Blood Trail

April 28, 2008
Box's disappointing eighth installment of the celebrated Joe Pickett series is a suspenseful journey which casts our hero in a brutal murder investigation that may lead to his own demise. David Chandler reads with great dedication and clarity to the tale, but he is simply not Joe Pickett. Chandler's voice is that of a Broadway star, not a Wyoming game warden, and the story suffers because of it. There is no attempt at even the slightest mid-western dialect here; Chandler drones on and on in a monotone voice that is more likely to put listeners to bed than at the edge of their seats. When the narrator seems less than enthused with a story, the audience stands no chance. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 17).

The Joe Picket saga by talented crime fiction writer C.J. Box continues with a rich and layered murder mystery that takes place in the Rocky Mountains. Narrator David Chandler delivers a personal and gripping performance as Picket works his way deeper into the brutal crime and realizes that he is next on the list. Chandler narrates with a firm, unwavering voice that is at once emotional and intense. Listeners will feel like they're walking beside Picket through the wilds of Wyoming to track down the murderer. Tension abounds in this mystery, and Chandler knows exactly when to shift his tone, even slightly, to raise the stakes. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine