EDITED FOR DEATH

This charming mystery features the newspaper office of a small California town. Editor Amy Hobbs and her young reporter, Clarice, who covers the police beat, have an endearing relationship. Narrator Lee Ann Howlett delightfully portrays Clarice, whose enthusiasm and emotion abound, much to her occasional embarrassment. Howlett also provides strong characterizations of Amy, Amy's French-Canadian boyfriend, and pre- and post-WWII Germans. A relatively straightforward news story about a local senator leads to lost art and then then to several murders. Flashbacks to the war and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the newspaper office enliven the mystery and give the setting authenticity. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2013]