The Big Heat

This classic police procedural is a recent addition to the ever growing numbers of recordings of vintage material. Despite having been written more than 50 years ago, it holds up well, thanks to sharp dialogue and Christopher Lane's crisp reading. When Sergeant Banion, a huge homicide cop, persistently investigates the supposed suicide of a fellow officer, he stumbles upon a pattern of unparalleled corruption and homicide. Lane, who is no newcomer to audiobooks, knows what to emphasize and what to bury. He flies by the dated details so fast that listeners will not be troubled by the clichés. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine