SPEAKING IN TONGUES

Dennis Boutsikaris presents a chilling performance of this well-written thriller about a jaded lawyer locked in a murderous battle of wits with a psychotic psychiatrist. Boutsikaris shades each character's voice just enough to create variety without drawing attention to his technique. Although the narrative is substantially abridged, this package provides a satisfying listening experience. The one element of the story that seems to have suffered most in the abridgment is motivation. Several threads that could explain, or at least illuminate, the psychiatrist's behavior appear briefly but vanish almost immediately. Listeners must either choose to ignore those tantalizing clues or try to fill in the details from their own imaginations. G.M.N. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 01]