THE TWELFTH CARD

While the plot of Deaver's most recent Lincoln Rhyme thriller strains credulity, Dennis Boutsikaris's narration makes it a winning hand. Rhyme must find out why a seasoned killer is attempting to kill a 16-year-old Harlem girl. Geneva is researching a one-hundred-forty-year-old mystery concerning a disgraced ancestor. Rhyme and his sidekick, Amelia Sachs, have always been an engrossing pair. The trouble is there's not enough of them. Boutsikaris's glib narration saves the day, propelling listeners through the twists and turns of the complex plot. Boutsikaris also comfortably handles the street talk of Geneva and her friends. While Deaver's latest isn't all aces, because of Boutsikaris's performance, it's not a pass either. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]