THE SHARK NET Memories and Murder

Robert Drewe moved with his family from Melbourne to Perth when he was 6 years old. His memoir describes growing up among the sand dunes and beaches of Western Australia. Drewe's father was a manager with Dunlop, and their family life reflected Dunlop pride. Christmas meant Dunlop "bumper" shoes, ashtrays, coasters, and all manner of company products. On graduating from high school, Drewe became a reporter and covered the murder of a friend by an acquaintance. Michael Carmen's reading is superb. His accent and tone evoke the laid- back Australian coastal lifestyle and capture the innocence and awkwardness of growing up and maturing into a young man. Carmen's flawless performance includes a deliveryman with a cleft palate, a drunk on the beach, and Drewe's middle-class parents. Excellent. A.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 04]