TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD

A politically charged cop killing challenges LAPD Detective Fay Croaker and her crew of eccentrics. The troubled, beautiful and, of course, brilliant Croaker, heroine of two other cop novels, is the creation of a cop-turned-author who decorates his fiction with authentic detail. William Roberts delivers this fare with the clarion energy of the practiced game-show announcer. He has beautiful diction and considerable expressiveness. He makes every phrase meaningful and doesn't stint on emotion, where appropriate. His own narrative style supersedes that of the book's authorial voice, and his characterizations are sometimes sappy. Otherwise, he gives an excellent read. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]