VICIOUS CIRCLE

Writing fiction about the volatile Middle East is risky—events in that region are happening so fast that a book can quickly seem outdated. Thanks to Scott Brick's capable reading of Littell’s latest, one hardly notices the part of the story that isn’t quite current. A female U.S. president is trying to negotiate peace between the Palestinian authority and Israel when a right-wing rabbi is kidnapped and held hostage by a radical terrorist. Brick especially excels in the way he handles the wry exchanges between captor and captive. As one listens, one realizes how much these supposed opposites are alike. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 07]