PRETTY AS A PICTURE

Narrator Julia Whelan and author Elizabeth Little are casting perfection in this murder mystery cum witty send-up of the film industry. The mayhem, including murder, occurs while filming a movie about a real-life murder on a resort island off Delaware. Our protagonist, Marissa, a film editor hired to replace a previously fired editor, stumbles into trying to solve both murders. Whelan's choice for Marissa's voice--low, straightforward, slightly uninflected--is just right for a character who's uncomfortable with people and social nuance. The other characters, from British heartthrob to wide-eyed female staffers and self-important director, are equally revealing. And her narrative pace expertly supports the action, be it pulse-pounding, comic, measured, or romantic. Movie buffs and mystery lovers everywhere, rejoice. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]