Courting Trouble

Anne Murphy is a beautiful, young trial lawyer in Manolo Blahniks, getting settled in a new city. When a casual acquaintance who is cat-sitting gets murdered in Anne's stead, apparently by the stalker whom Anne fled east to avoid, the chase is on; Anne and her law partners have to find the killer before he learns she's alive. Barbara Rosenblat performs like a three-ring circus, juggling flaming torches while galloping bareback. When the whole cast of crooks, lawyers, cops, reporters, parents, friends, and lovers take their curtain call in the person of Rosenblat, you know you've been ringside for an amazing, and totally entertaining, performance. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Danielle Ferland gives an outstanding performance as 30-year-old spinster Miss Essie Spreckelmeyer in this story of love and redemption in 1894 Texas. Tired of waiting for a man to court her, Essie targets local store owner and widower Hamilton Crook as a prospective husband. Her sales ability is invaluable to Crook's business, but her lean look and tomboy ways don't attract his affections. Ferland matches voice to mood to depict Essie's candor, and Crook's aversion to it. Ferland's depiction of 7-year-old Harley, an orphan jailed for killing a man, is authentic and energetic as she captures Harley's fear of hanging. Overall, Ferland's crisp, clear diction and versatile vocal range make this a memorable audio performance. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Emotional tones are well developed in the performance of narrator Brooke Sanford. When 30-year-old Essie Speclemeyer decides she is quickly reaching the age of spinsterhood, she determines that she must find a husband. Her methods land her in all kinds of trouble, some humorous and some devastating. The year is 1894, a time when young ladies should not act in such impulsive ways. Essie learns some hard lessons and finds out the importance of a life surrendered to God. Sanford's enthusiastic narration portrays Essie in a perfectly modulated flirtatious tone of voice. Each character is well defined and alive, and the fast-moving story has an unexpected ending. N.L. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine