SIREN

Makedde Vanderwall is a Canadian-born PI working in Australia. The combination of Canadian narrative and mostly Australian dialogue is initially jarring (albeit logical), but after a while the listener simply marvels at Edwina Wren's facility for Australian mimicry. Similarly, the listener also becomes used to the natural quality of the production itself, wherein every vocal noise, breath, and gurgle can be heard. The story has a gothic quality; the case Mak is investigating centers on obsession and possession as a young man flees his overprotective mother to join the Grand Guignol "Theatre of Fear." However, the case begins to take second place to Mak's longstanding obsession with the influential Cavanagh family, explored in previous books, which leads up to an ending that is surprisingly dark. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2010]