This anthology of short stories by Highsmith (1921–95), which additionally includes the novels Strangers on a Train (1950) and The Price of Salt (1952), illustrates the author's incomparable skill at disturbing psychological characterizations and unsettling, at times byzantine suspense. Actor/Audie Award winner Bronson Pinchot's performance of the male and female voices is flawless, while actress/voice-over artist Cassandra Campbell handles the children's voices with aplomb. Their clear, distinct, and well-paced performances, combined with this audio's high production values, make for an excellent listening experience. And though this recording might have been even more impressive had Pinchot and Campbell shared rather than alternated readings, it is nonetheless highly recommended for students of American literature and those into creepy, suspenseful, Hitchcockian and Koontz-like tales.—Laurie Selwyn, formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX

It's about time Highsmith, the American thriller queen, ranked a Reader! And it's a good one: this beauty sports a lucky 13 of her shorts (seven early/six later stories), the novels Strangers on a Train and The Price of Salt, plus an intro by Highsmith's biographer Joan Schnekar. Grab it! Mike Rogers, "Classic Returns," Booksmack! 10/7/10

Mystery writer Patricia Highsmith was known by her fans for her understated yet disturbing prose. In this collection of selected stories and novels, which excludes her most well-known work, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, the listener is led down Highsmith's garden path to encounter wondrously pretty plots flowering as poisonous flytraps. Cassandra Campbell ably disguises what's coming with affable interpretations of character, while Bronson Pinchot subtly steers each turn of discovery. THE PRICE OF SALT is read by Campbell, and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN by Pinchot. They split the shorter stories between them, such as the evocative "A Mighty Nice Man." Both narrators succeed in playing Highsmith's elegant game, making even the lesser-known stories a masterful garden of delights. J.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine