In this novel, Boston detective Spenser is investigating the inexplicable murder of a respected wife, mother, and educator. To solve the crime, Spenser takes a trip to South Carolina to look into the victim's past, only to find danger and yet another perplexing question, which, when answered, will break the case wide open. David Dukes's interpretation of Spenser emphasizes his laconic, uncooperative nature, yet Spenser's practical kindness to a bereaved cop and general fellow feeling for underdogs comes through. Dukes is less successful with attractive and intelligent Susan, the love of Spenser's life, whom he portrays with few nuances-a drawling pace and soft voice is about all the personality she gets. He provides creditable Southern accents to color the South Carolina portion of the book but is less successful with the upper-crust family of the dead Olivia: the husband's speech is characterized by a slow pretentiousness, the son's, by the thick consonants of a street thug. Not an essential purchase.-Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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