AN UNPARDONABLE CRIME

The author was awarded the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger an unprecedented two times. His second was for this historical murder mystery set in rural England. A poor tutor, Thomas Shield, tells of his unwelcome involvement in a set of murders in 1819, in which a young American boy named Edgar Allan Poe figures prominently. The adroitly abridged whodunit retains the flavor of its Dickensian characters, convincing yet accessible Georgian diction, and intriguing entangled narrative. All these virtues are beautifully orchestrated by the incomparable Sir Derek Jacobi, who contributes his masterful technique, facility with characterizations, and gently mellifluous cadences. He wraps the whole in an atmosphere that conjures images of period etchings with their deep chiaroscuro. Well-chosen musical accents nicely punctuate the reading and help move the action forward. Altogether a tasteful, even artistic, rendering of popular fiction. Y.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award 2005 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]