Cheaters

Dickey (Milk in My Coffee) takes on the subjects of love, sex, marriage and infidelity among Los Angeles's young, upscale African-American community. In this audio version, the author's reading is supported by male and female performers who play out specific character roles. This fits the multiple points of view of the novel, which unfolds serially through self-contained ""he said/she said"" vignettes. Stephen, a software designer, is a ladies' man who uses deceit to play the field (his motivations, stemming from childhood experiences, are given through flashbacks). Chant , one of the objects of his affection, gets wise to Stephen's ways and schemes to ""dog"" him back. Darnell, a married lawyer who yearns to become a novelist, provides Dickey an outlet to explain his own reasons for becoming a writer. Because the action is played out in short, charged scenes, it works smartly as audio drama, highly entertaining in its sharply observed turns of dialogue. Based on the 1999 Dutton hardcover. (Aug.)