Amazon.com (ISBN 0786708050, Hardcover)

Ed McBain--author of the immensely popular 87th Precinct crime series--packs his plots with the kick of a .44. Driving Lessons--his entry in the Sounds Like Murder collection of original crime stories--is no exception. Written exclusively for audio production, it's a twisting tale of murder, deceit, and love gone bad that opens with an accident. One crisp autumn day, a woman steps off the curb in front of a student driver. It's the last mistake she ever makes. "She lay in the gutter some twenty feet from where a highway patrol car was just pulling in behind the Ford. Red coat open over a blue skirt and jacket. White blouse with a stock tie. Eyes closed. Hands at her sides, palms upward, fingers twitching." You might chalk it up to inexperience, just one more tragic blunder. But when a local detective starts digging she uncovers some troubling clues.

Tony Award-winning Broadway actress Barbara Rosenblat gives an impressive performance, switching between character voices and straight narration convincingly, while moving the action forward without striving. "Driving Lessons" is a short and not-so-sweet treat by one of the master craftsmen working the crime story beat. (Running time: two hours, one cassette) --George Laney