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Memoirs, mysteries and more
REVIEWS BY SUKEY HOWARD
By G. Bruce Knecht Time Warner Audiobooks, $24.98 ISBN 1586211714
The ties that bind
Jacquelyn Mitchard has made the ties that bind and the agonies that wrench families apart her special bailiwick. A Theory of Relativity, her latest family saga, read in its entirety by Juliette Parker, has all the appeal of a really good soap opera, all the tension of a really good courtroom drama and all the complexities that can exist in the real-life tug-of-war over the custody of a child. The child is Keefer, only a year old when her mother, who has terminal cancer, and her father die in a car accident. The two bereft families, each assuming that they alone are the rightful replacements for Keefer's parents, move from paralyzing grief to respectful struggle to all-out war to win the right to raise Keefer. While weaving this compelling tale, Mitchard makes you think about what family really means and whether "blood" can ever be a tighter bond than love.
By Jacquelyn Mitchard HarperAudio, abridged, $25.95 ISBN 0694525324
HarperAudio, unabridged, $39.95 ISBN 0694524972
Close call
Linda Fairstein, a Manhattan assistant district attorney, sets her well-crafted thrillers in territory she knows well. Her latest, The Deadhouse, is given a top-notch read with the requisite range of New York inflections by Blair Brown. Alexandra Cooper, the Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor and Fairstein's fictional alter-ego, is investigating the complicated case surrounding the murder of a high-profile, controversial New York academic. Along the way, you get into a little-known, but fascinating aspect of New York history, the possibility of hidden treasure and the non-collegial aspects of the college scene. As Alex begins to put the disparate clues together, she puts herself in deadly jeopardy. A grisly gripper that will keep you guessing and gasping.
By Linda Fairstein Simon & Schuster Audio, $26 ISBN 0743509021
Medical malice
Tess Gerritsen, a former internist, sets her medical suspense novels in territory she, too, knows well and takes grisly up a few terrifying notches in The Surgeon. A serial killer has surfaced in Boston, and the local newspapers have dubbed him "The Surgeon" for his obvious medical training and penchant for removing the most intimate female organs and finishing off his victims with excruciating deliberation. Catherine Cordell, the only victim ever to survive a similar crime, is now living in Boston -- and she's a surgeon herself. Coincidence? Not likely. It sure sounds like the same perpetrator, except for the fact that Dr. Cordell shot her would-be killer more than two years ago. Is "The Surgeon" just a clever, demonic copycat, or is there a more convoluted, sinister answer? You know the drill -- you'll have to listen to Dennis Boutsikaris' tautly paced performance to find out.
By Tess Gerritsen Bantam Books Audio, $25 ISBN 0553528769
Riches to rags
Malika Oufkir was the eldest daughter of a wealthy, powerful Moroccan general, the king's closest aide. She led a life of luxury and privilege, jet-setting first class to Paris and Hollywood, dancing the night away in chic discos. Then, at 19, Malika's world changed forever. Her father was shot after leading a failed coup attempt, and she, her mother and her five siblings were imprisoned and forced to live in squalor and humiliation. Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, written with Michele Fitoussi and read by Edita Brychta, is the account of those horrific, harrowing years that revealed an inner strength that never gave way to total despair, an amazing endurance and a rare familial love. Against all odds, Malika and her brother escape, and ultimately the rest of the family were freed. But nothing can undo the terrible injustice or replace all the years that had been stolen away. Malika's is a survival story that will stay with you for a long time.
By Malika Oufkir Hyperion Audio, $24.98 ISBN 0786871040
Sukey Howard reports on spoken word audio each month. |
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Audio is a great medium for armchair adventure; a well-wrought, well-read account can create such intense immediacy that you can actually feel the rush of excitement -- or, sometimes, apprehension and anguish. The Proving Ground, G. Bruce Knecht's brilliant reconstruction of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race, expertly performed by Stanley Tucci, is exemplary armchair adventure. The 630-mile competition began when 115 yachts of all sizes crossed the starting line on a beautiful, sunny day, with thousands cheering them on. There was some concern about an impending storm, but these dedicated, determined sailors considered it par for this tough course. Then it hit with hurricane-force winds and 80-foot waves, and all hell broke loose. Knecht closely follows four yachts; we get to know their skippers and crews as they battled for their lives and the rescue teams who fought to save them from this watery nightmare.