Even actor Tony Roberts can't save this latest Stone Barrington mystery. Number 19 in the series, it's boring, slow moving, and wordy. The once-admirable Barrington is now depicted as shallow. Woods starts the story with a case of embezzlement at an investment banking firm, and an apparently related murder. Then he juggles this plot with Stone's journey to Iraq to pick up an arms dealer. Naturally, the CIA is mixed up in this mess. Roberts's varied voices can be appreciated, but he can't overcome the rambling plot and endless dialogue. Woods begins some plot threads, such as the murder of Stone's female friend, Adele but loses that strand too as Stone moves on to international intrigue. No fault can be attributed to Roberts: There's no way he could make this lemon into lemonade.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2011
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781101484449
Publisher: Penguin 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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