THE MURDER RULE

McTiernan, whose Cormac Reilly series is set in Ireland, has ventured to the U.S. for this stand-alone legal thriller. The story is delivered by three talented narrators. Kate Orsini voices third-year law student Hannah with a mission-driven intensity. However, Orsini struggles to credibly convey a key male character who is British. Hannah's chapters, which take place in 2019, alternate with those of her mother, Laura, who is confidently performed by Sophie Amoss as she reads Laura's diary from 1994. Toward the conclusion, listeners hear from Sean, a law student, voiced by Michael Crouch. Crouch masterfully delivers the most tension-filled part of the story. While the plot stretches credulity at every turn, it does elucidate the challenges to the legal system, and to listeners, of judging guilt or innocence. E.Q. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2022]