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Author J.M. Hayes gets points for opening his novel with a lyric from the late songwriter John Stewart. The story is the latest in the Mad Dog and Englishman series about a would-be Cheyenne shaman named Mad Dog and his brother, a sheriff in a rural Kansas county. Science and magic intermingle as Mad Dog is framed for murder by an adversary on an online video game. While entertaining, some aspects of the plot challenge one’s suspension of disbelief. Lloyd James is perplexing as the narrator. Most of the time his pitch and delivery are right on target, adding excitement to the story. But he sometimes pauses in mid-sentence or breaks up a thought, as if unfamiliar with the text. M.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2010]