THE TAKERS

This book is formulaic, and here's the formula: man and woman, chases, violence and mayhem, death, exotic locales, and the remnants of aliens. Yes, aliens. Bestselling author Josh Culhane, who smokes constantly and resents the murder of his brother, who was in the CIA, follows clues to a secret project and ends up at an ancient starbase under the ice in Antarctica. Naturally, his beautiful, athletic girlfriend comes along for the ride. The villain and his evil daughter are right behind, spraying bullets at every opportunity. Performer Charlie O'Dowd almost vibrates with excitement. His is a young voice, expressive, even eloquent among all the breathless action, and he carries the story nicely. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]