Semiautomatic

Still wrestling with personal demons over the accident that caused his daughter's death, Brooklyn ADA Andy Giobberti is called in to prosecute a seemingly straightforward convenience store heist and murder. However, Giobberti's highly developed sense of morality bathes what seems like a black-and-white case in shades of gray. Author Robert Reuland continues his ambivalent love affair with Brooklyn in this follow-up to HOLLOWPOINT. Narrator Jason Collins makes the most of Reuland's edgy writing, handling Giobberti's philosophical angst sometimes with jumpy bravado, sometimes with snarling certainty. While he succinctly reproduces the borough's mean streets, his voicing of secondary crooks and politicos is somewhat less convincing. Nonetheless, Reuland's style and intricate plotting, combined with Collins's intelligent performance, offer hours of excellent listening. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine