THE MIRROR THIEF

Edoardo Ballerini’s remarkable performance keeps listeners completely engrossed in Seay’s sophisticated, original, elaborately plotted novel. In 2003, in Las Vegas, Curtis Stone searches for gambler Stanley Glass, who skipped out on a debt. Maybe. Flash back to Venice, California, 1958. Sixteen-year-old con artist Stanley searches for Adrian Welles, author of THE MIRROR THIEF, a collection of poetry about sixteenth-century alchemist Crivano. Flash back even further to Venice, Italy, 1592. Crivano is ordered to find the craftsmen who make the most flawless mirrors of the day. Ballerini adjusts tone and tempo, accents and rhythms smoothly. As the three stories intertwine, Ballerini dazzlingly produces flesh-and-blood characters and beautifully realizes the gorgeous writing, challenging ideas, unanswered questions, and illusory images. Leave lots of time to savor this one. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2016]