NO APPARENT DANGER

Victoria Bruce's 2001 book stitches together two stories of volcanic eruption in Colombia--one that wiped out an entire town in 1985 and another eight years later that killed six scientists. It's good journalism, mixing human drama and science with a bit of detective work thrown in as Bruce clarifies conflicting accounts of the 1993 tragedy. Suzanne Toren's narration is solid, if unadorned; it has a warmth that adds humanity and a conviction that carries off the geological bits well, too. She handles the Spanish names capably, although she makes the mistake of narrating some of the quotes from Spanish speakers in a vague accent. D.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]