Hidden Order

September 2, 2013
In Thorâs latest, an assassin is viciously reducing the short list of candidates for the top job at the Federal Reserve, and itâs up to rugged, hypereffective private intelligence operative Scot Harvath to halt the hits. He and a small band of associatesâincluding his outspoken boss, Reed Carlton, and Boston detective Lara Corderoâare pitted against the wealthy and powerful members of a secret cabal. Armand Schultz makes good use of no-frills narration to deliver the authorâs prose crisply, while smartly adjusting his pacing during action sequences, dialogue-rich scenes, and paragraphs detailing events in American history. His aging Carlton is gruff and demanding. The head villains snarl. The women are treated to acceptable upper-register voices. And other characters are provided appropriate accentsâfor example, an exaggerated, gravelly Boston dialect for a Southie-born, hardboiled detective. As for Harvath, Schultz speaks in a confident, low rumble that softens in the course of the operativeâs romance with Cordero, who, at bookâs end, is strong enough to suggest a big change in his future. An Atria/Emily Bestler hardcover.

It doesn't take long for the listener to figure out that there's a connection between the disappearances of several people and the Federal Reserve. It's up to Scot Harvath to investigate. What he finds is the trail of a psychotic killer who appears to be toying with his pursuers. Harvath has help from an assortment of characters, all portrayed expertly by narrator Armand Schultz. Conjuring a wise elder, he deftly creates a gravelly Southern voice for the older agent Harvath consults. And he give a suitably clipped tone to Harvath's impatient boss. The story crosses into several geographic regions, including Boston, and Schultz is great with the variety of "Bah-stin" accents. A good example of a narrator keeping pace with a thriller. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine