THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini puts a little extra emphasis on details that are routine--savoring coffee or repeating orders down a chain. This emphasis adds to the tension of C.S. Forester's WWII story, soon to be a movie starring Tom Hanks as American escort commander George Krause, who protects ships bringing oil to the British navy. Ballerini builds suspense slowly as he brings listeners into a battle of wits at sea. He narrates U-boat attacks, when they come, with an understated quality that's all the more powerful because listeners have experienced the tense wait with Krause and his crew. There isn't that much action, but listeners get a sense of the high alert that Krause faced as he brought the ships in safely. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2020]