BERTA ISLA

This audiobook offers an unusual juxtaposition of momentum and inertia. Both Frankie Corzo and Bruce Mann deliver narrations that are forceful and well delivered. Their voices have a bold quality and a lyrical accent that suit the novel well. While there is a barely restrained air about their energetic readings, the plot of this unusual spy novel lurches between minute descriptions and hasty advances in its narrative, making for a powerful, yet halting, effect. Berta Isla's marriage to Tomas Nevinson is at the heart of the story, and his work with the British Secret Intelligence Service provides much of the conflict. The audiobook is well rendered, and the story is uniquely crafted. The patient listener will not mind the inconsistencies in pacing. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2019]