FRANKLAND

The dry humor in FRANKLAND is easy to miss, and narrator Nick Landrum doesn't help with his overly enthusiastic performance, though he improves halfway through the book. While his characters sounds authentic, his problem is in the expository sections. Overall, he is good as John Tolley, a historian who sets out to write the definitive history of the lackluster President Andrew Johnson. His search for a hidden manuscript takes him to eastern Tennessee, an area that Johnson once suggested calling "Frankland," after Benjamin Franklin (never realizing he was misspelling the name of the famous forefather). The humor comes from the local townsfolk and various miscreants, whom Landrum brings to life nicely. M.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]