Meet Me at the Morgue.

MEET ME AT THE MORGUE. Ross Macdonald. 1953/2004. Read by Grover Gardner. 4 tapes. 5.5 hrs. Blackstone Audiobooks. 0-7861-2693-0. $32.95.Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. A

First, this is not one of Macdonald's Lew Archer mysteries. That said, this classic noir novel might as well be. The main character is Howard Cross, a county probation officer who is literate and enjoys sunsets and birds. He investigates the kidnapping of the four-year-old son of a filthy-rich businessman. The perp might be one of Cross's clients, Fred Minor, an ex-Navy man. His wife says it's impossible. Cross is not so sure. His prying takes him into the lives of the rich and poor. Published in 1953, the novel is a step back in time, full of post WW II details like autos, office equipment, cameras that use film, and small, seedy California towns perched by the sea. Macdonald always writes of people with secrets and emotional trauma. Gardner, who has recorded more than 500 audiobooks, gives the novel a full-voiced reading. Cross comes across as a sympathetic if preachy detective. The four-year-old victim is an intelligent, polite child and his mother is a distraught woman married to an older, sick man who wants things done his way. Recommended for fans of the genre. Janet Julian, Grafton, MA

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.