cover image Acts of Nature

Acts of Nature

Jonathon King, , read by Mel Foster. . Brilliance Audio, $29.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-4233-2996-1

King delivers suspense in spades in this gritty entry to the Max Freeman series. Max, King's ex-cop now private eye, and his girlfriend, Det. Sherry Richards, are taking some time off to relax at a friend's fishing cabin, located deep in the Florida Everglades. Plans for a romantic getaway are interrupted by the vicious onslaught of a hurricane that devastates the cabin and everything around it. As Max and a severely injured Sherry fight for survival while they try to return to civilization, two ruthless groups of men are converging on their location. Foster's reading keeps the tension taunt as he expertly follows King's shifting points of view; whether it's Max's earnest first-person narrative, a pragmatic corporate mercenary or an opportunistic old swamp rat and his slacker followers, Foster manages to give each individual an authentic natural delivery. He does falter a bit with his interpretation of the slackers that, though rendered with exuberance, is often over the top. Still, a small quibble with an overall fine performance. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Reviews, June 18). (Aug.)