JAZZED

Orlagh Cassidy delivers a strong performance of Jill Dearman's captivating novel, inspired by the Leopold and Loeb case. Cassidy captures the frenetic Jazz Age and the compelling nature of obsessive love. Quiet, awkward Wilhelmina and bright, glittering Dorothy, both musical geniuses, room together at Barnard and become lovers. As the story is told in alternating chapters, Will's infatuation with Dolly and Dolly's passion for danger lead them to the jazz clubs of Harlem, to lesbian salons, and eventually into criminal acts. Cassidy makes Will's preoccupation with Dolly and her willingness to do as Dolly orders painfully real. As Dolly's compulsion for increasingly risky behavior escalates, Cassidy gives her an irresistible intensity. JAZZED is edgy and disturbing as it reflects the destructive effects of obsession. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2023]