THE HEIR

The handsome, dark-haired hero on the cover of The Heir is a dead ringer for a current soap opera heartthrob. The story, set in the early 1800's, is a bit soapy, too, full of secrets and lust. Mainly, however, it's Romance, complete with an arranged marriage, a haunted mansion and a mysterious half-sister. Read in the crisp British accent of Steven Crossley, the unabridged version is absorbing listening--if you're willing to wait out the sluggish start. Although Crossley is an expressive reader, a female narrator would be better for this book's multiple points of view. Crossley is too squeaky as the heroine, making a character already presented as "spoiled" even harder to like. M.C. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT 97]