THE MIDNIGHT CLUB

Robert Forster is so relaxed that he makes oatmeal seem adventurous. Further, his western New York accent, which turns the word "absolutely" into "EBsolutely," is distracting. Together, these qualities don't seem like the best match with the cops-and-crime world of James Patterson. But Forster, who truly is a talented actor, ultimately triumphs. By the time Patterson wraps up this adventure, which pits a wheelchair-bound NYPD detective and his book-writing girlfriend, against a secret society of high-level mobsters, Forster proves his worth. Patterson has created several plot lines that ultimately converge in scenes of well-drawn tension, and no one translates such tension better than Forster. D.W. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]