THE HOUSE SITTER

Detective Inspector Peter Diamond of Bath's fictional career has won for his creator the coveted British Crime Writers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. In his eighth case, a part-time profiler is found strangled on a beach. At the time of her death, Diamond discovers, she was investigating The Mariner, a serial killer of celebrities. The crusty, no-nonsense Diamond teams up with the cigar-smoking Inspector Henrietta Mallin. The police procedural boasts intricate plotting, suspense, witty humor, complex relationships, fascinating characters, and snappy dialogue, all brought to life by gritty-voiced Steve Hodson in his second Diamond outing. Impressive as his skill with regional accents is, it's nothing compared to his brilliant way with characterization. Though he sounds as if he's doing nothing in particular to limn the dramatis personae, he has bored beneath superficial mannerisms to get to their essence, which he plays with the same assurance he gives the superb, lean narrative. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]