THE CONSCIOUSNESS PLAGUE

A new antibiotic that cures a nasty flu but causes severe memory lapses is a great concept for a novel. Sadly, this title is weakened by the author's attempt to jam a murder mystery into the mix. On top of that, reader Mark Shanahan is pure vanilla. His delivery is lightweight, lacking passion or authenticity. Cheesy sound effects do not help. Sirens, car engines, and similar noises will seriously annoy commuters trying to negotiate traffic and listen at the same time. M.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]