THE LAUGHING MONSTERS

Scott Shepherd's husky voice and talent for accents complement this tautly constructed spy novel, set in western Africa. Disillusioned covert operative Roland Nair returns to Sierra Leone at the request of his friend, Michael Adriko, an African soldier of fortune. What begins as an invitation to a wedding quickly devolves into something nefarious that involves an array of international characters. Nair is an unreliable narrator, prone to tangents. Shepherd mostly succeeds at keeping listeners grounded by adjusting his inflection to distinguish live action from internal monologue. His real skill lies in capturing Nair's undertones of exasperation, often with an unwritten but well-timed pause or sigh. Using a growling baritone, Shepherd also accentuates Adriko's imposing presence. A.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2014]