DRESSED FOR DEATH

This is your basic police procedural set in Venice. It features a likeable, methodical detective, Guido Brunetti, who sacrifices his vacation in the mountains to track down a scam and the murderer of a banker disguised as a transvestite. Anna Fields reads the story in a hard-edged, gravelly voice, which fits the plot even if it doesn't please the ear. Donna Leon writes like a female Ed McBain, only the detectives cruise canals and not the mean streets of New York. This is an often slow-paced story, but the plot is plausible and well-conceived. Most listeners will stay with it. D.L.G. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 99]