DEAD TOMORROW

James’s plot—involving traffickers of humans and human organs—is hardly mundane, but David Bauckham's reading sometimes is. In England, children's bodies are turning up with organs missing. Meanwhile, Lynn Bates will do anything to get her dying daughter a liver transplant. You have to feel for her, even though you know she's going about the whole thing the wrong way when she gets involved with a black market in organs through the Internet. Bauckham's reading is capable, but not exciting, especially in scenes that give the narrator an opportunity to shine. Maybe it's his British stiff-upper-lip tone, or maybe the book is just too long. Still, Bauckham steps it up toward the end, giving a credible reading of the surprise finish. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2010]