Entombed

New York City sex crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper investigates two crimes, a rape and a murder, which at first appear to be related. Complications arise from the discovery of a corpse found entombed in the walls of a home connected to Edgar Allan Poe. The search leads to a mysterious club of Poe scholars, the Bronx Botanical Gardens, the United Nations, and some chilling near-death experiences. Office politics and personal tensions pepper the plot. Blair Brown is convincing as Cooper, reading with a good balance of emotional intensity and restraint while keeping the pace brisk. With enough twists to keep curiosity aroused, a likable cast of characters, and a fine reader, this will please old fans and win new ones for the Cooper series. E.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine