R is for Richochet – Sue Grafton
Reviewed by Jack Hadley
Owner-operator
Schneider National
Listening Time: 6 hours
Publisher: Random House
Retail: $26.95
Genre: Mystery
Plot: A young woman, Reba, is being paroled from the California Institute for Women after serving 22 months of a four-year sentence for embezzlement. Her father, a well-to-do, hires private investigator Kinsey Millhone to baby-sit Reba through her parole to keep her straight, clean and away from drugs, booze, gamblers and men. Reba turns out to be lovable and remorseful. Reba violates her parole immediately, and the show begins. Kinsey starts to earn her money.
What was your favorite moment/scene in the book? When Reba learns, and then accepts, the facts of her previous life and sets out with the unwilling help of Kinsey to set things right and get revenge.
Which character was your favorite? Why? Reba, she comes across as street smart, loyal, faithful, friendly and thoughtful but still in need of being rescued from herself.
Did the book have a message or a theme that stood out to you? No matter how you behave, there is always the moral, and it is extremely clear – what goes around, comes around, and it usually bites you. Good guys win even when they lose.
What did you like about the book? Dislike? I liked the fact that the story is believable and you understand that you are part of the overall theme. You are involved with each character.
Would you recommend?: Yes. The book is entertaining and close to each listener’s belief in right, wrong and justice without judicial involvement.
Narrator’s style: Judy Kaye had a great style. Each character’s voice was right for each character each time they appear.
How would you grade the book? A-
The Taking – Dean Koontz
Reviewed by Vicky Stowers
Wife of owner-operator
Listening Time: 13 hours
Publisher: Random House
Retail: $29.95
Genre: Suspense/thriller
Plot: Molly and Neil awake to rain, not just any rain, but a supernatural heavy downpour. This begins the night of the end of the world. Supernatural beings are taking every adult but are leaving the children. Molly and Neil are trying to gather the kids in one place. They face supernatural beings and death at every corner. They have no electricity of any kind, and the world is changing dramatically right before their eyes. If they can just make it through the next few hours, they may live.
What was your favorite moment/scene in the book? When the sun finally came out again.
Which character was your favorite? Why? Molly. She is the strong character saving all the children.
What did you like about the book? Dislike? I liked the plot, even though the author sometimes got carried away with the descriptions.
Would you recommend?: Yes, if you are a Dean Koontz fan. It is typical of his style.
Narrator’s style: Yes, Ari Meyers did a good job, even though she didn’t sound like she was from California, where the story takes place.
How would you grade the book? B
Notables Night Fall – Nelson DeMille
At dusk on July 17, 1996, a video camera captures the image of the terrible blast of TWA Flight 800 exploding in midair with 230 souls on board.
Five years later, the government has declared the crash a result of mechanical failure. But John Corey, an ex-NYPD detective who is now a contract agent with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, is persuaded by Kate Mayfield, his wife and task force partner, that the case deserves a second look.
Kate, a career FBI agent, plays by the rules. Corey plays by no rules but his own. Against long odds and warnings from superiors, they set out to reopen the case and discover its most crucial piece of evidence. The hunt will lead to a conspiracy at the highest levels and a race toward an elusive and lethal truth that could be even more horrifying than the crash of Flight 800, one with unimaginable consequences for America – and the world.
Unabridged on 13 CDs
Retail: $39.98
TimeWarner AudioBooks
Drivers, here is your chance to review the latest audiobooks. Tell our readers what you like or dislike about the plot and characters, and why you would recommend it to other drivers. At left is one of the audiobooks available in the Truckers News audiobook library. Contact Kristin Walters at (800) 633-5953, ext. 1204, or via e-mail at [email protected] to reserve an audiobook. It will be sent to you free of charge for your review. Audiobooks are available on a first-call, first-served basis.
Audiobook Sources
Audiobooks may be purchased or rented from the following sources:
AUDIO ADVENTURES, (800) 551-6692, for 14-day rental of most major titles.
BOOKS NOW, (800) 266-5766, for purchase.
OASIS AUDIO, www.oasisaudio.com, for purchase.
Simon & Schuster Audio, (800) 223-2336, for purchase.
Audiobooks from these publishers, Random House, Time Warner and Topics Entertainment are available for purchase from www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.borders.com.
