THE GOOD LIEUTENANT

This audiobook about a female lieutenant's trial by fire in Iraq proceeds from the present to the past--not in typical flashback mode but as a completely linear backwards movement through time. This structure makes it difficult to follow the characters' development. One might have expected a female narrator for this book, but, not to worry, narrator Jeffrey Kafer delivers Emma's voice well. He also does a decent job of dramatizing her personality in this sometimes-confusing mélange. Occasionally, he seems to be trying to sound too portentous, and it works only in small doses. Otherwise, his pacing and timing are good, and the complex emotional landscapes he paints are often heartrending. M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2017]