GONE, BABY, GONE

In this murky tale of kidnapping, Robert Lawrence gives the gruff-voiced, edgy performance of Private Investigator Patrick Kenzie that listeners might expect. The suspects are colorful, but some of the female characters fall short (such as the drug-abusing mother of a missing child), with Lawrence relying too much on breathiness or whiny tones. Luckily, Patrick's partner and lover, Angela Gennaro, is presented much more realistically, without much stylization. The text is exciting overall, making this audiobook one for mystery fans to thoroughly enjoy. R.A.P. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]