From Russia with Love

Robert Whitfield delivers an entertaining performance of one of Fleming's best 007 novels. Using a rich palette of international voices and accents, Whitfield takes an engaging story and infuses it with the additional drama that only a fine actor can provide. His deadpan delivery of the cliff-hanger ending makes the listener hope that Blackstone's next Fleming release will be Dr. No, the follow-up to this 1957 novel. The recording quality is good, although there are some minor volume fluctuations, and the tape breaks are poorly planned. But these quibbles do not detract from the overall high quality. G.M.N. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine