A VISIBLE DARKNESS

Nick Sullivan is not an engaging enough narrator to pull listeners into this ho-hum mystery. Max Freeman is a burned-out former Philadelphia cop who has come to live in the Everglades to seek solace and a new beginning. Instead, in King's convoluted plot, Freeman is pulled into an investigation into the suspicious deaths of elderly Florida women. Freeman is more a collection of memories than a full-bodied character, so even the most talented narrator might find it hard to bring him to life. Sullivan has some success with one or two ancillary figures but never seems able to get any footing with the star of the story. That's a deficiency impossible to overcome. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 03/JAN 04]