DEATH WILL HAVE YOUR EYES

Far more surreal than a thriller, Sallis’s “novel about spies,” as the subtitle asserts, is delivered in gravelly tones by Johnny Heller, who handles the introspection, accents, and occasional bouts of violence with panache. A sculptor summoned back into undercover work after years of retirement abruptly leaves his girlfriend and traverses the U.S., falling into beds and near fatal traps, all calmly recounted by Heller. Even the small-town police chief exhibits a bent for philosophizing in a slightly incongruous yet captivating Southern accent. Dodging danger and brooding excessively, the spying artist concludes, “Everyday we reconstruct ourselves out of the salvage of our yesterdays.” Deconstructive perhaps—but the absurd is played straight and sharp by Heller. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2014]