Ventura County Star (California)
"With
No One as Witness," by Elizabeth George.
Read by Charles Keating, abridged on CD, 10 hours. Harper Audio, $39.95.
New Scotland Yard detectives don't grill scumbags to hunt down a killer; they
interview sods during an inquiry. And unlike their U.S. cop cousins, Brit cops
never have a gun when they need to blast a bad guy. Their cars can break down.
Even finding a parking spot can be a problem.
Those are a few reasons why police procedurals by British authors can be so much
better than those of their U.S. counterparts.
Elizabeth George is one of England's best at the genre. Along with a solid plot
and believable characters, she doesn't waste anything. When New Scotland Yard
Detective Constable Barbara Havers keeps putting off taking her sputtering car
to a mechanic, rest assured it will factor into the plot.
Havers, along with longtime partner, Thomas Lynley, are central to a relentless
search for a serial killer taking down adolescent boys. But cops don't connect
the deadly dots until a fourth victim in three months turns up, his mutilated
body found atop a tomb at St. George's Garden cemetery.
With fresh writing and knowing just how much of her detectives' personal lives
to reveal, Elizabeth George has produced a stellar psychological thriller/
whodunit/police procedural.
Reader Charles Keating is an Emmy-nominated actor, who -- not surprisingly,
based on his stellar performance here, has performed with the Royal Shakespeare
Company.
"With No One As Witness," George's 12th novel, is top-notch audiobook from a
seasoned pro.
Copyright 2005 Ventura County Star
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