RECKLESS ABANDON

Woods's latest needs a pro like actor Tony Roberts. That's because the author not only joins two of his favorite characters, Stone Barrington and Holly Barker, he also melds several complex subplots around the main plot. Florida Police Chief Barker shows up in Manhattan in pursuit of a fugitive. There she and Barrington track a mobster hidden in the Witness Protection program. Meanwhile, the listener is treated to several comic episodes wherein cop-turned-lawyer Barrington successfully represents Herbie, a loser who has violated probation and kneed his arresting officer in the groin. The prosecutor just happens to be the injured cop's older sister. The thick New York accent Roberts creates for Herbie is priceless, and his straight deliveries move things along. This is an offering you won't abandon. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]