cover image Plague Ship

Plague Ship

Clive Cussler, Jack B. Du Brul, with Jack Du Brul, read by Scott Brick. . Penguin Audio, $39.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-14-314308-6

Cussler, writing with Du Brul, offers the fifth installment of his Oregon series, which follows the exploits of a covert ship that does the government's dirty work as long as the price is right. Scott Brick reads with a flare of the theatrical, at times sending his voice soaring, up, up, up in an attempt to create tension and excitement. Brick's characters are over-the-top and his pronunciation is slightly unbelievable. His reading is certainly entertaining but at odds with Cussler's staid prose that is layered with rich detail and deeply researched information. The story flows well and draws the audience in, but Brick's theatrical performance distracts. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 14). (June)