THE EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK

This sophisticated thriller takes place amid the African-American aristocracy of Martha's Vineyard, and Washington D.C. Ivy league law professor Talcott Garland is the son of a judge whose Supreme Court nomination hearings led to scandal and disgrace. At his death the Judge leaves Tal a dangerous mystery to solve. Carter knows his territory and plots cleverly, with compulsively readable results. Richard Allen gives an adequate performance, though he doesn't have nearly the range this cast requires. When a tough-minded white law professor starts sounding like Flip Wilson in drag, one suspects the author's intentions are not being fully served. Fortunately, the book's strengths outweigh this weakness. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]