November 2003 Audiobook Reviews

A Right to Die
by Rex Stout

Mystery Masters

ISBN# 1-57270-314-8
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 or as low as $15.00 from Amazon.com!

I welcome these two latest unabridged audiobooks from Audio Editions. Rex Stout, who lived from 1886-1975, thankfully left us many of his mysteries to enjoy. Audio Editions has retained Michael Prichard, the best reader of the Nero Wolfe mysteries, which makes this series all the more pleasurable. Mr. Prichard has recorded about 350 audio books, including some of the Clive Cussler mysteries and Tom Clancy's novels.

The plot of "A Right To Die" concerns a Mr. Whipple who objects to his son's choice of prospective brides. Wolfe agrees to check out the woman, but before Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's secretary and chief investigator, can get started on the investigation the girl is murdered and the young Whipple is arrested for the crime. Archie searches and Wolfe deduces astutely in this gripping mystery that shows shades of prejudice.

The eccentric detective Nero Wolfe raises exotic orchards as a hobby and is a connoisseur of fancy food to the extent that his partner Archie Goodwin (who is the narrator of the Nero Wolfe books) never misses the opportunity to tell us how much he weighs. The upshot is that Wolfe rarely leaves his residence. He sends Archie out to do the footwork.

In the "Mother Hunt," a young widow finds an abandoned baby on her doorstep. She assumes this baby is the child of her recently-deceased husband as the note attached to the child claims. Archie tracks down the mother from a clue on the baby. It is horsehair button. Slim, but worthy of a search. Archie succeeds and finds a body, and a mystery for Wolfe to solve.

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit
by P. G. Wodehouse, Jonathan Cecil

Audio Editions

ISBN# 1-57270-299-0
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 or as low as $15.59 from Amazon.com!

Huzzah! More Wodehouse to giggle along with during the morning commute. Jonathan Cecil is the reader, and he brings an extensive acting background to his fine reading of this amusing tale of the British upper-class twit Bertie Wooster and his ingenious gentleman's gentleman, Jeeves. Wodehouse is always a delight to read and especially great to listen to in your own car or home space.

Bertie has been selected to prevail at the annual dart tournament at the Drone's Club, the hangout for all of his upper-class chums. He is in top shape to win, but at the same time his Aunt Dahlia is in a bind about a strand of paste pearls that have gone astray. Good old Jeeves suggests that they steal the pearls from Bertie's nemesis, a local judge, but in the process Bertie stumbles into the wrong bedroom and is unable to explain himself. The upshot here is that Bertie is empty-handed and has gotten engaged again to Madeline Basset, a high-spirited girl who is always getting Bertie into trouble. This all is quite usual for Bertie. Also as is usual, Jeeves rescues Bertie at the altar. As for the tournament, well... listen to this delightful tape and find out.

The Bounty : The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
by Caroline Alexander

Penguin Audio

ISBN# 0-1428-0029-5
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95 or as low as $3.89 from Amazon.com!

Choices! Choices! If you have a lot of time on your hands or are driving a long distance, then be sure to select the unabridged edition of this fascinating tale. We all know the story of the HMS Bounty, the wicked Captain Bligh, and our hero Fletcher Christian. In fact, some really fine films have been made of this sea tale that ends in horror. Now you can find out what really happened to the famous ship. The author tells us that what we think we know about the Bounty is all wrong. This is the story of the actual event from it's origins to it's aftermath. Author Caroline Alexander has done a definitive study and come with new information. Maybe Captain Bligh was not all that bad. Perhaps he was a leader. He was not cruel and he had a very clean record. In fact, we are told Bligh did not believe in corporal punishment.

Are you curious? I was, and found this to be a piece of history that well deserves the inspection that Caroline Alexander presents in this fine audiobook.

Opera Explained: L'Elisir D'Amore
by Thomson Smilie

Naxos
Audio CD
Suggested Retail Price: $7.98 or as low as $3.89 from Amazon.com!

This is one of a series by the Naxos people that you might be interested in. Die Fledermaus is one of the most spirited and fun operettas that you will ever encounter. First off, the music is wonderful and immediately recognizable. Then the story of the merry mix-up at a costume ball which includes a watch, and a jailer whose part is so funny that many comedians of note have chosen to portray him. The producers of this disc break down every barrier to explain this operetta and make it even more fun to hear. The audio quality is superb. If you have not had the pleasure of seeing this great production on stage, you will want to do so very soon after you hear this excellent rendering.

St. Louis Blues
by Bessie Smith

Naxos
Audio CD
Suggested Retail Price: $9.98 or as low as $9.98 from Amazon.com!

We don't often review music, but this gem certainly deserves a listen. The songs on this CD were first recorded in 1924 and 1925. The sound quality of the original recordings was abysmal, and, on most of the reissues, the sound is scratchy. This Naxos recording is the best rendering of this material I have ever heard. Bessie Smith was a great talent and even on this excellent recording she sounds a shade slow, but once you get into her songs you can see why she is famous even today. Also on these songs you can hear Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, and many more famous musicians who played with Bessie. There are 18 tracks that show off Bessie's versions of some of the best of the Blues. "Weeping Willow Blues" is one of my favorites on the disc but there are other great blues like "Careless Love." This disc is a bargain and a treasure to savor for old blues fans like me.

David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall
by David Sedaris

Little, Brown & Co.
Audio CD
ISBN# 1-58621-564-7
Suggested Retail Price: $17.98 or as low as $10.98 from Amazon.com!

I declare this performance to be simply hilarious. This is the soundtrack from Sedaris' sold-out concert on October 22, 2002. There are five new stories here. One is about a parrot that mimics an icemaker. A guaranteed stomach-cramp laugh is the story of a sadistic Santa Claus who moonlights as "Bishop of Turkey."

This touch of good humor from the man who writes books and appears regularly on NPR is simply a treat. Trust me, it's outrageously funny!

Split Second
by David Baldacci, Ron McLarty

Warner Adult
Audio CD
ISBN# 1-58621-581-7
Suggested Retail Price: $26.95 or as low as $4.67 from Amazon.com!

Michelle Maxwell was supposed to provide security for the presidential candidate. She was a trained Secret Service Agent, but she lost track of the person she was guarding when she stopped to comfort a grieving widow. Oh no, the candidate has vanished! Sean King had the same problem eight years earlier. The man he was supposed to protect was gunned down. The two agents are about to work together and become friends. Both of these agents are discredited and are determined to clear their records. They soon uncover a shocking truth. There may be a connection between both instances when they carelessly lost sight of the men they were supposed to protect. Then they find out there may be even more lives at risk. Its a suspence-filled tale you'll enjoy.