BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS

The Audio Editions Mystery Masters series is a godsend. Classic masterpieces are made easily accessible with superb readers. What a find! Tommy and Tuppence visit Aunt Ada in her "old ladies home" shortly before her death. While there, Tuppence meets a mysterious lady who asks her about the dead child behind the fireplace. Suspicious, Tuppence tries to speak to her again when they return for Aunt Ada’s things, only to discover that she’s disappeared, leaving an oddly familiar painting behind. The game’s afoot . . . oops, wrong detective. Alex Jennings does an excellent job capturing the calm, polite, preternaturally civil tone of an Agatha Christie world. Someone may have just koshed you on the head with a church flower urn, but that’s no reason to go losing your temper or raising your voice. His performance whisks you away to an idealized England of rose gardens and brisk tea, and it’s pure bliss to settle back and let him take you. D.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]