With No One as Witness.

WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS. Elizabeth George. 2005. Read by Donada Peters. 19 cds. 23 hrs. Books on Tape. 1-4159-1960-7 $83.20. Vinyl; plot notes. A

Another in the series of police procedurals starring D.I. Thomas Lynley and his partner Barbara Havers, this novel introduces a new member of the team, D.S. Winston Nkata. The crimes under investigation are the torture/murders of several young men whose hands have been burned and whose navels have been excised. The police are being helped by a serial killer profiler who says the psychopath feels remorse after each murder but will kill again. Evidence points to a center that helps troubled youths, where several suspects work. Subplots abound: Lynley is trying to get the demoted Havers reinstated; Havers's neighbor, a Pakistani professor, severely restricts his eight-year-old daughter's movements; Nkata is tired of being trotted out for media shows.

Appropriate for mature older teens who can deal with sodomy, ritual torture and murder, steamy sex, and obscenities. The novel is typical of this popular series. Peters, whose work is justly praised, gives the novel a full-voiced reading. Especially noteworthy are the crusty Havers and her eightyear-old neighbor. Convincing too are the ethnic accents. Janet Julian, English Teacher, Grafton, MA