KING OF TORTS

Grisham's newest novel illustrates the morally questionable side of tort law, in which ambitious lawyers are more interested in astronomical fees than fair compensation for victims. The typical components of a Grisham story--powerful male lawyers and Southern locales--set up narrator Michael Beck for a stereotypical reading, and that's what he delivers. Beck's presentation is clean and energetic, but most of his accents are slightly exaggerated. Many of the Southern good old boys sound hokey, and the street dialects of shady characters from Washington, D.C., are overdone. Fortunately, the main character is voiced with strength and consistency. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]