ABANDON

Carol Monda's throaty voice and excellent acting skills breathe life into this romantic whodunit centered on newly minted, determined U.S. Marshal Mackenzie Stewart and tough, sexy FBI Agent Andrew Rook. Both are embroiled in Washington intrigue involving a corrupt former public official, a knife-wielding psychopath, and Mac's lifelong friend, a sitting judge who has a questionable ex-husband. Monda uses tonal differences to make each character recognizable. She makes the listener hear the sneers in the voices of the villains and adds a quality of empathy that makes the listener identify with the strong but vulnerable women she portrays. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]