The Hidden

February 7, 2011
Pronzini, best known for his praise-worthy 40-year-old Nameless Private Eye series, this time opts for an oddly bland stand-alone thriller that benefits considerably from Nick Sullivan's dramatic interpretation. The plot involves a sad sack with a weak heart named Jay Macklin who tries to rekindle his stone-cold marriage with a romantic getaway—where he and his unenthusiastic wife encounter a torrential storm, a power failure in their not so cozy cottage, a neighboring couple at each other's throats, and the Coastline Killer, a nutjob ex-Army sniper bumping off those he believes are disrespecting the environment. With intensity, sensitivity, and a demonstration of vocal dexterity, Sullivan adds needed depth to the author's shallow characterizations. There are even moments in which he moves so effortlessly from voice to voice that the reading takes on the aspect of a classic radio drama with a full cast. A Walker hardcover.

September 13, 2010
Routine prose and thin characters mar this stand-alone novel of suspense from MWA Grand Master Pronzini (The Other Side of Silence). Jay Macklin, who six months earlier lost his office manager job, has persuaded his paramedic wife, Shelby Hunter, to spend a few days at a friend's remote Northern California cottage, in a last-ditch effort to save their 12-year-old marriage. At night, in a winter downpour, they have trouble finding the cottage. On a search for matches after a power failure, the couple drive to a neighbor's house, where they encounter Brian and Claire Lomax, whose marriage is obviously in more trouble than their own. Jay and Shelby soon realize Brian physically abuses Claire. When the Coastline Killer, a vigilante who's been targeting random victims because they don't respect the environment, claims another victim, the local police consider Jay a suspect. The denouement will leave many readers feeling cheated.