A KILLING FROST

There are police procedurals, and then there are R.D. Wingfield's Jack Frost novels (FROST AT CHRISTMAS, 1998; WINTER FROST, 2001; A TOUCH OF FROST, 2003). Denton Detective Inspector Jack Frost never met a procedure he couldn't ignore. He's disagreeable, randy, heavy-drinking, heavy-smoking, sexist, and coarse. He's also wildly funny and oddly likable. Stephen Thorne perfectly captures Frost's snide wisecracks as well as his humanity. Frost has numerous interwoven puzzles to solve. There's a serial rapist-murderer and missing teenagers to find, a kidnapped baby, mutilated body parts, snuff films, a pedophile ring, a blackmailer-prisoner—and there's all that nasty interdepartmental maneuvering to get rid of HIM. Thorne's spot-on accents span the British Isles, and all classes—upper, lower, and under—are well represented. Great listening! S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2009 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]