NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

Nine people seeking escape gather at a health resort for a ten-day retreat, but the fanatical resort director's devotion to "transformation" leads to some surprising turns. Narrator Caroline Lee's animated performance brings listeners along as the story changes perspective; all the guests, plus the resort's three staff members, have point-of-view chapters. Lee is especially memorable as Frances Welty, a cheerful, snarky romance novelist; Masha, the mysterious resort owner; and Jessica Chandler, a young, image-obsessed lottery winner with the habit of ending most of her sentences with a question. Lee uses her full vocal range--multiple accents and a variety of pitches and tones--even going so far as to let her voice crack and break. Listeners will be hooked as the retreat begins to unravel. E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2018]