THE COLD SIX THOUSAND

Listening to an Ellroy book is such hard work. That is because he writes in terse bursts of hip prose. Before the listener knows it, the thought is gone and almost forgotten. The listener must concentrate. Ellroy's latest epic starts a few moments after President Kennedy is assassinated. The listener follows three principal characters through a cynical five-year period of Americana ending with the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Along the way, Ellroy fashions his conspiracies everywhere, using some of our favorite scapegoats--the CIA, FBI, and the Mafia. Craig Wasson's performance is true to Ellroy's style. His terse voice matches the writer's lingo. Even so, when called upon, he takes time to be detailed and expressive--his accents are near perfect. Looking for a different listening experience? This is it. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]