. Some details are necessary, but others just seem to get in the way. I didn't need to know that the watch was a Rolex or that the refrigerator was a Frigidaire. I will read the next book in the series, however, because as a historian I find the characters and the narrative interesting.
September 16, 2012
Another solid outing in the Simon Shaw series. I always get a kick out of these because In elementary school I spent a fair amount of time with the author and her family and I see aspects of them in the books. Also, any book set in NC will get a second look from me. But these books are also really fun and well-done.
June 18, 2013
I love it when a novel gives me historical facts, but makes it part of the story, especially when it's about my own state of NC. I learned some things I didn't know about the NC coast during WWII and enjoyed the present day mystery as well.
June 8, 2012
Love that this is not a cutsie plot author. Love the characters too! Nice job!!!
December 27, 2018
Another great mystery where a historical mystery causes a modern day one and is investigated by a simple university professor and his friends. The history is also fascinating. Well worth the read.
January 14, 2014
Really enjoyed this one, has the makings of a really good series.
July 15, 2015
I think I'm over Simon Shaw mysteries.
August 9, 2015
Good book for an afternoon in the patio furniture. I have really enjoyed the Simon Says series so far. They are a nice read, not too complicated but enough to keep you reading.
December 11, 2015
"Snipe Hunt" - written by Sarah R Shaber and published in 2000 by St Martin's Minotaur. Comfortable, not especially riveting, mystery novel.
June 12, 2016
while on vacation mystery solving professor uncovers a murder from WWII.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews