THE SAFE MAN

David Collins narrates this quiet, haunting supernatural novella, which is a major departure for Michael Connelly, the master of the police procedural. When locksmith Brian Holloway is hired by an arrogant author to open an antique floor safe, he finds he’s unloosened more than the ancient gears of the locking mechanism. While wondering at the otherworldly message that the old safe has delivered, he finds himself under suspicion for the kidnapping of the author’s daughter. Collins narrates with the whispering tenderness of a safecracker, effectively conveying the spectral quality of the story. The reading is well directed, with musical accompaniment in the opening and conclusion, and a sample of Connelly’s latest Harry Bosch novel, THE BLACK BOX. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2012]