Jimmy the Kid

Narrator Brian Holsopple pulls out all stops in delivering an array of exaggerated players in this classic (1974) crime caper. Every character, even the women, sounds like someone you might meet on the streets of New York, from its upper-crust neighborhoods to its underbelly. Our heroes kidnap a rich kid--not knowing that he has an IQ of about 10,000--and their fortunes go down from there. Channeled through Holsopple, the driver's mom complains while Andy Kelp enthuses in the cadence of a high-pitched, annoying pest, and leader John Dortmunder mopes about, all while the kid delivers friendly but learned observations. As for the listeners, fun is had by all. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine