EVEN YUPPIES DIE

The problem with this London-based mystery is that the Yuppies don't die soon enough. The bleak tone of Babson's novel is well portrayed by Diana Bishop. She manages to convey the depressing urban landscape of gentrified warehouse condos going unoccupied due to an economic downturn and the dispiriting effect of hard times on the young professionals who face financial and personal ruin. However, too much time is spent on giving the listener a sense of place. While Bishop's voice isn't always pleasant, it does give one a sense of the inner person. Overall, her reading is uneven but generally in step with the action, as accounts of grocery shopping are hard to enliven. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]