AND HOPE TO DIE

Humphrey Bower is remarkable in this chilling story of veteran police officer Solomon Glass’s encounter with the sickest of psychopaths. Children are being kidnapped. Pieces of their bodies (a finger, a lip) are sent to their mothers with this directive: “Kill yourself and your child will be released.” Two mothers have already committed suicide and their children set free. After a fourth child is taken, Glass engages the maniac in a deadly, twisted game. While the story is set in an unnamed American city, Bower, an Australian, never slips. His American accent is flawless. His women’s voices have a soft, unstrained quality, and the voices of children don’t cloy. Bower’s interpretations of Glass and the vicious kidnapper are utterly compelling, and the bloody conclusion is an absolute stunner. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 07/ JAN 08]