THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL

This is about as scary as it gets. An alcoholic and his family inherit the family homestead in St. Albans, Louisiana. When they arrive there, alcoholism seems like a fairy tale compared to the death, ritual sacrifice, mutilation and brainwashing they find. Bill Weideman reads this horror thriller competently but with little dramatization or performance. While his elocution is perfect and his characterizations believable, he doesn’t engage with the terrifying text. Orchestral accents at the beginning and end of each tape side, as well as between major parts of the book, help lend mood, however, and nothing can stand in the way of John Saul’s mastery of the genre. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]