Spycatcher

May 30, 2011
British author Dunn draws on his real-life experience as an MI6 agent for his strong spy thriller debut. MI6 agent Will Cochrane, code name Spartan, winds up shot after a New York City mission involving an Iranian intelligence source goes bad. After a brief stay in a secret hospital, he takes on a new taskâlocating the mastermind of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who's planning a massive terrorist attack. Will tracks down freelance journalist Lana Beseisu, who's now living in Paris and rumored to be the terrorist leader's one-time lover. Will and Lana form an alliance and an instant attraction, though Will knows he has to keep his hands off this beauty until the mission's successful completion. When Will learns that the Iranian terrorist was responsible for the death of his own father, revenge helps fire his search. While some predictable plot twists suggest Dunn is still learning his fictional craft, readers will want to see more of his distinctive hero, "the ultimate killer of killers."

The neat thing about Rich Orlow is that when he's delivering narrative, he uses his natural American accent, but when he plays Will Cochrane, he has a pure British accent. Then he deftly switches to an Iranian accent when needed. Former MI6 agent Dunn supplies more action than a James Bond novel, and listeners may find many similarities to Bond in Cochrane. He's even got a code name, "Spartan," akin to 007. There's also a character here like "M," who continually scolds Cochrane for his overzealous actions. A few over-the-top scenes have him shot, beaten, and stabbed a few days apart and miraculously recovering from each. Orlow speedily moves through the action with a strong and clear reading. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine