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4 audio books to savor this fall

Looking for an intriguing audio book as the weather turns chilly? Here we have all manner of whodunits: one that unfolds in a world at risk; another set against a cold, harsh landscape; a Boston-based story that is almost hard-boiled; and a fourth full of flawed but intriguing characters;  All titles are also available from www.audible.com.

1. 'Countdown City: The Last Policeman, Book II,' by Ben H. Winters

  • By Rochelle O'Gorman

Read by Peter Berkrot

Brilliance Audio; 8 hours and 23 minutes

Winters came up with a truly original idea in “The Last Policeman,” his first book in this trilogy. Both the first two books in this series are set in Concord, N.H. and revolve around Detective Hank Palace, who is trying to keep calm and carry on amidst imminent world destruction as an asteroid is hurtling toward earth, promising another Ice Age upon its arrival.

Society has quite unraveled by the time this installment starts, so not only is Palace trying to solve a missing persons case, but he is also chronicling an end of times that is less sturm und drang than a slow-moving societal psychosis. At first Berkrot sounds more like a character actor than a leading man, as his voice is a little high and less-than-authoritative. However, as the audiobooks unfold, listeners will come to enjoy his everyman personae, which quite suits the story.  Grade: A

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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