DESERTER

Author Paul Bagdon's novel tells the story of Confederate soldier Jake Sinclair, a man haunted by the savageness of warfare after the Battle of Gettysburg. Sinclair deserts his fellow soldiers—and then finds himself on the run for murder. Narrator Jack Garrett becomes Sinclair in a rousing performance that is also steeped in loneliness. Garrett starts off slowly, his voice slightly mechanical at first. But in time he settles in and delivers a compelling reading. With a slight Southern drawl and a hard-nosed tone, Garrett plays the role of Bagdon perfectly. Every character in the story is given the same care and attention from Garrett, who never fails to captivate. L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]