FIREWALL

Listening to Clive Mantle's reading of this international thriller is like watching a Michael Caine/Harry Palmer movie--only it's even more exciting. That's because Mantle is a Michael Caine sound-alike, and when his principal character, Nick Stone, goes into action, one thinks of Harry Palmer. Stone, an ex-SAS operative working for British Intelligence on a contract basis, just cannot stay out of trouble. In order to make some extra money for a noble cause, Stone gets involved in a botched kidnapping, which leads him into a conspiracy. Mantle's South-London accent suitably portrays Stone, and his foreign characters are totally believable. McNab's latest, with Mantle's addition, is a cliff-hanger from beginning to end. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 02]