THE SENATOR’S WIFE

This is a steamy novel about passion and politics in rural Mississippi. In the background there is a mystery regarding the murder of a prostitute, but the focus is on the developing affair between Ronnie Honneker, the wife of a popular but dissolute senator, and political consultant Tom Quinlan. The two plot lines come together in some exciting, if improbable, closing chapters. Paula Parker reads with a breathless intensity that enhances the tension. She also manages to delineate male from female characters in a subtle but convincing way. Her depiction of Ronnie allows us to see how passive and insipid she is. Parker also reads the numerous sex scenes with relish. Her performance is well suited to the book, which has most appeal as a romance. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 01]