DEATH OF A DORMOUSE

Every once in a while, Reginald Hill takes a break from his excellent series about Yorkshire policemen Dalziel and Pascoe to produce a different kind of mystery. Because it's Hill, the result is great, and because it’s narrated by Di Langford, the audiobook version is also great. When we meet Trudi Adamson, the dormouse of the title, she’s just learning of the death of her husband. As she works through the shock, it becomes clear that Trudi's husband was not who he seemed to be. Langford never misses a beat. Her clear narrative never loses us in the Hitchcockian plot. Trudi's voice changes as her personality evolves, and characters as varying as a Welsh baudy-girl and a Swiss policeman spring vividly into the air. One is left wishing for a Langford-Hill sequel. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]