RED GOLD

Richard Matthews reads this taut novel of life in the French underground during WWII with a clipped, rushed pace, dropping out articles and perhaps other words that seem unnecessary to him. This narrative style is his way of conveying the pressure that danger puts on Jean Casson, Furst’s erstwhile film producer who, wanted by the Gestapo, is forced, as much for need of money as anything, into an elaborate scheme of smuggling guns to French Communists. The setting and the tale are tense, bleak, and noir and should delight buffs of the period; there were a lot of scoundrels with different kinds of accents in occupied France, and Matthews’s handling of them will delight fans of skillful acting. B.G. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]