The Lemur

Bored with his marriage and career, celebrated journalist John Glass accepts a commission to write his father-in-law's biography. He hires a shifty researcher to help, but the odd sleuth turns up dead after attempting to blackmail Glass. Figuring out who killed him might not be Glass's job, but the conclusion will shatter his world. John Keating performs the dark mystery with an Irish accent appropriate to the story's protagonists. Keating attempts to give various New York and Boston characters voices suited to their locales, with mixed success. He fares much better with the overall narrative, imbuing the entire work with the sadness, anger, and determination called for in the text. In the end, both story and performance leave the listener longing for a sequel. R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 26, 2008
In this excellent novella from Edgar-finalist Banville (Christine Falls
), John Glass, an Irish-born journalist living in New York, reluctantly accepts an offer from his father-in-law, William “Big Bill” Mulholland, to write the older man's biography for $1 million. Big Bill, a former CIA agent turned communications tycoon, is the kind of man whose secrets are matters of national security. In preparation for the project, Glass contacts Dylan Riley, a shifty researcher Glass dubs the titular lemur. Riley tries to blackmail Glass, but ends up dead before Glass can find out what “the lemur” knows. Afraid that the secret might involve his ongoing affair with fellow Irish ex-pat Alison O'Keeffe, Glass starts digging into Big Bill's past. First serialized in the New York Times Magazine
, this crime novel showcases the author's trademark dry wit, tight plotting and appealing, flawed characters. Black is the pen name of Booker Prize–winner John Banville.

Starred review from July 28, 2008
Black (aka Irish novelist John Banville) offers this stunningly dark and mysterious tale in which journalist John Glass hires a man he deems the Lemur to research his father-in-law, of whom he is writing a biography. John Keating is simply marvelous here. His strong Irish accent does wonders when combined with Black's prose, creating a dark, brooding, and occasionally funny atmosphere that will surely draw listeners into the tale. As the Lemur, Keating reads with an American dialect that bears no hint of his heritage. As a result, the characters are, in their own way, unique and captivating—as is Keating's knack for storytelling and performance. A Picador paperback (Reviews, May 26).