NERVE DAMAGE

Abrahams offers a meticulous investigation into the mind of someone who is terminally ill. Alan Nebelthau's performance is so convincing that listeners will be gasping for breath along with protagonist Paul Valois, a successful metal sculptor who learns he has mesothelioma, the cancer caused by asbestos. Valois hacks into his own obituary and finds an error about his wife's death 14 years earlier. While trying to correct it, he uncovers a political plot reaching into the highest echelons of government. Nebelthau's voice moves from furious denial to quiet resignation as Valois unravels the puzzle and deals with his own body's betrayal. Nebelthau keeps the accents true and the suspense high, and, while the ending disappoints, the story is consistently sensitive without being sentimental. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]