Parlor Games

The year is 1917 and our hero (or antihero perhaps), May Dugas, explains how she came to be on trial for extortion in Menominee, Mich. Before her capture, life in Chicago was a wild ride: May wormed her way into the upper echelon of society, conning men out of their money with her good looks and killer instinct. Narrator Leslie Carroll gives a stellar reading, deftly assuming the role of May. Carroll’s narration is flawless, and her character interpretations are endlessly original yet subtle. Rather than deliver an over-the-top performance, Carol offers up a restrained yet entirely appropriate reading that will entertain listeners to the very end. A Doubleday hardcover. (Jan.)