THE SEDUCTION OF THE CRIMSON ROSE

Kate Reading proves again that a superior narration is a boon for any book. In the fourth of Lauren Willig's witty blend of modern mystery/romance and Napoleonic-era skullduggery/romance, nineteenth-century Mary Alsworthy tries to unmask a French spy while 21st-century Eloise Kelly uncovers her story. Reading offers telling interpretations of nineteenth-century British rakes and fops, wicked French spies, and dashing aristocrats, as well as daring young women from both periods. Reading also narrates with an intelligent anticipation that marries word and deed, so that a heartsick character sounds heartsick, an angry one sounds angry, and all conversations leap to life. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2008]