THE FIRST 48

According to law enforcement experts, the window for the successful rescue of a kidnap victim is 48 hours after abduction. Thus is the premise of THE FIRST 48. Good idea, marginal results. A WASHINGTON POST reporter disappears, and her ex-cop father, sensing foul play, engages the 48-hour countdown clock, running around and over plodding local authorities. The last-second rescue is disappointing as the damsel is no longer in distress. Scott Brick lends his smooth, unforced delivery to the action, but even his best effort fails to save this story. A first-class narrator, Brick deserves better material. T.J.M. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]