RANDOM WALK

Block's novel could well stand for the proposition that even an accomplished writer is capable of writing a truly dopey book. Although Block is certainly one of the most insightful and tough-minded contemporary mystery writers, here he veers off into the completely soft-headed. Credit him with this much: Few writers would try to join a spiritual travelogue with a thriller about a serial killer. But the mawkishness grows to insufferable proportions. Norman Dietz, in fairness, never lets on. Whether or not he perceives the full embarrassment of the material, he takes the task seriously and performs with apparent conviction. Great bit of acting, that. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]