cover image The Shanghai Factor

The Shanghai Factor

Charles McCarry, read by Stephen Bowlby. HighBridge Audio, unabridged, eight CDs, 9.25 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 978-1-62231-013-5

A nameless American who lives in Shanghai is recruited by a secret U.S. agency known as %E2%80%9CHQ%E2%80%9D to infiltrate a Chinese business conglomerate, the CEO of which may have ties to Chinese intelligence. But as he settles into his life undercover, he comes to learn that nothing is what it seems, and any wrong move could cost him everything. Stephen Bowlby adopts the perfect tone in this audio edition. His dry, laconic delivery of the unidentified hero%E2%80%99s tale conveys the world-weariness of a man who has seen it all and, in the retelling of his story, is not surprised by the perfidiousness of the men and women of his past. Bowlby%E2%80%99s characters are distinct and he differentiates between each of them subtly, never going over the top into caricature. Fans of McCarry will be as pleased, both with this latest outing and with Bowlby%E2%80%99s smooth, professional reading. A Head of Zeus hardcover. (June)