THE DEVIL RAISES HIS OWN

L.J. Ganser's usual enthusiastic narration shapes the cadre of characters in this noir-ish story. The plot is a bit loose, but the characters are entertaining, especially as enhanced by Ganser. A woman commits a crime and then heads west to California to be with her grandfather, who runs a photo studio. The backdrop is the burgeoning movie industry--specifically, porn--which several characters are involved with directly or behind the scenes. Ganser gives them all wildly entertaining voices. They range from rough villains straight out of noir fiction to a naïve woman with incredulous tones, a movie star with an air of entitlement, and a drunken woman who delivers gravelly utterances. Ganser is a veteran whose talent shines. M.B. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]