THE INNOCENTS Variety Palace, Book 2

Jasmine Blackborow narrates this mystery involving disappearances and murders in 1877 London. Strong-willed, independent Minnie Ward and ex-police detective Albert Easterbrook investigate seemingly random men who are dying by strangulation, suffocation, and poison. Digging deeper reveals they were all involved in the Trafalgar Theater tragedy that occurred 12 years earlier and resulted in the deaths of 183 children. Blackborow uses London accents, including Cockney, for a cast of characters ranging from lowly chimney sweeps and flower sellers to actors and aristocrats. While she can be inattentive to accent consistency, her performance is full of action, including dogfights, kidnappings, muggings, and near drownings. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2024]