BY A SPIDER'S THREAD

Why would Natalie Rubin take her three children and run away from her supposedly happy marriage to a rich furrier? The deserted husband hires sleuth Tess Monaghan to find out. What follows is a search involving, among others, the Snoop Sisters, online female PIs. Linda Emond's unhurried pace allows listeners to absorb the details of a well-thought-out plot, even in abridged form. Each character's personality comes out through intonation--Rubin's intractability, Tess's feistiness, and young Isaac's courage and intelligence. Tess, a serial PI, already has a lot of fans and should only win more with this well-presented adventure. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]