BILLY GOAT HILL

Abandoned by their alcoholic father, 8-year-old Wade Parker and his obnoxious little brother, Luke, draw close in the face of family tragedy. To escape problems beyond their control, they race cardboard cars down Billy Goat Hill--and discover a murder. Kevin King's narration is tediously even. His depiction of Luke with an irritating whiny voice makes the boy unsympathetic. Both the introduction of murder into the plot and the character of a policeman with evangelical inclinations seem contrived and inauthentic. The bright spots in the audio are King's depiction of neighborhood bullies and the jazz music breaks that set the mood and tone of Los Angeles in 1958. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]