STONE ANGEL

Locked in a closet, 6-year-old Kathy Shelley listened to her mother being stoned to death outside their south Louisiana home. At age 23, she returns, determined to find out who killed her mother and why. Helping her are an autistic savant, her mother’s eccentric executrix, a mute sculptor, Kathy’s un-secret New York admirer, and other assorted good and bad guys. Merlington reveals a mastery of Louisiana dialect, as well as a thorough understanding of each unusual character. Merlington’s characterizations are so distinct, it’s hard to believe one reader can produce so many voices. Her New York detective sounds more like a Boston cop, but that’s forgivable in this otherwise polished presentation of the story. R.P.L. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR/APR 98]