THE UNDERTAKER'S WIDOW

Portland Judge Richard Quinn is looking forward to his first homicide case: State Representative Ellen Crease's trial for shooting her husband. When he's blackmailed into ruling against Crease, his innate honesty forces him to investigate the case himself. Michael Mitchell is a strong narrator, with cadence and inflection reminiscent of the late Howard Cosell, although (thankfully) this is not heard in characters' voices. Though it's initially distracting, once the listener becomes accustomed to his vocal style, Mitchell proves himself up to the task of matching the emotional highs and lows of a judge's life turned upside down. The real weakness here is expecting the listener to adjust to the vocal quirks of the narrator. M.A.M. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]