The Chemist

Actor Archer does a great job voicing this romantic thriller from Meyer. She uses three narrative tones: neutral for the book’s third person narration; tough for when protagonist Alex, a former operative for a secret U.S. government agency that killed her mentor, is fighting to stay alive; and soft for when Alex is dreaming about or partaking in an unlikely romance. She also gives each of the secondary male characters his own clear and recognizable voice. Archer’s pacing changes in accordance with the degrees of tension of the plot—and each scene is full of devastating new threats and clever new ways of thwarting them. Meyer fans will enjoy Archer’s reading. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Nov.)