INTO THE NIGHT

A terrorist plot to assassinate the President of the United States as he visits a Naval base sounds like a macho adventure. However, Brockmann's many fans will find that the latest in this series offers more romance than adventure. Navy SEALs are handsome, well built, young, with "cute butts." They range from insensitive bozos to being in touch with their feminine sides. Female characters complain about their physical inadequacies, gossip about who's dating whom, and worry about relationships with younger men. Racial issues are touched on but never developed, and the attempted assassination fizzles. Narrator Laura Hicks does her best, elevating a middling entertainment to something more than it is. Her voice has star quality. She switches characters believably, even in the most intense exchanges. Hicks makes this "gung-ho" military romance worth a listen. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]