The Wolf Gift

In Rice's first foray into werewolf territory, reporter Reuben Golding gets more than he bargained for after interviewing the lovely Marchent Nidek about a mansion belonging to her missing explorer uncle. In no time, Golding receives the wolf gift: he is bitten by a mysterious creature and transformed into a lycanthrope%E2%80%94albeit one that remains self-aware, rather than devolving into a mindless, ravenous beast. Ron McLarty provides matter-of-fact narration, a choice that will help listeners suspend disbelief to some extent. However, McLarty's character voices aren't always distinct: those of Golding and Nideck are more similar than different. Additionally, as the narrative shifts from dialogue to action, McLarty's pacing remains the same, transforming exciting scenes of bloody violence into the aural equivalent of quiet conversations. A Knopf hardcover. (Feb.)