MIDNIGHT BAYOU

Declan Fitzgerald has been drawn to Manet Hall since he and a college friend broke into the abandoned mansion during a long-ago semester break. Now the Boston lawyer has forsaken his career to buy the run-down wreck and restore it to its potential beauty. Who cares if a few resident ghosts have other ideas? James Daniels performs most of the book, offering a reasonable rendition of Cajun French dialect and wisely refraining from an attempt at old New England. His female characters come across as seductive rather than simpering, which suits them all. Sandra Burr makes cameo appearances to narrate flashbacks about the life of resident spirit Abigail Rousse Manet, whose violent death led to the house being abandoned in the first place. Burr's performance offers a sweet and haunting grace note to the production. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]