a seamless blend of words and pictures a penetrating examination of the new century 's most hideous crime a thoughtful exploration into the nature of evil a compassionate portrayal of one community 's suffering an unsparing expos of one police department 's ineptitude with all this going on in his mind as his mellifluous words drip one by one into the microphone of his upheld cassette recorder , is it any wonder that wendell green fails to hear the sound of motorcycles , or to take in the presence of the thunder five in any way , until he happens to glance sideways in search of the perfect phrase ?