THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN

Light as a snowflake, Baldacci's tale works up a blizzard of adventure, romance, and mystery. The seasonal "message" lurking in this mix is leavened with abundant humor. Journalist Tom Langdon, having gotten himself barred from air travel, takes the train to a ski resort with his current girl and runs into the woman he has always loved. Within the enclosure of a few train cars, Tim Matheson enthusiastically interweaves the characters. Ambient sounds give listeners the atmosphere of the rails, with Matheson controlling even sticky sentiments and stilted prose. The nostalgia is persuasive and, with Matheson's help, utterly charming. S.B.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]