In this second installment of Nicholas Kilmer's mystery series set in the Boston art world, we're reacquainted with the passionate non-collector Fred Taylor. Fred, prowling the antique and jumble shops of Boston's Charles Street, enters one of his old haunts, Oona's, which is run by an unflappable, seen-it-all proprietress as honest about her wares as she is ruthless in her pricing and secretive about acquisitions. Oona offers Fred a painting, the image of a common gray squirrel on a chain, which he discovers has been cut from a larger canvas. believing it to be the work of an important eighteenth-century American master, he snaps up the fragment and then sets out to find the rest of the painting. murder, mayhem, and other forms of vandalism soon join the violence already associated with the painting.
For the first few minutes of this recording one may feel that Patrick Cullen's reading is far too flat and mechanical. But presently one finds oneself completely engrossed in the story and hardly aware of the reader. In short, this recording is an excellent example for those who feel that an audiobook reader should be neutral, interpreting as little as possible. In this case it works, no doubt helped by fine writing and a mystery that is more intellectual puzzle than emotional thriller. Cullen's reading is not, in fact, flat, but finely controlled understatement: intelligent and free of distractions. Unusually clear sound further enhances the transparent effortlessness of this recording. J.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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