Quinn, Peter. Hour of the cat.

QUINN, Peter. Hour of the cat. Read by Ned Schmidtke. 12 cds. 14.5 hrs. Blackstone Audiobooks. 2005. 0-7861-7836-1. $99.00. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. SA

This novel recalls the classic mysteries of Dashiell Hammett or Ross MacDonald as Quinn deftly merges three stories and mixes in enough history to give this novel set in 1938 New York City authenticity. Storm clouds are gathering in Europe. In America, Republican bigwigs are plotting to unseat FDR in the next national election. In NYC, Fintan Dunne, an ex-cop turned private investigator, is trying to save a convicted murderer from the electric chair. Dunne, an Irish ex-doughboy, was driven out of the NYPD because his honesty incurred the ire of higher ups. Other stock characters include a priest; a perpetually semi-inebriated newspaper reporter; and an ex-pug with a bent nose. Dunne's pursuit of justice gets him beaten up and shot, and causes him to run afoul of the law. He saves the condemned man, uncovers corruption in the police department, and exposes a ring of Nazi scientists who are experimenting on physically and mentally disabled patients. Schmidtke's fully voiced reading adds another dimension to this exciting story. He handles Irish, German, British accents and male and female voices with ease, and reads everything with the appropriate intonation and emotion. Prof. John E. Boyd, Jenkintown, PA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

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.