HE WHO HESITATES

McBain deviates from chronicling the lives of the detectives of the 87th precinct to tell a story from the murderer's point of view. Roger Broome sells his woodenware in the city and dutifully wires home the profits to his mother. His one night on the town ends in the death of a woman he picks up at a bar. Paul Shay's gentle voice is perfect for Roger, conveying a combination of hayseed unsophis-tication and instinctive cunning. He reads slowly and deliberately, approximating Roger's thoughts, and builds the tension until it reaches an unexpected ending. This is an unusual approach to a police procedural, neatly written and deftly read. N.B.H. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR 93]