STRIPPED

Brian Freeman’s debut novel, IMMORAL, introduced Jonathan Stride, a Minnesota police detective with a tender side. In STRIPPED, Stride has relocated to gaudy, tawdry Las Vegas, to be near his ladylove, LVPD Detective Serena Dial. Show girls, strippers, sex workers, gangsters, and politicos combine to create a neon nightmare of murder and mystery. Joe Barrett’s versatile performance takes listeners on a rocky ride as Stride and his transsexual partner, Amanda, find a connection between the hit-and-run death of a 10-year-old boy, the shooting death of a millionaire’s son, and the 1967 brutal killing of an exotic dancer. Barrett deftly handles the rapid-fire dialogue, believable plot shifts, and wide variety of voices and accents. In dusky, appealing tones, Barrett turns Freeman’s deliciously decadent diversion into compelling listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 07]