THE DANTE CLUB

In his literary debut, author Matthew Pearl tells the fictional story of Cambridge icons Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Lowell, and J.T. Fields working to find a vicious serial killer who fashions crimes after scenes from Dante's INFERNO. Seasoned actor Boyd Gaines brings the grisly scenes to life, providing just enough of a highbrow Boston accent to the four lead characters to differentiate personalities and keep the listener riveted. His pacing is superb; he speeds through passages of high excitement but assumes a leisurely read to build suspense. His best performance is his reading of Longfellow's lines; he seems to capture the calm essence of the poet with each word spoken. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]