Shutter Island

Repackaged as a tie-in to the forthcoming movie, this audio version of Lehane's 2003 chilling novel features two U.S. marshals who arrive at an island off the coast of Massachusetts that's being used as a federal hospital for the criminally insane. Their job: investigate the disappearance of a multiple murderess from a locked room. Tom Stechschulte's rendition of the endlessly shifting story line is a tour de force. He begins by capturing the easygoing male bonding of the two lawmen and slowly adds a harder edge to the narration as they meet the odd people in charge of the facility and encounter an assortment of increasingly disturbing events. Even if listeners may be disappointed with Lehane's somewhat predictable conclusion, Stechschulte's delivery—shot through with pain and rage—ensures that they will not forget it. A Morrow hardcover. (Sept.)