SHADOW CATCHER

A great listen for fans of military fiction, this techno-thriller was written by a veteran combat pilot as a sequel to his first book, WRAITH. While it never lets up on the action, the production is marred by an uneven narration. At times, Luke Daniels gets lost in the different voices, using the same voice for multiple characters or different voices for the same character. The Chinese accents come across as stereotypical, and attempts at emulating electronic voice masking distort the volume and clarity. One passage, however, stands out: When Daniels reads the journal of a downed pilot, he drops the theatrics, and his voice is full of emotion and realism. The rest of the book deserves the same treatment. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2013]