An Expert in Murder

Upson's somewhat complex, literary mystery features a fictionalized version of writer Josephine Tey. She's involved in a murder mystery surrounding her successful play, RICHARD OF BORDEAUX. Davina Porter narrates in an extra-crisp English accent and supplies other accents as needed. She lowers, gruffens, or hardens her voice for males, a tactic that works if you don't think about it too much. She goes beyond reading to act the roles with intelligence and tact, imbuing Tey with good sense and a slightly humorous waspishness that seem to fit the authorial voice of her novels (and giving her a Scots accent). The performance manages to be brisk, sensitive, and word perfect all at once. An admirable piece of work. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine