EVERYBODY DIES

Robert Forster's matter-of-fact delivery suited Block's new HIT MAN so perfectly that listeners may need to adjust to Forster as older series regular Matt Scudder. Scudder returns married to Elaine, still with his own ethics and undiscerning loyalty to friends. When his outlaw Irish buddy, Mick Ballou, needs him, we are swept away by Hell's Kitchen intrigue and Forster's brogue. Other accents are equally captivating, whether those of West India, Bangladesh or New York City streets and boroughs. He successfully adds an intermittent flutter for the females and, to help distinguish characters, well-chosen pauses for the dialogue of unaccented males. Forster's level voice may be the best choice for the deadly suspense in this volatile mystery. R.N. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 99]