DARK CORNERS

Once again, Ruth Rendell lures us into the dark corners of London and the dark corners of the mind. Narrator Ric Jerrom disappears into the seemingly ordinary characters featured in several expertly tangled story threads, allowing listeners to peer into their obsessions, compulsions, and psychopathy. Carl owns a house in the posh part of town. He rents the upstairs flat to Dermot, an intrusive, disturbing man. Carl sells some of his late father’s weight-loss pills to his overweight friend, Stacey. Stacey dies. Dermot knows Carl’s secret and blackmails him. Jerrom adds color to Nicola, Carl’s girlfriend; Stacey’s friend, Lizzie; Lizzie’s bus-riding dad; and two bungling kidnappers. As dark events intersect and spiral out of control, Jerrom keeps things splendidly sinister. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2015]