AUDIO

The Comedy Is Finished

by Donald E. Westlake
9 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 10¾ hrs. AudioGO. 2012. ISBN 9780792784005. $64.95; 9 CDs. retail ed.; Playaway digital; digital download. MYS
COPY ISBN
A group of radicals figure they can influence the government into freeing several of their jailed members by kidnapping Koo Davis, a fading stand-up comedian famous for entertaining the troops with his USO tours. The story shifts among the kidnappers, Koo, and an FBI agent leading the rescue effort. What follows is not a mystery so much as a tangle of unintended consequences. The story is fascinating and compelling as can certainly be expected from Westlake. Narrator Peter Berkrot's flat California accent is well suited to the action. His pacing moves the story along, and his characterizations are terrific—especially his voice for the kidnapped comic.
VERDICT Although the 1970s setting seems dated, the writing is crisp, and the story moves quickly. Westlake's (1933–2008) numerous fans will be thrilled to have this final novel. A fine addition to 20th-century mystery collections. ["The characters are well drawn, the dialog flows, and the chapters speed by, making for a breezy, solid read," read the review of the Hard Case Crime hc, LJ 2/15/12.—Ed.]
Reviewed by Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX , May 15, 2012
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