Wild Things

Bazell’s Beat the Reaper introduced readers to the cheerfully sadistic dentist and former mob hit man Dr. Peter Brown, aka Pietro Brnwa. This follow-up finds Brown—teamed with femme fatale paleontologist Dr. Violet Hurst—working as a cruise ship dentist and then, abruptly, dashing off to Minnesota for numerous adventures, including a search for the White Lake Monster. Narrator Robert Petkoff delivers a fun performance that perfectly captures the sexually charged sparring between Brown and Hurst. And Petkoff is convincing both as a foul-mouthed ex-assassin and a sultry female doctor. Stephanie Wolfe shares narrating duties briefly, ably reading an aside by Hurst and the book’s epilogue. This production is unabridged, but perhaps some trimming would have been wise. Bazell’s novel contains numerous footnotes and asides that slow down the pace of this audio edition and prove a major distraction. A Little, Brown/Reagan Arthur hardcover. (Feb.)