THINK FAST, MR. MOTO

The detective novels of John P. Marquand have been hastily disregarded this past half-century. Perhaps it's the modern reader's sensitivity to race, or perhaps mixed memories of the films in which Peter Lorre played the Japanese sleuth. But such disregard is not only hasty, but a big mistake. The Mr. Moto mysteries are delightfully written pre-war period pieces, and Jonathan Marosz is an ideal reader. His narration of Marquand's 1937 story of the charming Japanese spy and a naive young banking executive balancing the scales of justice at a Honolulu gambling house is delightful. Marosz often narrates modern hard-boiled thrillers in which his voice comes off sounding effete and pretentious. But in this Golden Age mystery he has truly found his niche. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]