RAWHIDE DOWN

WASHINGTON POST law enforcement and national security reporter Del Wilber discusses the March 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. The work details what happened and the actions of White House insiders, the FBI, and the Secret Service on that day. The reporting is presented with precision and authority by Jason Culp. For the most part, his reading has few vocal characterizations, but the brief direct quotes from Reagan are delivered spot-on. Culp’s voice is easygoing and warm, and surprisingly, those characteristics are at their most gripping in the chapters that address the president’s initial care at George Washington University Hospital. The book contains the results of new research, including excerpts from the author’s interviews with nursing staff who attended Reagan minutes after the attempt on his life. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2011]