Kliatt: Bet Me

BET ME. Jennifer Crusie. 2004. Read by Deanna Hurst. 8 tapes. 11 hrs. Brilliance. 1-59086-031-4. $87.25. Vinyl; plot, reader notes. A

Min Dobbs doesn't believe in gambling. Cal Morrisey never loses. When Min overhears her ex-boyfriend challenging Cal to get Min into bed within a month for ten dollars, she's outraged. But when Cal asks her to dinner, she accepts. Two can play at this game. Min is 33, zaftig and very bright. Her mother constantly berates Min. telling her that real men only date thin women. Meanwhile Cal has a small problem with long-term relationships. It's good that neither is looking for one. Hilarity ensues almost immediately, encouraged by a superlative cast of secondary characters.

Some books were meant to be heard and Bet Me tops the list. Crusie's snappy repartee and quirky characters leap from the speakers. Deanna Hurst switches tones from sweet to tart, from acerbic to sensible, from not so bright to way too smart, often in a single scene. Her delivery and pacing always hit the mark. Crusie has written characters we quickly come to care about and Hurst packs those personalities with knockout punches. Prepare to laugh out loud. Jodi L. Israel, MLS, Jamaica Plain, MA