THE DISAPPEARANCES OF MADALENA GRIMALDI

The narrator's Australian accent may be easy on the ears, but once you attempt to make sense of the words and follow the plots, you're left with more atmosphere than comprehension. While PI Claudia Valentine searches for a missing schoolgirl, she's also looking for her own father. Also for a killer. Also for a painter. Kate Hosking is the reader. She likes to do voices, and she creates good characters with zesty interplay between them. The descriptive passages come out with less zeal. One would like to hear a more enthusiastic reading--a wooing of the listener to another way of life. J.P. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]