Three narrators alternate as the author paints the isolated Ozark Mountains and the small-town setting of McHugh’s crime novel. With gentle Southern accents and relaxed tempos, they portray the youthfulness and naïveté of Lila and Lucy, the mother and daughter whose parallel narratives dominate the story. However, what works to illustrate character also decreases the gravity of the novel’s dark crimes: kidnapping, forced prostitution, and gruesome murders. Each of the narrators delivers a strong performance, but their voices sound similar enough to confuse a listener who is not paying strict attention. While this is an audiobook well worth a listen, a more varied sound in the narration team, possibly by including a male, would have taken the production to a higher level.
Pub Date: March 11, 2014
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780804191517
Publisher: Random House 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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