THE FOOD DETECTIVE

The unsavory topic of stolen and butchered beef cattle creates the backdrop for this English mystery. Josie Welford, the widow of a most wanted criminal, is the narrator and heroine of this bloody story. Unfortunately, Diana Bishop's interpretation of her is in an accent so thick as to be close to unintelligible to American ears. It’s true, this novel of place and acceptance in a rural community is also filled with other thick-tongued parties that are equally hard to decipher. But having the narrator herself difficult to understand makes the whole book less palatable, and the listener's mind wanders. B.H.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]