IN THE NAME OF ISHMAEL

The murder of a baby and, 40 years later, an unknown scarred adult prove to be as puzzling to the police as they are to the listener. Both occur in Milan, and the novel bounces from one to the other, usually focusing on the increasingly perplexed detectives trying to solve them. The crimes are the work of Ishmael, but what--or who--is Ishmael? The time shifts occur at climactic moments, a technique that is frustrating at times yet keeps the listener engrossed. Helping, too, is a flawless reading by Grover Gardner, whose pace, nuance, and skill with Italian--and later on with French, German, and Belgian--bespeak an almost native fluency. Evil abounds in this work, including some among the presumed good guys, but then evil may be Ishmael--or vice versa--and Gardner captures everyone’s uncertainty. T.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]