Blindfold Game

Edgar winner Stabenow makes a strong entrance into the world of international thrillers with this fast-paced story. CIA analyst Hugh Rincon and his estranged wife, Sarah Lange, second in command of the Coast Guard cutter Sojourner Truth, must battle disbelieving superiors, North Korean terrorists and an angry Mother Nature as they race to stop a dirty bomb from exploding in an Alaskan city. Beth McDonald gives an earnest performance and provides each of her characters with their own distinct voice. Whether portraying a tough as nails sea captain or a Korean terrorist, she keeps her voice shifts subtle and believable, never falling into caricature. She is especially adept in her reading of the book's seagoing action as Lange and her crew chase down and confront an enemy freighter on a stomach-churning stormy sea. McDonald is helped by Steve Atinsky's fine abridgment. Given the complexity of thrillers, it is true skill to keep the abridgment process from truncating characters and plot to the point of incomprehension. Both Atinsky and McDonald have been able to keep intact the novel's integrity-and thrills. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover. (Reviews, Oct. 17).