FROM THE DEAD Thomas Thorne, Book 9

Paul Thornley narrates Billingham's ninth Tom Thorne police procedural with excellent pacing and characterizations. Thornley's bevy of cop voices is tough and on target. Even better are his female characters, such as ex-con Dawn (recently released from a term for her husband's murder) and her hardened prison lover. They contrast nicely with the soft-spoken novice private detective whom they hire to track the husband, who faked his own death. There's also a criminal gang on permanent vacation in Spain--or so they believe. The Brit accents are much better than the mostly missing Spanish ones. And the action scenes, from opening to closing murders, are well paced, as is the ongoing hunt for evidence. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2014]