THE AMATEURS

Four friends—a bartender, trader, doorman, and travel agent—meet each Thursday at a bar. When the foursome learns the bar's safe is filled with what they think is drug money, they plan a heist. As with any caper organized by law-abiding citizens, things go awry, and their friendship is tested. Dan Miller, however, remains steady and calm through the group's planning and actions. He keeps the friends—three men and a woman—differentiated while giving exceptional voices to supporting characters. He uses a slightly slower pace for a villain, while another gets a whiny tone. He saves his best for Johnny "Love"—the growling, smart-talking, unsympathetic bar owner. Miller's entertaining narration brings home the message that crime doesn't pay. M.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]