HOSTILE WATERS

In 1986 an aging Soviet nuclear submarine patrolling the Eastern seaboard of the United States suffered a disabling accident that threatened both the release of nuclear materials and intense political fallout. This novel-like reconstruction of the incident is as compelling as any work of imagination. Geoffrey Howard is a competent and listenable narrator who, by and large, lets the story tell itself. The transparency of his reading is never disrupted by an ill-shaped phrase or the hesitant pronounciation of a long Russian name. In the end, the listener is left with little impression of the reader, as such, just a whopping good story. J.N. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 99]