IMPERIAL GRUNTS

Robert Kaplan tells stories of Special Forces--the grunts--operating worldwide in the age of Al Qaeda. His experience on one of those teams produces numerous anecdotes. John H. Mayer narrates with a small buzz in his droning voice. He gives quotes by foreign speakers no accent or emphasis to set them apart, although, in his favor, he rolls off the Arabic and Spanish names and places with ease. Mayer can do little to offset the author's incoherent writing style; few sentences go together in any particular direction. The monotonous paragraphs without an overall theme make for a sleeper that never wakes up. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]