The Guardian

Four years widowed Julie, a hairdresser in a small Southern town, has been trying to choose between an attractive visiting engineer and Mike, local nice guy and her late husband's best friend. She and they share every thought with us as the agonizing courtship progresses. Just as you want to scream "get on with it!", the action picks up. Isabel Keating's soft voice and reading style give you a sense of Julie's vulnerability and the strength she has shown in overcoming a dysfunctional upbringing, but other characters aren't vocally well defined. The guardian of the title is Julie's Great Dane, Singer, a posthumous gift from her husband. It's too bad he can't talk as he seems to have better sense than most of the humans. These reservations aside, Sparks's many fans should listen with pleasure. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

March 17, 2003
On Christmas Eve, Julie Barenson, 25 years old and newly widowed, finds an unexpected present—a Great Dane pup that her late husband, Jim, had arranged for her to receive after he died from a brain tumor. On that melodramatic note, bestselling author Sparks (Nights in Rodanthe) begins his latest love story, one in which he combines elements of romance with those of a thriller. Julie's new dog, Singer, turns out to be a better judge of character than she, which is unfortunate because the dog nearly gives away the book's ending when he growls warily at Richard Franklin, the new man in Julie's life. On the other hand, the pooch loves to be around Mike Harris, Jim's best friend, who has grown to love Julie. Richard's increasingly bizarre behavior causes Julie to break up with him, and his subsequent stalker tactics make for compelling action, especially when he plots to destroy the budding romance between Julie and Mike. But the writing is lax at best, with multiple point-of-view shifts in the course of one page or even one paragraph. Secondary characters are two-dimensional, such as Pete, the dumb cop who is taken in by the scheming Richard, and Andrea, Julie's co-worker at the local hair salon, a low-class broad from the wrong side of the tracks who might as well have "next victim" tattooed on her forehead. Yet Sparks fans clamor for his brand of love story, and, with the added punch of suspense, this one will be another bestseller. Agent, Theresa Park.

Narrator Anne Twomey unfolds this sinister story in beguiling, icy tones as Julie Barrenson returns to dating four years after her husband has died from a brain tumor. Little does she know that her devoted puppy, Singer, a surprise gift from her late husband, delivered after his death, will become her protector. Twomey's talent shines when she portrays the growing tension as Singer, with assertive growls, threatens to attack one of Julie's new suitors for no apparent reason. In bone-chilling tones, Twomey depicts the maniacal voice of madness that emerges as the story careens to a climax that almost costs Julie her life. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2003
In his newest, the ever-popular Sparks, known for his romantic tales, combines an involving love story with the creepiness of an unpredictable thriller. Julie Barenson survived a negligent mother and is now trying to survive the loss of a loving husband. The man who rescued her by offering her in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, died far too young, leaving Julie with a Great Dane puppy she names Singer and a promise to look out for her. Now 29, Julie is starting to date again after four years of mourning and Singer is acting very strangely. He becomes possessive, and especially dislikes her new beau, Richard Franklin. Richard is the perfect gentleman, bringing gifts and always being thoughtful, but something isn't quite right and after three dates, each more lavish and exciting than the last, Julie reaches a decision about her dream man. In the background is Mike Harris, her late husband's best friend. Good old Mike has always been there for her, but she has to decide to risk a great friendship for the possibility of more. After Julie makes her decision, she finds true love and happiness, but ominous things start to happen and she soon realizes that she's being stalked by a deranged sociopath. Sparks' tricky tale of romantic suspense starts off slowly but builds steadily to an edge-of-your-seat conclusion that is well worth the wait.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)