Downtown (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Evan Hunter, the author who as Ed McBain virtually invented the American police procedural with his gritty 87th Precinct series featuring an entire detective squad as its hero, died in 2005 at his home in Weston, Conn. He was 78.

It's Christmas Eve in Manhattan. Florida orange-grower Michael Barnes decides to kill time in a downtown bar before hopping a late flight to Boston. There's no holiday cheer for Barnes as he's swindled and robbed, then framed for murder. During the next 48 hours he encounters a legion of unusual characters as he tries to set the record straight. Narrator David Regal has a rich, full voice, but his delivery and cadence during narrative sequences miss the mark. However, he's right on when in character, presenting cops, thugs, and actors with lively flair and distinction. And he does his best with some sections of dialogue that are less than fresh. T.J.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine