SCORCHED EARTH

Tom Stechschulte's voice is huskier than ever, as gravelly as old sandpaper. His reading makes this densely plotted examination of retribution, forgiveness, and justice in a small Southern town shiver with life. A racially mixed baby dies. She is buried in a white cemetery. The white deacons of the Baptist church vote to exhume the remains and re-bury them in the "colored" cemetery. That night the church is burned to the ground. Tragedy follows tragedy, investigations uncover secrets, sudden unexpected revelations occur, and Stechschulte never disappoints. He's a magician at characterization. The novel puts a microscope on what people will do under stress. Robbins's sensitive probe of human motives, his lyrical prose in the face of horrific circumstances, and Stechschulte's intensely moving performance make for deeply satisfying listening. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]