A MAIDEN'S GRAVE

Three escaped convicts in rural Kansas take hostage a bus transporting eight deaf schoolgirls and their teachers. They threaten to kill one girl an hour unless their demands are met. David McCallum's performance grabs the listener and never lets go. McCallum is especially adroit with the exchanges between Handy, the convicts' leader, and Potter, the FBI negotiator. The abridgment doesn't affect the intensity of the hostage situation. However, McCallum's British accent seems inappropriate since all the characters are from Kansas, and he mispronounces some words. Despite these distractions, the listener will be riveted. M.H.S. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB 97]