THE WHITE MARY

This gripping first novel involves a young female journalist, Marika Vecera, who travels to remote and dangerous places—from the war-torn Congo to the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Joyce Bean voices a wide range of multiethnic characters and regional accents, Pidgin English, and English accents. She expresses the emotions of the fast-paced prose without neglecting the building tension of the story. Marika's search for a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent, who’s supposed to have died but who she believes may well be alive, and Salak’s descriptions of jungle life are riveting. Harrowing, unforgettable scenes—some depicting torture—are difficult to listen to, but the story will keep listeners engaged. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]