The Innocent

June 25, 2012
Narrators Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy team up to bring Baldacci’s latest thriller to life in this enjoyable audio edition. Forty-year-old Will Robie is a top government assassin who for years has carried out his hits with a cool, do-the-job-don’t-think precision. But that all changes when Robie refuses to kill an assigned target. It’s a decision that puts him on the run and his life in danger. Meanwhile, Julie Getty, a 14-year-old girl who witnessed the murder of her parents, is also running for her life. These wildly different individuals must come together and determine who is out to kill them and why. Of the two readers, McLarty does most of the heavy lifting, providing narration and voicing all the male characters. His slightly gruff, world-weary delivery perfectly suits both Robie and the tone of the novel. Cassidy performs all female dialogue: her reading is clear, and she ably differentiates multiple characters with subtle but effective characterizations. A Grand Central hardcover. 

With a musical score supporting moments of tension, guns firing in the background, doors slamming, and car engines roaring, this audiobook comes alive as the protagonists race to unravel a conspiracy that reaches into the White House. Initially, some of the dialogue between narrators Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy sounds dubbed and mechanical, but as the story progresses, the delivery becomes more engaging. While some listeners may not appreciate this enhanced aural experience, the sound effects and multiple narrators certainly provide a more dramatic format. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine