THE SHADOWS OF POWER

Kent Rathman (aka "Rat") is on a mission is to track down the Algerian who is planning a terrorist attack to avenge the death of his brother, a pilot, who was killed by Rat's old roommate at Annapolis. Political intrigue is rife, and the plot takes many twists and turns before delivering an exciting climax. There are a few graphic scenes of torture that might turn off some listeners. Christopher Price turns in a performance that for the most part enhances the book. Most of the characters' voices are well drawn; the French and Algerian accents are quite good, but the South African voices are not as successful. However, mispronunciations of some words by American characters ("pitture" for "picture") should have been caught by the producers. Nonetheless, this story moves along at a brisk pace, grabbing the listener from the outset with an overall good reading. S.S.R. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]