DARK MATTER

What are a few murders to the man who unraveled some of the greatest mysteries of the universe? Sir Isaac Newton and his assistant, Christopher Ellis, are Holmes and Watson--two hundred years earlier. As warden of the Royal Mint in 1696, Newton uses his powers of observation to thwart a plan to murder thousands of Catholics by uncovering a counterfeiting ring and a conspiracy intended to rekindle war with France. Almost as an afterthought, he solves four murders with Ellis's clumsy support. John Lee's performance brings to life an era when streets overflow with sewage and much of humanity wallows in swinish depravity. Lee fleshes out the primitive entertainments, perversions, and gruesome executions of the seventeenth century. Kerr's language abounds with archaic syntax and usage, which Lee absorbs and makes utterly believable. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]