THE PLAYER Carter Ross, Book 5

Narrator Adam Verner captures the essence of newspaper reporter Carter Ross: slick talking but charmingly dumpy, eager to break the next great story, and willing to compromise in order to do the right thing for the underdog. Ross sniffs a potential story when a tipster calls to complain about residents of an underprivileged neighborhood becoming seriously ill. Verner shines in his restrained portrayal of the sharp African-American young woman who provokes Ross to investigate. Ross suspects an environmental hazard at the adjacent construction site, which may have a mob connection. The weighty aspects of this story about chemically caused disease and local government cover-ups are balanced by Verner's warm delivery of Ross's self-deprecating humor. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]