ROUGH EDGE The Edge, Book 1

Narrators Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell tackle dramatic material, including PTSD and sexual violence within a military marriage. Greyson, an Army psychiatrist in Iraq, and Caden, a military surgeon there, meet as helicopters carrying battle victims descend. Both are pushed to their physical and psychological limits during the war. When they return home, Mitchell and Arden depict their rocky adjustment to civilian life. Mitchell uses a flat voice for the driven Greyson as she faces her husband's sadomasochistic desires. Mitchell ably portrays Greyson's desperation as she uncovers the root of their downward spiral. Arden effectively projects the mask of a man who is outwardly functional and inwardly fighting an alternate personality that dictates his actions toward his wife. In a tightly controlled tone, Arden believably depicts Caden's internal demons. Overall, Mitchell and Arden capture violent and disturbing behavior with a nuanced performance. C.A. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2019]