DEATH OF A STRANGER

While William Monk battles amnesia to solve a case involving possible railroad fraud, his wife, Hester, finds herself working on the same case through a different channel. Hester's post as a volunteer nurse in London's Red Light District has brought her into the investigation of a railroad magnate's murder. David Colacci's understated performance relies on light characterization and brilliant transitions in dialect to portray the main characters, spiced with somewhat overstated interpretations of a few bit players. The contrast works well to maintain variety and interest, and to lend credibility to all. Colacci's subdued narrative passages can be a bit hypnotic on the long stretches, and the dialogue not always frequent enough to revive them. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]