PIERCED BY THE SUN

Mexican author Laura Esquivel, best known for LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, brings listeners the story of Lupita, a recovering alcoholic and low-level cop. Narrator Roxanne Hernandez confidently pronounces both Spanish and Mayan terms in delivering this novel. When Lupita witnesses the murder of a local politician, she's drawn into a complex plot involving drug dealers, political corruption, and separatist indigenous communities. Hernandez doesn't successfully vary her pacing and tone enough to differentiate between the exposition and narrative. In addition, her sweet, youthful voice is not a good fit for Lupita, a troubled and angry character with a dark past. The mismatch is jarring, and, ultimately, both the performance and the novel fall short. E.C. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2016]