Long Time Lost

December 12, 2016
Former lawyer Kate Sutherland, the heroine of this disappointing thriller from Ewan (Dark Tides), is in witness protection on the Isle of Man, waiting to testify against Russell Lane for murder. Russell’s rich sociopath brother, Connor, would rather see her dead, and he has the resources to find her. She manages to kill the man sent to eliminate her and escape into what she hopes is a more secure hiding place, with the aid of Nick Miller and his skilled crew. Miller himself is one of the vanished, unable even to reappear long enough to clear his name in the killing of his wife and children. Things start to unravel immediately as others under Miller’s protection are exposed and threatened, and he and Kate run from one end of Europe to the other to attempt to protect them. An overabundance of unrealistic scary situations heighten the suspense but make the action hard to follow. The continuous high threat level drains the reader’s emotions, resulting in far too much of what could have been a good thing. Agent: Vivien Green, Sheil Land Associates (U.K.).

Every audiobook stands to be improved when Simon Vance gets behind the mic. His rich tone, facility with accents and character delineation, and ability to disappear into a story all make him a favorite among listeners. In Ewan's thriller, it's Vance's pacing and timing that are prominent; he speeds up to perform the elusive chases in southern France, Hamburg, and Switzerland and slows down appropriately when the hero, Nick Miller, gets better acquainted with his client, Kate. Ewan has developed into a master thriller writer. Though these characters aren't as quirky and amusing as those in some of his other works, fans will be happy to find that the initial setting of the book is the author's own stomping grounds--the Isle of Man. R.W.S. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine