RAINWATER

Sandra Brown turns to Depression-era Texas in this departure from her usual contemporary romantic suspense. Victor Slezak successfully lightens his voice for the female characters, but it is the deep baritone he gives the male characters that resonates, particularly the rich, confident tones of David Rainwater. When Mr. Rainwater takes a room in Ella Barron's boardinghouse, neither is ready for the way he will change the town or how he will breathe new life into her and her son, Solly. Slezak’s slight Southern drawl pulls the listener into the world of drought and despair without being overpowering or distracting, creating the perfect backdrop for the story’s budding, but doomed, romance. E.N. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2010]