TREASURE UP IN SMOKE

A 1978 entry in the canon of whodunits featuring British banker/sleuth Mark Treasure features the suave snooper's bumbling assistant through the better part of the action. This action occurs on a Caribbean island where Treasure's bank and an American group are vying for economic interests. The sleepy island's nefarious despot coincidentally ends up in two pieces. As in all Williams's mysteries, we are treated to elegant writing, vivid characterizations, and urbane humor leading up to and following the crime. Reader Sion Probert nicely handles the characters, though is not nearly as interesting in the narrative. Nonetheless, his is a satisfactory rendering of an above average page-turner. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]