Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: Time Warner Audio Books
Release Date: July 2003
ISBN: 1-58621-510-8
Awards:
Format Reviewed: Audio Cassettes
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Genre:
Mystery/Psychological Thriller
Reviewed: 2003
Reviewer: Jo Rogers
Reviewer Notes:

The Dogs of Babel
By Carolyn Parkhurst 

     University professor and linguist Paul Iverson was a man obsessed with the idea of teaching his dog to talk. It began when his wife, Lexy, died. She had rearranged the books in his study, cooked a steak for the dog, climbed an apple tree in the back yard and fallen to her death, not jumped. But was it accidental or intentional? The dog, a Rhodesian ridgeback named Lorelei, was the only one who knew what had happened.

     Dr. Iverson took a sabbatical to work on this project. Though his colleagues thought he was deranged, the idea was not without precedent. A man named Wendell Hollis had surgically altered many dogs to give them speech and as a result, was serving five years in prison for animal cruelty. As we hear Iverson’s descent into a madness that leads him to contact Wendell Hollis, we also hear of Lexy’s past from the time Iverson met her.

     Years before, Lexy had tried to commit suicide the night of her senior prom, but changed her mind when the first drops of blood dripped from her wrist. It would be something she could save for the future, if she ever needed it…

    It is a chilling tale, made even better by Erik Singer’s excellent reading. This is one of the few times I prefer the audio version to the hardcover or download, though all are available. Pick up The Dogs of Babel and enjoy a good story, well told.

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