THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2002

Otto Penzler, who reads three of these stories himself, makes the professional actors look great by comparison, and they deserve it. Don Leslie does a beautiful gravelly job with Scott Wolvern's "The Copper Kings," and you haven't lived until you've heard Barbara Rosenblat start to hiccup as she plays a hysterical and guilty Southern housewife trying to lie her way out of a tight corner in "Maniac Loose," by Michael Malone. Robert B. Parker's "Harlem Nocturne" is damaged by the actor's repeated mispronunciation of a key character's name (Digiacomo). (How hard would it have been to check?) But for mystery fans, the strengths of this entertaining volume will far outweigh the disappointments. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]