NO MERCY

The subtitle of this audiobook, "The Host of 'America's Most Wanted' Hunts the Worst Criminals of Our Time, in Shattering True Crime Cases,'' says it all. Walsh, the father of a murder victim, recites from his book in the same emotional, melodramatic and simmeringly angry manner that he employs on his long-running television show. It is a serviceable performance, especially considering that he and his colleagues are in pursuit of thieves, murderers and child molesters. Yet even given Walsh's good reasons for doing such work, his strident tone and self-congratulatory attitude make this sound like a celebration of vigilante justice. D.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 01]