Week ending January 30, 2015
Cussler, Clive & Graham Brown. Ghost Ship. (NUMA Files, Bk. 12). 10 CDs. 12½ hrs. Penguin Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781611762594. $39.95. MP3-CD. Playaway digital. digital download. F
In the latest book featuring Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, the Trouts, and the NUMA crew, the team discovers a ship covered with vines and vegetation floating in the ocean. The ship’s mysterious past is connected to a sinister crime family who are now human traffickers, bank robbers, kidnappers, and computer hackers whom Kurt believes were responsible for drowning his former fiancée. Scott Brick does an excellent job reading the book. He captures the excitement of the action and the wisecracking repartee between Joe and Kurt.
Verdict Highly recommended for all Cussler and underwater adventure fans.—Ilka Gordon, Aaron Garber Lib., Beachwood, OH
Hamilton, Laurell K. A Shiver of Light. (Merry Gentry, Bk. 9). 11 CDs. 13 hrs. Penguin Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781611762808. $39.95. digital download. F
Hamilton (Divine Misdemeanors) continues the story of Princess Meredith NicEssus, aka Merry Gentry. This latest installment opens with the faerie princess giving birth to triplets. These hybrid babies have three fathers and an assortment of abilities. Merry must continue to navigate the machinations of her sociopathic Aunt Andais, queen of the Unseelie Court, and avoid the clutches of her equally crazy Uncle Taranis, ruler of the Seelie Court who thinks one of her babies is his. Charlotte Hill interprets the characters with a wide range of British accents.
Verdict Recommended specifically for readers of dark fantasy who have an interest in this author and her lengthy series. [“[Hamilton’s] ingeniously imaginative worldbuilding, erotically inventive plot, and dark lyrical narrative are still impressive,” read the review of the Berkley pb, LJ 6/15/14.]—David Faucheux, Lafayette, LA
Higgins, Wendy. See Me. 7 CDs. 8½ hrs. Tantor Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781494502553. $39.99. MP3-CD. digital download. F
Robyn Mason and her family head to Ireland to meet her betrothed, the tall leprechaun McKale. Most modern girls would chafe at the idea of an arranged marriage, but Robyn knows it’s normal for magical families like hers. As Robyn and McKale get acquainted, they have to deal with the evil Fae Princess Khalistah, who wants McKale for some reason. The book has a strong focus on family, and there’s also a romance between Robyn’s sister Cassidy and McKale’s friend Rock. The plot drags a bit in the middle, but the Irish setting is intriguing, the characters are engaging, and overall the story contains a nice blend of drama, humor, and romance. Chris Dukeheart provides a clear and spirited narration to this Irish fantasy yarn.
Verdict Of interest to fans of Higgins and young adult romance novels.—Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY
McCullough, Colleen. Bittersweet. 13 CDs. 16 hrs. Blackstone Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781483049847. $105. MP3-CD. Playaway digital. digital download. F
McCullough’s (The Thorn Birds) recent work contains the elements of fairy tales—a wicked stepmother, a beautiful maiden, three slighted sisters, and a wealthy stranger. The Latimer sisters of Corunda, New South Wales—two sets of twins, Edda and Grace, Tufts and Kitty—struggle against all the restraints, prohibitions, laws, and prejudices of 1920s Australia. There is a sad counterpoint for every happy event in their lives, but the four sisters remain devoted to one another in spite of the expectations and pressures of the outside world. Interspersed with the plot is a lot of information about medicine and politics Down Under in the 1920s. Reader Cat Gould’s lilting Australian cadence will carry listeners through the book, whether they like the fractured fairy tale plot or not. Her engaging voice, assorted accents, and admirable pacing are fun to listen to and bring charm to the story.
Verdict Recommended for popular collections. [“Readers of historical family dramas will be excited to find a new, satisfying book to enjoy, while longtime fans of The Thorn Birds will be over the moon, welcoming back a dear old friend,” read the starred review of the S. & S. hc, LJ 8/14.]—Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Colonial Williamsburg Fdn. Lib., VA
Matthiessen, Peter. In Paradise. 6 CDs. 6½ hrs. Penguin Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781490619545. $77.75. MP3-CD. Playaway digital. digital download. F
In Matthiessen’s final book (he died in 2014), writer and English professor Clements Olin spends a week in Auschwitz’s Nazi officers’ quarters along with a group of 140 people who have come to pray and bear witness in an attempt to find closure and healing. Participants come from all over the world and include rabbis, nuns, survivors, and perpetrators. As Clements participates in the tours and discussions, he discovers new, painful, and shocking information about his family and his past. Although Mark Bramhall does an excellent job reading the book and articulating the various accents, it is sometimes difficult to recognize who is speaking.
Verdict Recommended for libraries with Holocaust collections, though the print version might be easier to follow than the audiobook. [“Not a mere recounting but a persuasive meditation on Auschwitz’s history and mythology, this novel from three-time National Book Award winner Matthiessen uses scenes of confrontation, recollection, bitterness, and self-examination to trace aspects of culture that led to the Holocaust and that still reverberate today,” read the starred review of the Riverhead hc, LJ 3/15/14.]—Ilka Gordon, Aaron Garber Lib., Beachwood, OH
Stone, Robert. Death of the Black-Haired Girl. 7 CDs. 8 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781480505186. $69.97. MP3-CD. Playaway digital. digital download. F
Steven Brookman is the quintessential college professor, married with children and enjoying the perks that accompany life on a college campus—including the illicit company of his female students. Maud Stack, his latest paramour, is brilliant, but she’s also increasingly unstable and insistent that Brookman make a commitment to her. Maud is then killed suddenly in a hit-and-run—because of the affair, or because of her inflammatory articles in the school paper? Soon, Maud’s estranged father, retired cop Eddie Stack, begins working the case of his daughter’s murder. Stone’s (Dog Soldiers) latest begins slowly and is bogged down by hyperbolic language, though the latter could have been a device designed to match the pretentious Maud. After her death, the story becomes a police procedural told in plain language. Eddie’s story is interesting and propels the plot forward. The audio performance is average; David Colacci’s performance of Maud and other female characters is lacking, though the narration is slightly better when the story shifts to Eddie and his quest for justice.
Verdict Previous fans of Stone’s and fans of similar stories by John Sandford and Steve Martini may enjoy this. [“This novel is readable, tense, and stimulating. Vivid scenes with razor-sharp dialog are plentiful; a powerful work,” read the starred review of the Houghton Harcourt hc, LJ 9/1/13.]—Nicole A. Cooke, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign