FALSE ACCUSATIONS

Philip Madison is dragged from his bed by police detectives investigating a brutal hit-and-run accident. The respected surgeon insists he's being framed by Brittany Harding, an unstable employee he had fired from a nonprofit service agency under his management. Zeljko Ivanek presents this lively mystery with understated competence, allowing Jacobson's text to tell its own story. His characterizations are minimal, and his tempo even throughout. While the performance doesn't get in the way of the story, it doesn't enhance it either. Occasional misplaced emphases remind the listener that the book is being read rather than performed. But the production is, on the whole, professional and entertaining. R.P.L. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]