12 Strong

Dennis Boutsikaris's strong American accent suits this story of U.S. entanglement in Afghanistan after 9/11, written by a member of the Special Forces. Boutsikaris's clear and brisk tone, at times somewhat biting, also fits Stanton's analysis of how the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan. The quick pace of the narration allows the listener to feel some of the exhaustion the soldiers are experiencing throughout the seemingly endless military incursions with the Taliban. Even though this material is now somewhat dated, Boutsikaris manages to keep the chapters fresh with the tension of the action and the details of the Afghan landscape and people. M.R. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine


In the dark days after 9/11, when the United States invaded Afghanistan to unseat the Taliban, it was not at all clear where the enemy was. This book is the story of a top-secret American force whose job was to seek out and destroy Al Qaeda terrorists. Narrator Jack Garrett's voice is clear and direct, and he conveys the seriousness of the mission by employing strategic pauses and varying his pitch at key moments. However, his smart-alecky vocal swagger detracts from the story and takes away some of the book's suspense. The title does tell us all we need to know, but the narrator's job is to take us there--and not to telegraph the ending. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine