SEVERE CLEAR

The Arrington's grand opening has turned up on the National Security Agency’s phraseology watch lists. That's not good, since the presidents of the United States and Mexico, celebrities, and operative Stone Barrington are expected to be on hand for the possibly explosive situation. Tony Roberts reads with an elegant but sometimes stilted voice. It occasionally gets ludicrous, as with a briefing of terrorists early in the novel that should sound more menacing. Still, there's a lot of plot and background to set up, and Roberts handles it clearly. Roberts doesn't milk the story for every drop of tension, but it's a fun formulaic listen nonetheless. Keep this in mind for a long car trip. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2012]