VELOCITY

After capturing a sadistic serial killer, FBI Agent Karen Vail and her partner/boyfriend, Robby, take a vacation. In short order, Robby mysteriously disappears, and an exhausted Vail is determined to find him, no matter what rules she breaks. Even with the great setup, Alan Jacobson’s latest thriller feels thin and contrived. Perhaps it’s because VELOCITY’s action begins—without a breath—where his previous novel, CRUSH, ended. Characters from earlier books enter and exit without context, and Deanna Hurst’s narration can do little to mitigate the problem. While she keeps the plot’s bewildering randomness moving forward, many of her male characters sound forced while her female characters are either dispassionate or overwrought. Listeners new to the series may want to start at the beginning or face terminal confusion. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2010]