HUNTERS IN THE DARK

Stephen Hogan narrates this enticing, moody novel with a languorous attentiveness that perfectly suits the book's sultry atmosphere and dangerous undertone. In Cambodia, an Englishman on summer holiday drinks too much and ends up on a riverboat stripped of his identity papers. This is a sign, he decides, and rather than go to the consulate, he heads deep in-country to reinvent himself. There he discovers the perils of such behavior. Hogan's honey voice, with the merest whisper of Irish lilt, warms the not-always-likable protagonist, and his rendition of the mix of other international characters, including Cambodian, American, and French, nicely colors the scenes. His women characters are as believable as the men. And his pacing keeps us focused despite Cambodia's steamy heat. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2016]