THE GODMOTHER

While working as an Arabic translator for the Paris police department, Patience Portefeux finds the solution to her own financial woes and a way to fund her mother's increasing care costs as she creates a double life for herself as an unlikely drug-gang boss. Narrator Julia Franklin does a wonderful job of bringing 53-year-old Patience and a wide selection of colorful characters to life. Her characterization of Patience is particularly strong, giving the listener the sense of someone who has a strong moral compass--but one that is pointing in a different direction from the norm. Translator Stephanie Smee has maintained the Parisian ambiance of a story that's delivered in very contemporary English and further enhanced by Franklin's authentic-sounding delivery of French and Arabic names. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2020]