cover image SHUTTER ISLAND

SHUTTER ISLAND

Dennis Lehane, , read by Tom Stechschulte. . Harper Audio, $34.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-06-055414-9

Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version.

FictionSHUTTER ISLANDDennis Lehane, read by Tom Stechschulte. Harper Audio, unabridged, six cassettes, 9.5 hrs., $34.95, ISBN 0-06-055414-2

Boston-area novelist Lehane has written a terrific suspense novel, an impressive follow-up to 2001's Mystic River. Shutter Island is off Massachusetts's coast, an army facility turned hospital for the criminally insane. When a beautiful—and certifiably crazy—patient escapes, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are called in to investigate. Embroiled in uncertainties and mystery, the two soon learn there's much more at stake than simply finding one missing woman. Stechschulte gives a stirring performance. His portrayal of Daniels is convincing, and he reads the role with equal parts poignancy and toughness. Stechschulte is particularly adept at reading dialogue. For example, one stormy night at the hospital, Teddy and Chuck are playing cards with two of the hospital's workers. The quartet banters, calling each other's bluffs and having a grand old time, yet tones of racism underlie the conversation. Stechschulte handles the dialogue well, distinguishing between each voice and varying the pace between rapid back-and-forth and thoughtful, drawn out remarks. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 7). (Apr.)