THE FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH

The 53rd installment in McBain's 87th Precinct series is written for the regulars. The unacquainted won't understand why so much space is devoted to characters who have nothing to do with the central plot, which involves the kidnapping of a budding rock star from a yacht party. For regulars, though, the book would be a pleasure if it weren't so poorly read. This is not Michael Arkin's first effort at narrating an 87th Precinct novel, but he's still not at home in the territory. Perhaps he just doesn't like the book. His voice is tense in a B-movie style; his pacing is jerky and often completely wrong (for example, a long pause before what we've been told is an interruption). All the detectives except Fat Ollie Weeks sound alike, and even Weeks doesn't sound consistently the way McBain describes him. Overall, a disappointing performance. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 05]