BY ITS COVER Guido Brunetti, Book 23

David Colacci has voiced Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti, of the Venice police, throughout most of the series. Fans will be comfortable with his warm narration and with Brunetti's reassuring cogitations in this 23rd outing. Pages are being cut from antiquarian books in Venice's libraries, and Brunetti must track an American professor whom no one has heard of and an ex-priest who must surely be a witness to the crimes. The plot builds slowly, with too much repetition. But Colacci's voice soothes the impatient listener, and regulars will be content to catch up with Brunetti and his family. Sadly, though, just when the story seems to be filling out, it abruptly ends. Listeners will be bereft--and wanting more. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]