THE DA VINCI CODE

Dan Brown writes with an edge-of-your-seat style, combining a wealth of esoteric information and an exciting read. While this abridgment by David Rosaler necessarily leaves out details, it retains the book's drama and enough of the multifaceted plot to ensure that listeners never wonder what they're missing. Colin Stinton's narration does not please quite so much. He reads fast, perhaps intending to reflect the pell-mell pace of the novel, but the result can be difficult to follow. Some of his voices work well--Robert Langdon sounds like an academic Indiana Jones--and others not so well--Sophie Neveu is vaguely reminiscent of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. All in all, the production is not bad, but neither is it great. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]