Fadeout

This classic private eye novel, written in 1970, holds up amazingly well 25 years later as an audiobook. The slightly jaded, highly skeptical insurance claims investigator, Dave Brandstetter, is performed wonderfully by Jim Zeiger. His other characterizations are campy, yet believable, which is perfectly delightful as we discover that the hard-boiled Brandstetter is gay. As Brandstetter struggles to make sense of the unusual disappearance of a local celebrity, he's also grappling with the death of his longtime partner. Here are all the twists and turns of a solid mystery with a sub-text that resonates anew amid the AIDS epidemic. C.M.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine