Audio

This mystery weaves together captivating scenes of Yellowstone National Park with details of the gruesome killing of four people there and the subsequent investigation. Joe Pickett, an honest and astute former game warden, is rehired by the governor to look into the crime. Box conveys a great appreciation of the park and its environmental importance, making it the centerpiece of the drama while keeping an eye on the suspenseful developments of his story, which turns on a unique feature of the park: a "zone of death" inadvertently created by congressional mandate when the park was established. Since the zone is uninhabited, crimes committed in it are not prosecutable because a jury cannot be formed. The political and bureaucratic corruption Joe uncovers involves an assortment of interesting characters, including the governor of Wyoming. David Chandler modulates his voice with expert skill, creating vivid pictures of people and events. Strong language and sexual scenes are minimal and appropriate to the characterization. Recommended for adult collections.—Bernard E. Morris, Modesto, CA

A mad doctor devotes his life to creating a monkey-woman in this tale set in the 18th century, a time when people were more ready to believe in the validity of hybrid creatures. But the real "monsters" here are not these freaks but the people who treat one another horrendously, without shame or guilt. Teenage Eliza is tricked, impregnated, then shipped off to servitude in London under her mother's sincere if mistaken hope that this will be in everyone's best interest. The kind "doctor" will help her abort the child. The London atmosphere is historically accurate, but much of the language is contemporary, greatly easing the transition to audio. Narrator Julia Barrie does an excellent job with the women's voices, but she tends to overplay comically the male tones and harshness. Intended as adult fiction, this audiobook might better be suited to a young adult audience. It includes an interview with the author, which might be useful in classroom study.—Rochelle Ratner, formerly with Soho Weekly News, New York

Samantha Joyce, the young White House assistant health advisor featured in Gore's debut, Sammy's Hill, gets caught up in a scandal involving the President. Sammy, who's dating a Washington Post investigative reporter, handles the crisis with equal parts hypochondria, paranoia, humor, and more skill than she gives herself credit for. The story is fiction, but as the presidential primaries loom, the political machinations in Gore's novel can give one pause. Gore, daughter of former VP Al Gore, skillfully shows how politicians blur the lines between secrets and lies, propaganda, and what the public has a need and right to know. Kirsten Potter nicely captures Sammy's naïveté and the tests of her hopeful loyalty as well, both in the political realm and her romance. Recommended.— Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, NY

National Book Award winner Ha Jin puts a contemporary spin on that mainstay of American fiction, the immigrant success story. The Wu family—Nan; his wife, Pingping; and their young son, Taotao—come to the United States at the end of the 1980s. Nan is a graduate exchange student studying political science in Boston, but his secret hope is to become a poet. The Chinese government's crackdown on political dissidents following the Tiananmen Square massacre so disillusions him that he drops out of school and becomes a U.S. resident. In order to support the family, both Nan and Pingping hold an assortment of jobs—caretaker for a wealthy suburban family, night clerk at a motel, and Chinese chef. Eventually, after moving to Atlanta, where the climate recalls their homeland, they buy a Chinese restaurant and a house and achieve a modest version of the American dream. There are some confusing and embarrassing incidents as the Wus adapt to American and Southern life, but on the whole the setbacks are minor. Jason Ma's narration sparkles! His Chinese accent influences American regional speech (Boston, New York, and Georgia) so that the listener hears the story from Nan's point of view. An inspiring and affirming tale for public library collections.—Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL

In post-Civil War Wyoming, Elyssa Sutton will do anything to save her ranch, even hire Hunter Maxwell, who looks at Elyssa in her silks and sees his faithless, parasitic wife. But this job will give him the opportunity to seek revenge against the men who murdered his family. He desires Elyssa yet he doesn't see her as she really is, and that blindness burns them both. Laural Merlington does an outstanding job of managing the narrative's emotional roller coaster. Even though she can hold her own with a rifle, Elyssa still believes in happily-ever-afters, and her innocent confusion and temper are effectively conveyed. Hunter is a wounded hero whose bitter sarcasm cuts to the core. Unfortunately, Merlington can't soften his mean-spirited attitude. His behavior toward Elyssa borders on abusive, and while it may have been in character in the late 1860s for her to take that abuse, it induces the desire to break the CDs in half. The narration is excellent, but the story style is outdated. Not recommended. [The book was released as a mass market paperback in 1996.—Ed.]—Jodi L. Israel, MLS, Salt Lake City

In her latest "Cedar Cove" novel, Macomber again brings listeners into the world of a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Hairstylist Teri and her chess phenom husband, Bobby Polgar, are experiencing newly married bliss until a threat made against Teri by a Russian chess rival of Bobby's causes him to stop tournament play. Other subplots add to the novel's depth while giving it a bit of a soap opera feel: Teri's friend Rachel must decide between two potential suitors, Olivia must come to terms with a health challenge, and newly widowed Troy tentatively begins putting his life back together with the help of an old high school sweetheart. Those who enjoy the small-town charm of Jan Karon's "Mitford" series and who can relate to a similar range of female protagonists as those found in Beverly LaHaye's "Cedar Circle" books should enjoy this work. Narrator Andrea Gallo's manner is easy, breezy, and fun. Each cassette begins and ends with an appropriate announcement indicating the side number of each cassette, thus avoiding accidental mix-ups. Recommended for public libraries committed to women's fiction with a degree of predictability and little violence, strong language, or explicit sexual content.—David Faucheux, Louisiana Audio Information & Reading Svc., Lafayette

After several disappointing entries in the series, Parker returns to form with his 35th Spenser mystery. The Boston private eye is hired by a suspicious husband, an FBI agent, to find out whether his English-professor wife is unfaithful. When the husband is murdered, Spenser must uncover the real identity of the wife's lover, an outspoken yet mysterious opponent of the American government. Spenser's search for the truth involves some old-fashioned gumshoe work reminiscent of that of the heroes of Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald novels. The too-cute banter between Spenser and his associate Hawke is kept to a minimum, while the detective's relationship with longtime girlfriend Susan Silverman receives more attention than usual, with Parker seeming to respond to criticism of his recent books. As always, Joe Mantegna's reading is outstanding; he handles the quips, the violence, and the tender moments equally well. Recommended for popular collections.—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr.

In 2060, "The Groom" reappears in New York City after a nine-year hiatus. After torturing and killing brunette women between the ages of 28 and 32, he carved the hours and minutes they lasted under torture into their dead bodies. Young Eve Dallas and her partner and mentor Feeney failed to apprehend the Groom in 2051 and are now determined to bring him down. Eve recognizes a startling new element to the murderer's pattern—his current victims are all employees of Eve's billionaire husband, Roark. Hour by excruciating hour, Eve and her special task force follow every lead, and when she finally realizes that she fits the Groom's victim profile perfectly, she gives him the opportunity to kidnap her. Susan Ericksen has Eve's "take no prisoners" attitude down to perfection. While the torture scenes are a little too well done for some squeamish listeners, Ericksen also captures the urgency, frustration, and anger that the whole team feels while making endless phone calls and sifting through huge amounts of data. When Mavis and Trina show up for comic relief, Ericksen relaxes the pace and allows the listener to breathe a little. This is the 25th Eve Dallas mystery by Robb, also known as Nora Roberts. Recommended for all mystery collections.—Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA

Teenaged Peony lives in late 16th-century China, protected by her wealthy family, her entire life arranged for marriage and the birth of sons. Prior to her marriage, she overhears passages from the famous opera The Peony Pavilion and has a brief but life-altering conversation with a very handsome man—both strictly forbidden to an unmarried maiden. The "love-sickness" brought on by these secrets leads to Peony's death by self-starvation, as she pines for the man whose name she does not know. After her death, owing to a lapse in protocol, Peony is condemned to wander the earth as a "hungry ghost." The descriptions of her ghostly existence over the decades are interwoven with her devotion to the poet she could have married, the women he later marries, other wanderers, and The Peony Pavilion itself. As the book reveals, during the Manchu Dynasty women were oppressed severely, even in death; the foot-binding process depicted here is truly horrible. The writing is compellingly exotic and vivid, and listeners are drawn into this world by the beautiful voice of Janet Song, who brings Peony's journey to life. Highly recommended for public libraries, especially those with collections for young adults.—Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX

A Woman in Charge is an interesting choice of title for this work, but A Woman in Control would perhaps have been more appropriate, for Bernstein paints a picture of Hillary Clinton as someone who has been remarkably able to maintain her self-control throughout the trials and tribulations of her marriage, career, and life in the White House. In addition, we learn that she has often tried to control the actions of others. Bernstein spends considerable time examining the character of Bill Clinton as well as that of Hillary. He takes a no-holds-barred approach as he details the failure of health-care reform and the numerous scandals that rocked the nation during the Clinton years. At times, the former First Lady is pictured as her own worst enemy, while at others she is her own redeemer; a complex individual to say the least. In both a frank and candid look at Clinton's past, Bernstein ultimately leaves it to listeners to make up their own mind about just who Hillary Clinton is and whether or not she should become the first "woman in charge" of the nation. Robertson Dean's narration is well paced, engaging, and even-handed. Recommended for all public libraries.—Valerie Piechocki, Prince George's Cty. Memorial Lib., Largo, MD

Despite the numerous works about Shakespeare, very little can actually be proven about his life, his works, or even his appearance. Bryson views Shakespeare's life through his own unique lens, pointing out what can't be proven (what he looked like, for instance) and speculating about the historical period in which he lived. If it seems strange that so little is known about Shakespeare, it becomes even more frustrating to learn that so little is actually proven about his times. His tombstone and memorial raise more questions and settle nothing about his life. The final section of Bryson's book explores the ongoing debate about whether or not William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon actually wrote the works attributed to him. Bryson masterfully shows why none of the contenders to his fame could actually have mastered the phrasing, style, wit, and meaning of the million words of text he left behind—except this man known as Shakespeare. Part of the "Eminent Lives" series, this entertaining gem is highly recommended for all audio collections.—Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll. Lib., Kansas City, MO

University of Cambridge economics professor Chang (Institutional Change and Economic Development) joins the heated discussion on globalization and economic justice with his alternative, iconoclastic views on the currently popular free-trade dogma of global capitalism. Contrary to the opinions of neoliberal economists (e.g., Thomas Friedman) who argue that only free capitalism and wide-open international trade can lift struggling nations out of poverty, Chang instead explains that today's economic superpowers, including the United States, Britain, and his native South Korea, all attained their prosperity by shameless government protectionism and intervention in industry. Solidly researched and filled with striking examples, this book does not deny the benefits of integration into the world economy to developing countries, but it also draws on the lessons of history to argue that Third World nations must be allowed to integrate on their own terms. Chang's starkly stated, oppositional views will stimulate refreshing debate among economists, and the crisp, steady narration by Jim Bond maintains listener interest in material that may be better received in university graduate economics classes. Highly recommended for university libraries supporting a business and economics curriculum and for larger public libraries.—Dale Farris, Groves, TX

In the introduction to his sprawling account of America's whaling legacy, Dolin explicitly warns that his text is not concerned with the modern ethical implications of the whaling industry. Nor is it a revisionist exploration of the industry's heyday in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, with contemporary debate about the fate of whaling increasingly at the forefront, the historical events related here are all the more poignant. The Basques were most likely the first Europeans to centralize their economy around whaling; later, the industry helped enable the Dutch, Germans, and English to establish sea supremacy. Dolin devotes significant space to the importance of whaling in the relationship—and the dissolution thereof—between England and its American Colonies. He thoroughly discusses the pervasive influence of the whaling industry on American society, from the everyday drama of the seamen in search of commodity to the myriad items made of whale by-products available in the marketplace, including Spermaceti candles and ambergris. As its name suggests, Leviathan is a monumental treatise on a formative American institution, and Dolin admirably creates a cohesive story. Narrator James Boles is engaging, though at times his vocal inflections overdramatize what is historical nonfiction. Recommended for most libraries, especially those with strong historical or natural science collections.—Christopher Rager, Pasadena, CA

With humor and common sense, Judd—mother, singer, and television personality—offers a wide range of motivation and life strategies for baby boomers. Her topics include aging in a youth-obsessed society, sexuality, mental health, physical attractiveness, finding new life-challenges, and one's relationships with adult children and their children. Judd illustrates many of her points by discussing what she has discovered through her own widely publicized difficulties and mistakes. These experiences have proven to her the value of curiosity, humor, persistence, and developing a positive attitude. Having gone to experts for help, she can recommend from personal experience the expertise of Andrew Weil on nutrition and Judith Orloff on recognizing and combating energy vampires. Sure to inform and delight many 50-plus listeners, this program, expertly read by Renée Raudman, is recommended for self-help collections in public and hospital libraries.—Kathleen Sullivan, Phoenix P.L.

In his follow-up to A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me, Katz continues the chronicle of his life on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York. Here, the former suburban dweller strives to "create an environment where humans and animals can live in harmony." At this task he excels, with the help of Rose, his border collie, who keeps order among the animals on the farm, including a belligerent ram that she quickly subdues. In fact, Rose is such an effective, skilled helper and problem solver that neighboring farmers call on her for "emergency herding." Katz's description of her prowess and agility is a marvel and delight. After a year on the farm, Katz finds himself making the transition from mere pet owner to someone who sees the animals and the work they do as an integral part of running a healthy farm. There's little room for sentimentality when it comes to euthanizing Carol, a donkey whom he rescued from a harsh existence just a year before. Katz's discussion of making this decision and why it was necessary for the health of the farm and to spare Carol's suffering eloquently illustrates the cliché that death is a part of life. In the midst of difficult decisions, brutal weather, numerous calls to the vet, and chronic back pain, Katz lives a satisfied existence with his dogs, donkeys, sheep, chickens, rooster, and barn cat. Narrator Tom Stechschulte's clear, strong voice enhances the reading experience. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Cheryl Miller Maddox, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis

After the success of a 2006 DVD, Rhonda Byrne's The Secret morphed into an Oprah book phenomenon. But journalist Kelly contends that there is no "new" secret, instead arguing that the book is essentially a repackaged, well-marketed compilation borrowed from ancient truths coupled with more contemporary religious and philosophical wisdom. Kelly traces the philosophies of various thinkers to uncover what lies behind the public relations package of The Secret, which she dismisses as "enlightainment." While Byrne proclaimed the secret to be "the law of attraction," that is to say, that like attracts like, Kelly counters that Byrne's approach to positive thinking is oversimplified and merely focuses on material gain. Kelly's book will appeal to those who have a healthy dose of skepticism about each new guru's plan to obtain fame and fortune. This audiobook is well read by Kathleen McInerney, though the numerous references to web sites throughout the course of the text detract from the flow of the narrative. Recommended for public libraries with a popular materials focus.—Lisa Powell Williams, Moline P.L., IL