MORTAL SINS

The setting is New Orleans, 1927. The Jazz Age is in full swing. Despite the upbeat music of the time, there's much secrecy and sorrow. Daman Rourke, a broken-hearted homicide cop, is suddenly faced with proving that the woman who broke his heart is innocent of the murder of her womanizing husband. Sound complex? Theodore Bikel commands the sultry twists and turns of the text with mastery. His voice is as intoxicating as bootleg liquor and as sobering as a life sentence. Thanks in part to Bikel's skill, it's not at all hard to get caught up in Penn Williamson's dark world. R.A.P. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]