GOTHAM TRAGIC

If you're in the mood for one of those hip, ironic, testosterone-filled money-is-king books you remember from the late 1990s, this is your lucky day. With nary a nod to any present-day angst or paranoia, this book diesels along at warp speed, gathering cliché after cliché in its cowcatcher. Narrator Henry Strozier has the perfect voice for this romp: deep, dark, snide, and full of red meat macho. He captures the spirit of the times and gives his characters more depth than the author has. At the center of the plot is an Islamic plan to kill a supposedly apostate New York writer, so some readers might be offended at the offhand remarks given the world situation in 2004. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable distraction and a fun reminiscence. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]