HOTEL PARADISE

Emma Graham, 12 years old and a salad girl at the small-town hotel where her mother cooks, becomes obsessed with the secrets behind the drowning death 40 years earlier of another young girl. Donada Peters, who is British, seems an unlikely choice for narrator since the story is set in the United States. But Peters manages credible American accents, and although one doesn't completely forget her nationality, her ability to capture the essence of the determined young girl makes up for it. Other characters are portrayed with equal verve: crotchety old women, the practical sheriff, and two brothers who communicate in grunts. Peters manages the difficult task of maintaining the characterization of Emma while creating a village full of memorable characters. M.A.M. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPT 97]