THE DARK ROSE

Twenty-year-old Paul, who is in a witness protection program, is helping to restore Kelstice Gardens as he waits to be called as the prime witness in a murder trial. Louisa, who is 20 years his senior and is on the lam, sees Paul as the doppelganger of her tragic first love, Adam. Touted as a psychological thriller, THE DARK ROSE disappoints. Narrator Jill Tanner's effort is commendable but can’t overcome the flaws of a story that meanders between 1989 and 2009, hinting at the pasts of these two characters whose lives become interwoven in the present. Her delivery is careful and has a steady pace and clear enunciation, but chapters move abruptly between time and character, creating confusion, and the ending leaves too many loose threads hanging. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]