TIGHT AS A TICK

Much to their surprise, Laura and Richard Fleming spend their vacation with relatives in Byerly, North Carolina, solving a murder at the local flea market. With Laura's large extended family to portray, plus quite a few secondary characters, Leonard concentrates on personalizing the main characters. Richard's voice features a lower range of vocal tone and an accent-less pronunciation of words, characterizing his Northeastern roots. In contrast, Laura's Southern speech marks her as a local resident of Byerly. Laura's Aunt Maggie, easily identified with harsher tones and a deeper alto, carries a Southern accent and lots of authority. Leonard enriches this performance by providing a feeling for the story's setting, as well as its characters. P.A. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]