The Clocks

Listeners are in the hands of a pro with reader Robin Bailey, who effortlessly draws them into the Christie's fictional microcosm. Dame Agatha has the uncanny knack of creating a perfectly rendered and self-contained little world with exquisite details, from the color of an office girl's shoes to the art on a suspect's walls. To be so completely transported is a rare thing and is brought off beautifully by Bailey, who, like so many British actors, is a consummate professional, able to endow characters with their own quirks and nuances. When a dead man turns up on the floor of a blind woman's apartment surrounded by clocks all set to read 4:13, Special Branch Investigator Colin Lamb consults his old friend Hercule Poirot to unravel this clever puzzle. The intricate works of an Agatha Christie story are an immense pleasure, especially when delivered in so satisfying a narration. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine