ALISON WONDERLAND

Quirky Alison Wonderland leaves her philandering husband and joins the very detective agency that found him out. Narrator Alison Larkin delivers the idiosyncrasies of the eccentric people fused to Alison’s life with aplomb and a bit of irony. Although Alison copes admirably enough with the job's demands, which include investigations of infidelity, dishonesty, and crimes against humanity, as a heroine she isn’t a sympathetic character. Larkin fails to delineate shifting viewpoints; the transitions from one character to another are abrupt and often confusing. Further, her delivery is lacking in vocal wit, and it’s not clear if the curmudgeonly Ms. Wonderland ever evolves. A.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]