AN AMERICAN KILLING

Set in the Machiavellian worlds of politics and publishing, with a small-town murder thrown in for good measure, Tirone Smith's thriller has only modest virtues to recommend it. But to be fair, its flaws--including uneven pacing and overlong descriptions--are minor. They don't get in the way of our wanting to see how an obscure triple murder ties in with a womanizing congressman. Susan Ericksen's energetic yet thoughtful reading plays up the humanity of the three female leads, crime writer Denise Burke and her friends, Poppy and Rosie. Ericksen often doesn't differentiate one voice from another, but this is a quibble, because her enthusiastic, well-acted narration keeps us engaged. J.P.M. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]