Still Summer

Ericksen gives an appropriately taut, tense reading of this gripping novel about four women on a sailing vacation who end up fighting for their lives when their ship is disabled, food is running low, and they're beset by modern-day pirates. Ericksen doesn't create actual character voices, but she does a great job voicing snobbish Olivia and sarcastic, emotional teenager Cami. (The voices of the two down-to-earth characters, Tracy and Holly, tend to blur.) Michel, a young Frenchman, sounds just as sexy as he should, while criminal Ernesto is appropriately menacing (although Ericksen's attempt at a Spanish accent leaves something to be desired). Ericksen is best at voicing the climactic emotional confrontation between Olivia and the rest of the group that will leave listeners on the edge of their seats. Random-seeming musical background is unwisely used; it probably indicates either places where text was abridged or beginnings of chapters, but either way, it's distracting and unnecessary. Minor quibbles aside, this is a brisk, fast-paced and suspenseful audiobook. Simultaneous release with the Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 9).