THE TRAITOR

Coonts's thriller features a French connection to an Al Qaeda plan to assassinate world leaders. Dennis Boutsikaris begins his narration in a monotone but picks up speed as the tension escalates. He gives CIA Agent Tommy Carmellini an intensity as vibrant as that of his boss, Jake Grafton--both previous Coonts superstars. Boutsikaris also does a credible job with foreigners' dialogue, but his performance slips with the story's female characters. He sounds too much like a man imitating a woman--although his portrayal of Tommy's romance with another agent is touching. At times Boutsikaris's delivery is so rapid paced that some of the plot's details are lost. However, he provides an edge-of-the-seat finale. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 06/ JAN 07]