BLOOD FATHER

After 17-year-old Lydia shoots her abusive drug-dealing boyfriend, she turns to John Link, her estranged ex-con and ex-Hell's Angel dad for help. Link and Lydia are caught up in a nightmarish cross-country chase, escaping from thugs, bad cops, and bad drugs. Peter Craig's novel feels gritty enough to be real, and the honest father-daughter reconnection is made even more believable by Kathe Mazur's narration. Mazur is quietly thoughtful as John, a shuffling bear of a man who is struggling to stay sober and help his daughter. She makes Lydia a world-weary, smart-mouthed teen who trusts no one and tests the boundaries every chance she gets. Craig maintains the pace, and Mazur's intensity will keep listeners plugged in. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]