This Norwegian-accented commando caper showcases narrator Edoardo Ballerini's versatility and range, and offers all the satisfactions of its genre, including a mission that "alters the course of World War II." Based on a true story in which saboteurs sank the ferry boat transporting the Nazis' supply of heavy water, its 79 brisk chapters race up cliffs and across frozen landscapes, always one step ahead of a Nazi bullet. Gross's saboteur is a champion of patriotic devotion and physical endurance, and Ballarini captures his grace and humanity, as well as his courage, in a manly timbre. As a rule, all Norwegian-inflected characters, including women and toddlers, tend to sound like codgers, but Ballerini keeps them more or less separate. And he simply dazzles in one virtuoso scene, a mission-planning session in which he shifts rapidly from Norwegian to Scottish, British, and American accents.
Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427289889
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Part of the joy of Tom Clancy novels is one's belief that the stories could come true. His latest entry stretches that some as we find international terrorists building a nuclear bomb which is used to set Americans and Russians against one another. Jay Robertson reads with a newscaster's voice, crisp and clear with a light touch of drama. However, he does little to help listeners identify Clancy's huge cast of characters, and dialects seem difficult for him as he occasionally slips in and out of character. Nonetheless, patient listeners are rewarded as the plot unfolds. This will be a welcome addition to any library justifying the price of the multi-cassettte volumes.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
John Sanford is back with another psychological thriller in his Prey series. Surgeon, psychopath and serial killer Bekker is on the loose again after the easiest jailbreak in recent memory. Ken Howard's reading moves along with all the brooding energy a reader could want from a suspense book. His narration is deep, clear and well-suited to the gravelly voices of retired detective Lucas Davenport and the other cops. While Howard manages good dialects and shifts in character, his female voices leave a lot to be desired. For the most part, the abridgment gleefully throws logic and characterization overboard in favor of thrills, but the basic flavor of many characters is still fairly well maintained.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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