LIBERTY

Stephen Coonts is on a roll. Each new effort is even better than the last. While he has yet to gain the popularity of Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum, his audience grows with each outstanding thriller. Coonts's main man, Admiral Jake Grafton, is a twenty-first-century Jack Ryan, using wit and resourcefulness to defeat enemies of the free world. In Liberty, Grafton learns that a rogue Russian general has sold four nuclear warheads to a radical Islamic terrorist group bent on detonating them inside the United States. Guerin Barry's resonant voice and crisp delivery enliven the fast pace of this story. Dialects are authentic and well presented. However, some of the dialogue is a bit stiff. Nonetheless, Liberty should be near the top of the listening lists of all adventure lovers. T.J.M. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]