Black, Benjamin (pseud. of John Banville). Christine Falls.

BLACK, Benjamin (pseud. of John Banville). Christine Falls. Read by Timothy Dalton. 8 cds. 9.5 hrs. Audio Renaissance. 2007. 1-4272-0072-7. $39.95. Cardboard; plot, author, reader notes. SA

Quirke, a pathologist, finds his brother-in-law Malachy Griffin, an obstetrician-gynecologist in the same hospital, fiddling around with the file for a dead young woman, Christine Falls. He is labeling it as death due to a pulmonary embolism. Suspicious for no good reason, Quirke discovers that she really died in childbirth, and he cannot leave it alone. Who was the father of Falls's child and what happened to the baby? And who has murdered the woman who was taking care of her? This tangled and complicated melodramatic tale is set in 1950s Dublin and Boston. Though there are problems with the plot and matters that are never resolved or resolved half-heartedly, this is worth listening to. Dalton's soft Irish accent and Black's lyrical prose are hypnotic. And though you may never care about any of the protagonists except the sweet young woman who cares for baby Christine, you won't be able to stop listening and hoping that maybe one thing will turn out well. Mary Purucker, Beverly Hills PL, Beverly Hills, CA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.