AN AFRICAN AFFAIR

Foreign correspondent Lindsay Cameron heads to Lagos after the assassination of a Nigerian bigwig. There she finds conditions there uncomfortably primitive—her satellite phone won’t work, there’s no computer access, and she must resort to a portable typewriter. Lindsay witnesses brutality by the government; follows a drug-smuggling story; deals with CIA intrigue, murder, and corruption; and—although she fights against it—makes time for romance. Mia Barron’s narration brings clarity to Nina Darnton’s busy plot. Barron adds a self-assuredness to Lindsay and a much-needed precision to the novel’s assortment of characters, who don’t seem as perceptive as one might hope. The story takes too many predictable turns, and savvy listeners will see what’s happening long before Lindsay does. Barron’s winning reading makes listening entertaining. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]