VIVIANA VALENTINE GOES UP THE RIVER Girl Friday, Book 2

Stephanie Willing ably performs this locked-room mystery set on a Hudson River estate in 1950s New York. Private investigator Viviana Valentine and her boss/partner Tommy Fortuna investigate strange nocturnal noises in the mansion of blue-blood scientist Buster Beacon. Willing imbues Viviana with a stereotypical working-class New York accent and puts bravado in Italian-American Tommy's voice while using suitably posh tones for the snooty nouveau-riche houseguests. Viviana's investigation of nocturnal noises expands with the poisoning death of a guest who's a government agent. Willing delivers multiple secrets and hidden motives as Viviana uncovers a murderer or two. While Willing's pronunciation is occasionally off the mark, she makes up for it by nailing the characters' accents. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2023]