THE COLOUR OF BLOOD

Ed Loy, a private detective in Dublin, has been called in to find Emily Hughes, 19 years old and missing for three days. As he digs into the case, it becomes more and more complex, involving organized crime, blackmail, and the disturbing sexual secrets of the Howard family. Stanley Townsend portrays Loy's picaresque character in a wonderful deep voice, and he has all the Irish dialects down perfectly, though some are a bit thick and it takes the listener a while to get used to them. Wisely, he doesn't overplay the descriptive passages. This is a complex story that requires attentive listening combined with a performance that makes it worthwhile to stay with it. S.S.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]