THE STRANGER FROM THE SEA

Piers Hampton's skillful narration captures the uneasy atmosphere that permeates this story set in an English coastal village in 1885. Novice newspaperman Martin Bridges, newly arrived in town, is tasked with reporting on his 19-year-old rooming house neighbor, Hans Lyngstrand, a Norwegian sailor who is one of the few survivors of a recent shipwreck. Secrets abound among the townspeople, and as Bridges grows closer to Lyngstrand, his investigation takes an unexpected turn. The strong sense of disquiet is occasionally leavened by Hampton's playful evocation of the novel's sly humor. He offers a range of English accents and is comfortable with Italian and Norwegian pronunciations. Fans of atmospheric mysteries will enjoy this audiobook. M.J. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2019]