Murder Being Once Done

Robin Bailey is the perfect reader for this puzzling, intriguing detective novel. His fully voiced presentation illuminates Rendell's genius. Bailey's "voices" tell the story--from the calm, probing inquiries of Detective Chief Inspector Wexford to the faintly mocking, cultured tones of the gay neighbor, from the self-assured voice of the rich developer to the delicate strains of that man's very feminine wife. Bailey serves them up with equal relish, equal skill. Lively pacing and subtle interpretations of character are this reader's strong suits. J. B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Rendell writes in two veins--suspense stories heavy with psychological overtones and classic, but hardly routine, whodunits featuring Inspector Wexford, a crusty, middle-aged and highly observant country detective. ONCE DONE falls into the second category. Wexford, recovering from a thrombosis, is on vacation in London when the body of a girl is discovered in a cemetery and, contrary to doctor's orders, he gets involved. With a remarkable grasp of the ebb and flow of narrative and conversation, Baker IS Wexford--kind, irascible, persistent. He's equally at home in the personas of the suspects, as well. The solution, like the abridgment, makes perfect sense; nevertheless, one is left wondering how much more satisfying the complete version would be. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine