JUST TAKE MY HEART

Assistant Prosecutor Emily Wallace is excited about the high-profile murder case her boss has assigned her and works hard for a conviction. But did the handsome husband really shoot his wife? Narrator Jan Maxwell treats this thriller too lightly, at times robbing the story of its suspense. While delivering her version of a thug's speaking style, she stops short of putting real muscle into her voice. Likewise, her portrayal of the accused's anguish over his unfair treatment by the court and the press never reaches a credible level of pathos. Trying to figure out whodunit is the best part of any Mary Higgins Clark novel, and the author, thankfully, doesn't disappoint to the extent that her narrator does. R.L.L. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]