THE GOOD GUY

Richard Ferrone has a deep, portentous voice, and it gives a distinctively dramatic style to Dean Koontz's newest thriller. The book is a somewhat implausible chase story in which a lonely bar patron is involved in two instances of mistaken identity in the same night, both involving an envelope stuffed with cash and a murder-for-hire scheme. This unlikely hero alerts the intended victim, and the two of them race to stay ahead of the killer. Ferrone's narration skimps on personalizing the characters (as does the novel, especially with regard to the killer), but the suspense whipped up by Koontz's strong pacing is given more gravity and thrills in Ferrone's accomplished performance. G.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]