CHOSEN PREY

Richard Ferrone's warm and folksy tones, perfectly at home with lighter works such as the comic thrillers of Lawrence Shames, might seem wrong for a slick and tense thriller like this one. However, things work out fine: Ferrone's light style is perfect for the banter between Minneapolis homicide investigator Lucas Davenport and his colleagues, and he has no problem dialing up creepiness when voicing James Qatar, art teacher by day and remorseless killer, dubbed "The Gravedigger," by night. Sandford's story, twelfth in his long-running Prey series, is taut and involving, and Ferrone serves it well. J.P.M. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 01]