KILLING MR. GRIFFIN

In this suspenseful novel, long popular with teenaged readers, a group of high school students kidnaps and threatens an unpopular English teacher--just to give him a good scare--but he really does die. Ed Sala's narration is effective, if uneven. The written dialogue, for the adult characters in particular, is sometimes wooden or unconvincing, posing a challenge for the narrator. Occasionally Sala seems to lose concentration and expression. Some scenes between parent and child come across as reportage, rather than conveying depth of feeling or reflecting their relationship. Nevertheless, young adults will listen to the end. The sense of dread is palpable as the young people sink deeper and deeper into a well of deceit and the tragic consequences of their "prank." D.M.L. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 99]