cover image AFTER THE RAIN

AFTER THE RAIN

Chuck Logan, , read by Kevin Conway. . Harper Audio, $29.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-06-075774-8

An anti-terrorist Delta force, operating in such covert isolation that practically no one knows about them (and those who do will deny it) discovers a plot to detonate a nuclear device smuggled across the Canadian border into North Dakota in Logan's latest high-stakes thriller (after Absolute Zero ). Tough-talking, good-looking Gulf War veteran Maj. Nina Pryce sets out to seduce the alleged bomb smuggler while her estranged husband, ex-cop Phil Broker, and their seven-year-old daughter get drawn into the suspenseful special forces sting. Narrator Conway's smooth growl of a voice, reminiscent of a chain-smoker's, successfully captures the raw reality that the team is up against, making him the ideal narrator for this tale. Surprisingly, his hardened tone even works for the story's female characters, though it doesn't hurt that they are all dyed-in-the-wool military types who are willing to rip the enemy's throat out with their teeth—and that they heartily pass around packs of smokes. Conway's intense yet quiet delivery is well-timed, confident and just as precise as Logan's prose. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, May 17). (July)