THE BLOOD DOCTOR

In 1997 the distinguished British mystery writer Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine) was created a life peer and made Baroness Rendell of Babergh. Perhaps that influenced this quirky novel. In it, one Lord Nanther tells us of his three preoccupations--reformation of the House of Lords, his beloved wife's futile attempts to have a baby, and research on a book about his great-grandfather, the first Lord Nanther. A respected expert on hemophilia and physician to the royal family, this unlovable forebear may have murdered his fiancée before marrying his sister. Robert Powell is nicely cast as the present Lord N. He possesses an attractive, aristocratic sound, which he uses expressively. His detachment could pass as British stiff upper lip, though it deprives him of the warmth that the author has given her hero. Otherwise, this is a satisfying rendition of a complex and brainy tale. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]