THE HANGING JUDGE

Rich Orlow's compelling narration captures Clarence "Moon" Hudson's fear of receiving the death penalty for the double murders of a Puerto Rican drug dealer and an innocent pediatric nurse caught in the cross fire of a drive-by shooting. Although there's no hard evidence against Moon, he has motive and fits the profile as a black drug dealer. Orlow delivers the precedent-setting case from the judge's perspective, which provides insights into the legal system and makes the trial easy to follow. His astute characterizations through tone and accent allow listeners to easily distinguish between the attorneys, who use educated courtroom formality, and the accused, who use coarse street language. Orlow's authentic flashbacks to the shootings reflect the tension and raw emotion the jury experiences in this high-stakes case. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2014]