BALLAD & DAGGER

Listeners are introduced to the island of San Madrigal by 16-year-old Mateo Matisse. He is a descendant of its inhabitants, a tight-knit diaspora of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews who escaped and settled in Brooklyn when the island sank into the sea. On the night of the community's annual fete, Mateo is surprised when he not only witnesses a murder but also learns he holds the key to recovering his homeland. Narrator Lee Osorio's confident Spanish accent in this first volume in a series allows listeners to get to know the insecure hero who becomes involved with adventure and politics. Osorio also highlights the musicality of Older's prose. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]