LULU IN MARRAKECH

When Lulu Sawyer heads to Morocco, she's on assignment for the CIA and hoping to heat up her relationship with a well-heeled expat Englishman. As she tracks the flow of money to radical Islamic groups, she pursues romance and watches the local society. Lulu is an unlikely, even unbelievable, CIA agent, so the light California-girl voice that narrator Justine Eyre chooses for her is just right. Eyre also manages to pace the book well—no mean feat, as the author can't seem to decide among sociological observation, romantic comedy, and mystery. While the accents chosen for the men, in particular, remind one of daytime soap opera, that doesn't damage the listening experience, which is a touch confused, but entertaining. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2009]