RED SKY IN MORNING A Novel of World War II

Joe Barrett's raspy tenor voice individualizes all the characters in this nautical WWII novel, giving everyone a distinct personality and voice. The protagonist's wife sounds like a stevedore with a sexy whisper, and in a rare moment Barrett mimics her talking with toothpaste in her mouth. When there's singing, he even does his best at that, too. The scenes take place on a Liberty ship near the end of the war, and the characters are white officers, an entire crew of "coloreds," and two "homos." Barrett portrays the blacks like they'd talk in a minstrel show and the gays like they're flaming queens. The cultural conflicts lead to a couple of killings, and the ship becomes a maritime version of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2009]