THE CORSICAN CAPER

This story, set in the South of France, is a quick listen meant for fans of Mayle's mystery series. Newcomers may feel as if they're missing something, as the characters aren't well introduced. When Francis Reboul refuses to sell his Marseille mansion to a Russian tycoon, the Russian arranges a hit on Reboul through the Corsican mafia. Fortunately, Reboul has friends in all the right places, including his American friends Sam and Elena, as well as friends in Corsica. Narrator Erik Davies gives a detached reading of the narrative, while the characters' accents, whether French, Corsican or Russian, sound cumbersome. The distracting and laborious narration combined with a thin plot, long lists of French wines, menus, and stereotyped characters makes for difficult listening. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]