A RULE AGAINST MURDER

For some reason, Irene Morrow Finney has decided to erect an immense statue of her late husband at the Manoir Bellechasse, a Quebec resort hotel where she is "re-uning" with her extremely cross and jumpy middle-aged children. Fortuitously, Armand Gamache, chief homicide investigator for the province, is staying there too, just handy to investigate the murder of Julia Morrow, apparently by her father's statue. Agatha Christie fans will have a grand time with this carefully plotted, completely improbable puzzle. And Ralph Cosham will please old fans and gain new ones with his appealing voice, charming Quebecois accents, and expert characterizations and pacing. One minor complaint: He often fails to pause long enough to indicate a shift from one scene to the next, a far-from-fatal flaw. B.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]