DRIVE-BY

Tito was sure his brother Jimmy wasn't a gang member until Jimmy was shot dead in the street. Now he had better find what the gang is looking for, or his family may never be safe. Despite the suspense of this subject and the cliff-hanger chapter endings, this audiobook falls flat. There is no hint of a "poverty-stricken L.A. neighborhood" in Robert Ramirez's performance. The discrepancy between the necessity of a clear, even-paced reading and the setting of the story may be too wide for even the best narrator to bridge. This discrepancy makes the story jarring, distracting, and finally boring. J.M.P. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]