SHUT EYE

In this British first-person whodunit, a gay British MP hires P.I. Billy Rucker to investigate the rape and murder of his heterosexual brother. But was the brother really straight? Was this a hate crime perpetrated by a serial killer? What is the MP hiding? Distinguishing this work, and the author's subsequent Rucker volumes, is the character of the detective. Though British, he is of the Philip Marlowe school--tough, chivalrous, earthy, and sarcastic. At the same time, the former cop reveals a complex internal and personal life. Gordon Griffin does a brisk, energetic, and especially dramatic job here. His natural elegance makes him unconvincing as Billy, but he reads so well that the listener still has plenty to enjoy. Y.R.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]