UNNATURAL DEEDS

Narrator Pamela Lorence valiantly delivers this convoluted story of obsession--almost entirely filled with unappealing characters. Independent-minded Victoria Zell, who suffers from anxiety attacks, and her boyfriend, Andrew, a formerly homeschooled agoraphobic, are inseparable at school--until creepy, mysterious, manipulative Zachary Zimmerman shows up and inserts himself into their lives. Without intending to, Vic becomes dangerously wrapped up in his manipulations. Lorence is adept at rendering Victoria's rather irritating naïveté and her mysterious past, which possibly includes murder. Teachers, parents, and police try to make sense of Vic's contradictory behavior and ever-changing stories. Audio is the ideal medium for this drawn-out mystery, which does conclude with a twist. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2017]