Cold River

For a small town in Vermont, Black Falls has quite a murder rate. A longtime resident is the victim of hired killers, who are then killed by an unknown third party. Hannah Shay, law student and local cafÄ owner, investigates with the help of the original victim's son, Sean. The complicated plot and a plethora of characters make this a difficult story to untangle. Carol Monda's deliberate pace and matter-of-fact tone help the listener stay on track. Though she provides no regional accents, she's good at expressing emotions--fear at being trapped on a mountain, anger at a bar fight, and the increasing attraction between Hannah and Sean. Women's voices are soft, men's gruff, conversations animated. But a good performance is hampered by the story's excess verbiage. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine