BLACK FRIDAY

Initially Fernandez's uneven reading is no match for this exciting thriller, which begins with an explosion that all but immolates Wall Street. As the story rapidly unfolds, however, the veteran stage actor gets a grip and by the story's end does justice to the complex plot. Fernandez's voice is always pleasant and clear, but at the beginning his pacing is uneven. His narration runs characters and scenes together. As he becomes more comfortable, his accents become better, and the plot, about a conspiracy to manipulate Vietnam veterans to take over the government, flows more naturally. By the end, the listener is so satisfied with Fernandez's recovery that the uneven beginning is long forgotten. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]