Diversions at every turn
The Chopin Manuscript: A Serial Thriller
By Jeffery Deaver and others
Audible.com and International Thriller Writers, unabridged fiction, seven hours and 34 minutes, read by Alfred Molina, available as a download from audible.com, $19.95.
The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music
By Steve Lopez
Blackstone Audio, unabridged nonfiction, six CDs, six hours and 30 minutes, $19.95, read by William Hughes; also available on five cassettes, $19.95, on one MP3 CD, $29.95, or as a download from audible.com, $17.47.
Mission Canyon
By Meg Gardiner
Brilliance Audio, unabridged fiction, 10 CDs, 12 hours, $36.95, read by Tanya Eby Sirois; also available on one MP3 CD, $24.95, or as a download from audible.com, $25.87. Another version, read by Lorelei King, is also available from audible.com, 10 hours and 12 minutes, $52.12.
Bulls Island
By Dorothea Benton Frank
Harper Audio, unabridged nonfiction, 10 CDs, 11 hours and 30 minutes, $39.95, read by Julia Gibson and Joey Collins; also available as a download from audible.com, $27.97.
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A recent road trip, which allowed me a generous amount of listening time, could be summed up in the following figures: 2,900 miles, two adults, four audiobooks. Here's how it unfolded.
Miles 1-600: "The Chopin Manuscript." This is the perfect choice for the start of a long trip, since listeners must be attentive enough to follow a complex story involving a priceless manuscript, a former war-crimes investigator, and lots of terrorists, red herrings, and hidden identities.
The audiobook is the result of an unusual collaboration. The first and last chapters were written by Jeffrey Deaver, and the others by David Hewson, James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline, P. J. Parrish, and Lee Child. There was no actual contact between the writers; each simply picked up where the previous one had left off. You can almost hear a few of them chuckling as they pass on a tale that suddenly twists down an unexpected plot corridor. Interestingly, it works very well. All of the threads are explained and addressed, some quite cleverly.
British actor Alfred Molina has a deep, mellifluous voice and the ability to drop into almost any accent. He consistently tones down the sometimes frenetic pace of the story and smooths over those bumps resulting from different styles. Music is used to introduce each chapter, and the production values are excellent.
Miles 601-1,100: "The Soloist," a more somber, thoughtful story for somewhat less exuberant travelers.
Steve Lopez was a columnist with The Los Angeles Times when he stumbled upon a violinist on Skid Row who sounded "pretty good." Lopez heard not just notes, but a story. It turns out the musician, Nathaniel Ayers, had been at Juilliard along with Yo-Yo Ma in the 1970s until a schizophrenic break forced him out of school and eventually onto the streets. (A movie starring Robert Downey Jr. based on the book is scheduled for release in late November.)
Sometimes this sounds like a bunch of columns strung together, but occasionally Lopez speaks openly of the doubt, pain, and joy his relationship with Ayers brought him. By the time the final chord has been played, all one can hear is the poignancy.
Narrator William Hughes has a pleasant, easygoing manner. He underscores the material with just enough emotion to bring out Lopez's expressive writing, but never overreaches. However, he speaks so quickly that one is sometimes forced to rewind to catch everything.
Miles 1,101-2,200: "Mission Canyon," by Meg Gardiner. Having been enamored of the first audiobook in Gardiner's Evan Delaney series, "China Lake," I decided to give her another go, to see if the series would hold up. And it does, sort of. "Mission Canyon" is fast-moving and enjoyable, but too comically broad. While "China Lake" has a darkness that makes it quite frightening at times, "Mission Canyon" goes so far the other way it occasionally becomes inane. The action starts when Evan's fiancé spots Franklin Brand, a fugitive who ran him down and put him in a wheelchair years earlier. The plot is filled with treacherous friends, cyber crime, romantic disillusionment, vengeful motives, and silly visiting relatives.
There are two versions of this audiobook on Audible.com, and it is best to opt for the slightly shorter, more recent, and less expensive version, read by Tanya Eby Sirois. Lorelei King, who has so successfully narrated the Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evanovich, is too harsh and edgy-sounding for this series.
Miles 2,201-2,900: "Bulls Island," by Dorothea Benton Frank. This was considered too chick-lit-ish by my more testosterone-laden fellow traveler. But diversion was necessary, and diversion was provided. "Bulls Island" is fun, but like cotton candy, it was gone from memory almost as soon as it ended.
Frank is known for her sweet, witty Southern novels; this one is set in the Low Country city of Charleston, S.C. Elizabeth McGee almost married local royalty J. D. Langley 20 years earlier, but a tragedy sent her to Manhattan, where she became a successful businesswoman. She is sent back home by her company to help develop a former wildlife refuge.
Nothing unexpected or tragic happens; Frank apparently did not want to leave us weeping in our mint juleps. Her characters are less developed than usual, but the material is still mildly funny and doesn't tax one's sunburned brain. Narrators Julia Gibson and Joey Collins convincingly drawl, act demure, and drip with sarcasm. The dual narration keeps everything clear.
Rochelle O'Gorman is publisher and editor in chief of audiobookcafe.com. 