SLEEPING CRUELTY

Author Linda La Plante sets the stage for sexual deviance and murder in a chilling prologue that incorporates equal parts of THE BAD SEED and THE TURN OF THE SCREW. If revenge is a dish best served cold, then, some twenty years later, Justin and Laura Chalmers and their billionaire patron, Sir William Benedict, have prepared a gourmet feast for some of the nastiest people ever gathered in one place. Christian Rodska embodies each character with rare complexity. He imbues Justin's biting sarcasm to hide his own vulnerabilities with just the right nuance, and Laura's pathetic repetition of "thank you" takes us into her darkest experiences. Rodska's performance makes this twisted tale of child abuse and its ultimate consequence terrifyingly real. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]