THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN

As one who has followed the Spellman series from the start, this reviewer was at first put off by narrator Christina Moore’s voice. It’s not as youthful, energetic, or high-pitched as one imagines of the protagonist, reluctant private detective Isabel (“Izzy”) Spellman. Further, Moore’s accent reveals a provenance far from the Northern California setting. But soon enough, her commitment to the material completely wins one over. Each of the characters comes alive in Moore’s reading, especially Izzy’s prying mother, who blackmails her daughter into weekly blind dates with eligible lawyers. As with all of the Spellman books, there are multiple plotlines, and the book is filled with hysterical footnotes that Moore delivers without breaking the flow of the narrative. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2011]