TABLOID CITY

Newsman Pete Hamill knows newspapers and New York, and he pours that knowledge into a story of one long night and day. Lives—young and old, grizzled and tired—intertwine in this present-day story. The duo of Ellen Archer and Peter Ganim pulls the characters together, reflecting the diverse accents and varying tones of a deep-voiced editor, a Jamaican woman, an elderly artist, an excited young reporter, a serious cop, and an angry young man, among others. One of the best is a “rewrite woman” to whom Archer gives a thick New York accent. All have their problems; all lead their lives bustling through Manhattan streets. Both narrators deftly balance their characters, giving cohesion and realism to Hamill’s work. Chapters are headed by time of day, which is appropriate for the pace. M.B. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]