A Face in the Crowd

Any performance by Davina Porter is a treat, but she's especially wonderful in her second outing as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison of Scotland Yard (played by Helen Mirren in the BBC TV series). A strong woman in a man's world, Tennison must constantly fight sexism among her colleagues. What's more, here she finds her private life on lurid display in London's tabloids. Porter's voice glides easily between genders, races, and ages--from small children to adults to the very old. She shifts believably from whispery ladylike elegance to sordid sex-crazed rapist/killer. Bestselling novelist Lynda La Plante offers a complex story set in London's poorest areas, revealing widespread discrimination against sex workers by authorities and the racism inherent in the system. Porter's engrossing narration adds dimension to La Plante's psychological insights and well-constructed mystery. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine