THE LAST BEST HOPE

Followers of McBain's two mystery series, Matthew Hope, the Florida attorney, and NYPD's 87th Precinct, will enjoy this story in which Hope calls on Steve Carella of the 87th for a little advice and help locating a missing husband. The two venues don't actually combine, but it's a wonderful ploy by the author. Having the author as narrator makes it even more plausible. McBain has such an astute sense of the characters and is able to convey this through their dialogue, which he snaps out with expressive ease. McBain easily transitions between Hope's interior voice and the banter of the characters even though he uses few characterizations in the voices. McBain joins the selected ranks of authors who succeed with narrations of their work. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR/APR 98]