Social Crimes & Trick of the Eye.

SOCIAL CRIMES. Jane Stanton Hitchcock. 2002/2003. Read by Barbara Rosenblat. 9 tapes. 12 hrs. Blackstone Audio. #3120. 0-7861-2441-5. $62.95. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. A *

TRICK OF THE EYE. Jane Stanton Hitchcock. 2002/2003. Read by Anna Fields. 7 tapes. 9 hrs. Blackstona Audio. #3118. 0-7861-2439-3. $49.95. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. A*

Social Crimes showcases the shallow, glitzy, decadent New York City high life of the very wealthy through heroine Jo Slater. A young Jo romped with her future husband, multimillionaire Lucius. while he was still married to another. When his first wife dies of cancer, Jo then marries him. The talented, generous, smart Jo, only 20 years old, takes to the high life and the endless money easily. She befriends a young French countess who wants to know everything Jo knows, and Jo is unfortunately flattered to share it all with her. While Lucius is recovering from a heart attack, against doctor's orders he plays with the countess in his own pool house and dies. Jo is devastated until she finds out that he has left his entire estate to the duplicitous countess. Jo, virtually penniless, still has some of her friends, and her smarts, so she seeks tasty revenge in this witty, detailed, quirky and funny tale. Rosenblat is a great reader who captures all the special moments with ease and aplomb. She is Jo and of course all the other characters, from the oily attorney Nate Nathaniel to the French countess.

Trick of the Eye is darker and less amusing than Social Crimes; its mood reminds me of Du Maurier's Rebecca. Trompe l'oeil (hence the translated title) artist Faith Crowell has been offered a commission by the super-wealthy Frances Griffin to paint her ballroom to look as it did when her daughter (now deceased) had her "coming out" evening. Faith accepts, and as she proceeds with the painting she finds out how Griffin's daughter mysteriously died. Fields" excellent reading is slower paced and more moderated than Rosenblat's, which suits this very different story. With touches of Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Patricia Highsmith, Daphne Du Maurier and Elinor Lipman, these two novels by a masterful writer will appeal to any listener who appreciates excellent writing, complex characters and absolutely fantastic narrators.