MURDER BY REFERENCE

Jane Rice's narration makes this American equivalent of a Lord Peter Wimsey tale most enjoyable. How she keeps all the eccentrics' voices straight is a modern-day wonder. Texas lawyer John Lloyd Branson lives up to his double-barreled name and possesses the requisite drawl while his sidekick, Miss Fairchild, sounds every inch the modern woman. There is a murder in a Texas Historical Museum, and the potential culprits abound. The museum staff and local police are a hilarious network of good old boys who try to outdo each other giving advice to a young cop as he scales literal and figurative heights to get his wily man. Because this is a regional mystery, it's perfect for narration and is probably better to listen to--even for the die-hard reader. S.G.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 97]