A NEW LEASE OF DEATH

Wexford's first murder conviction (and hanging) rears its head after 16 years when the daughter of the murderer wants to prove her father innocent before she gets married. This multifaceted mystery evolves into a breathtaking and unusual love story, which sounds, by turns, like a moving sermon or a narration by a master storyteller. Rendell, always the brilliant wordsmith, presents reader Anthony with the perfect vehicle to demonstrate his fantastic range of voices and appropriately placed dramatic pauses. Seldom has a letter been more effectively read or a finer distinction made between fantasy and reality. A gem in every way. S.G.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV/DEC 97]