THE RADLEYS

In a bravura performance Toby Moore portrays Haig’s blackly comic dysfunctional family with sharp, incisive wit. Peter and Helen, a suburban couple, are recovering vampires who haven’t told their children, Rowan and Clara, of their vampiric heritage. The parents rely on “The Abstainer’s Handbook” to help them through moments of overwhelming blood lust. Moore fully develops each character—from the parents’ midlife anxieties to the kids’ teenaged angst and the evil smirk of Peter’s brother, a non-recovering vampire. Moore is especially strong when Clara is attacked by a no-mind hulk, and, to her horror, her true nature reveals itself: The boy becomes dinner. THE RADLEYS is several cuts above the recent crop of vampire novels, and Moore’s performance is delicious. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]