Watching Out

Rating:
Summary: Flawless peformance of a four-star crime novel
Review: Aspiring actress Fran Varady didn't set out to be a detective; she's been busy enough struggling not to be unemployed and homeless in modern London.

In Watching Out, the 5th Fran Varady novel by Ann Granger, Fran's got a new home of her own (a small flat in a building run by a charity), a steady job waiting tables at a trendy pizzeria, and a part in a play to be performed in a local pub.

So she's reluctant to help a teenaged illegal alien when he turns up at her door in search of the mysterious "Max." The kid's sure he's seen "Max" in the pizzeria, despite the fact that nobody with that name or description works there. Max's smuggling operation got the kid's brother into the UK but the brother's disappeared and the kid's frantic to find him.

And anyway, Fran thinks there's something very fishy about the trendy pizzeria where she works. Could it be somehow part of a larger organization that's up to nothing good? Enter the spunky blonde widow of a seedy PI who was murdered in one of Fran's previous adventures, dead set on getting Fran involved in the PI biz. Add driving lessions for Fran, the production of a play in a local pub with a large dog onstage (never act with dogs or children), Fran's friend Ganesh and his family . . . and a sudden horrific death. Which pushes Fran inevitably into sleuthing, much to the irritation of the police - and a few ruthless criminals.

This gets four stars instead of five for some disappointments in Granger's plot.

However, the professional rendering of this novel into audiobook is unarguably excellent.

Once again in this unabridged audiobook, Kim Hicks gives perfect voice to Fran Varady, and to the characters in her world. This is another flawlessly performed work by an adept professional.