The Moonlit Earth

Smooth tones and a clear presentation are precisely what listeners have come to expect from narrator Cassandra Campbell. Here she gives strong character definition as well as appropriate pacing and intensity to this sprawling, loosely organized story. After losing her job, Megan Reynolds returns to San Diego, only to find that her gay brother, a flight attendant, has disappeared, along with a suspicious Middle Eastern man, in the wake of a terrorist bombing. The international action combined with family drama presents Campbell with challenges of accent, tempo, and emphasis, which she manages convincingly. While her performance cannot completely salvage a weak text, her clarity provides a satisfying listening experience. M.O.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

February 8, 2010
At the start of this compelling cat-and-mouse thriller from bestseller Rice (Blind Fall
), 30-year-old Megan Reynolds has returned to her mother’s house in posh Cathedral Beach near San Diego after being fired as head of a Northern California nonprofit organization for homeless kids that she tried to save using unorthodox methods. Megan soon faces a far greater challenge. Her beloved gay brother, Cameron, a handsome flight attendant for Peninsula Airlines, disappears with Majed, a suspicious Middle Easterner, in the wake of a terrorist bombing in Hong Kong that killed 60 people. When the FBI investigators point to Cameron as a suspect in the attack, Megan embarks on a dangerous mission to find her brother and help clear his name. Megan’s journey will test her endurance and her faith in family in unexpected ways. Rice sensitively charts the relationship of two close-knit siblings.