A KING'S RANSOM

Listeners are in for an engaging treat as they hear the convoluted tale of Richard the Lionheart's arduous journey home from the Third Crusade. With much drama and passion, Emily Gray performs the saga, which includes being shipwrecked off the Italian coast and imprisoned by the Holy Roman emperor. Gray's mellifluous voice shifts effortlessly from the predominantly male characters to the scarce yet essential females, including the iron-willed, politically savvy Eleanor of Aquitaine. Gray imbues each character with a unique accent or intonation and delivers the dense history with practiced skill. A few sound edits are audible in the first hour, but these quickly disappear as Grey draws listeners in. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2014]