AMONG THIEVES

This whizbang of an audiobook would ring all the bells, but for one oddity. John Clarkson writes fight scenes fast, enthusiastically, and often, and Peter Berkrot delivers them like a one-man moviola machine--you see them, you hear them, you practically need an ambulance yourself when they subside, and you better rest fast because there will be another one along in just a minute. The complex plot (a group of ex-cons get swept into a high-finance scam) is wonderfully well made and always ahead of you. The problem? Berkrot invents a tough-guy voice for the narrator, who isn't a character in the story, and it's all over the place, inconsistent and distracting. Regrettable since the rest of his performance is great fun, as is the book. B.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2015]