Running Scared

Nicole Arumugam's lively and finely nuanced reading puts the listener in the middle of the action in Ann Granger's edgy and entertaining British mystery. Aspiring actress and part-time (unlicensed) investigator Fran Varady lets an agitated visitor use the restroom in the corner store where she works. Hours later, the visitor is found murdered, leaving behind a mysterious roll of film and a message for Fran to meet him. Arumugam has a fine ear for the varied characters in the story--the old ladies, street kids, Indian merchants, snooty bluestockings, shady businessmen all sound just right. Her thoughtful timing also gives the listener the pause as a character silently climbs the stairs, the intake of startled breath, and the hesitation as one person waits for another to speak. A lovely performance and an entertaining story. A winner. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine


All that glitters is not gold in RUNNING SCARED, a financial high-stakes thriller set in Las Vegas. The owner of Rarities Unlimited Auction House, Shayne Tannahill, and Chief Curator Risa Sheridan hunt for pre-Dryadic gold artifacts in a casino setting. Carrington MacDuffie has a complete repertoire of male and female voices to match this cast of broad character types, though she occasionally drops into caricature of male gangsters and slips into an ineffective falsetto for Tim's elderly mother. M.D.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

May 13, 2002
Who would have thought there'd be a market for retro kitsch à la Remington Steel, complete with two protagonists fighting their attraction for each other as well as dumber-than-doorpost crooks? Apparently, Lowell, whose long string of romantic suspense novels (Moving Target, etc.) have earned her a Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award. This latest involves antiques, druid gold and psychic powers and is set primarily in post-mob Las Vegas with side trips to Sedona, Ariz. Risa Sheridan is a consultant for Rarities Unlimited, hired by casino mogul Shane Tannahill to find something spectacular to display at a New Year's Eve opening bash for his new gallery. It looks like Risa's hit pay dirt when she comes across some gold druid pieces that a WWII vet purloined from Wales during the war. But there are complications. Risa's childhood friend Cherelle, a faux psychic who goes by the name of Lady Faulkner, had been scamming the vet and is now in pursuit of the gold, too. Then there are Shane's rival casino bosses, who are looking for something to frame him with so they can edge him out of the picture. Can they somehow use the discovery of druid loot to achieve that end? Lowell's research is thorough, but it's often presented awkwardly, with copious information on authenticating antique jewelry as well as slightly more interesting background on druidic lore. The narrative is formulaic from start to finish: will any reader not
guess that after Shane warns her away for safety's sake, Risa still dangerously goes for the gold solo in the end? An all-talk wrap-up takes the edge off the action, but Lowell's readers will be more interested in the romance, anyway. 7-city author tour.

Elizabeth Lowell's latest romantic suspense stays true to formula. Complete with danger and background details about its location, Arizona, and its focus, the antiques business, it won't disappoint fans or newcomers. Maria Tucci's straightforward narration avoids accents and marked changes in voice, relying on the text to provide information about who is speaking. Tucci's gravelly voice excels in the faster moments of the plot, whether voicing a purr or a growl, as she presents Lowell's main characters, antique gold expert Risa Sheridan and Las Vegas casino mogul Shane Tannahill, who become involved in a case involving murder, purloined gold, and the Mob. E.J.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine