ABRIDGED AUDIO BOOK 6 HOURS ON 5 CDs

When things start to go wrong, it often seems that they snowball and go from unfortunate to disastrous in a heartbeat. Jake Carlson, co-host of the TV show "American Outrage," whose focus is presenting exposés about famous people, has been missing deadlines. His boss warns him that his lucrative job is in jeopardy. The problems are caused by a jealous co-worker who's sabotaging Jake's efforts and Sam, Jake's troubled, adopted, seventh-grade son who constantly gets into fights at school. Sam asks Jake to find his biological mother now that Jake's wife has died. When Jake agrees, Sam promises to stop his fighting, and the investigative reporter and his computer-savvy son work together to discover Sam's biological roots. What seems like a no-brainer to Jakes turns out to be a deadly adventure. The adoption service turns out to be run by Albanian gangsters, and suddenly Jake's life is at stake. When he learns that a very wealthy congressman's daughter is also involved, he and Sam are pursued by a corrupt former CIA agent as well as the homicidal Albanians.

Tim Green is a former NFL player as well as a lawyer and a former television correspondent. His experience with such shows as "A Current Affair" provides him with inside information that lets the listener discover what it's like to be behind the scenes of a major network television show. Although Jake is a famous, successful TV personality who performs heroic deeds, he is also an ordinary man with normal human fears and feelings. The listener can identify with his deep commitment to his son, at the expense of his career and financial security. The plot zings from studio intrigue to international terror, with humorous repartee providing comic relief between events. Narrator Scott Brick is a master storyteller who could make Osama Bin Laden sound like Santa Claus or Mr. Rogers sound like a villain. His voice is almost hypnotic, and the characters become familiar, real and easily identifiable.

American Outrage is an intensely gripping thriller that moves quickly from one action-packed scene to another. The relationship between Jake and Sam is warm and loving, even when Sam is being anything but lovable, and this lets the listener appreciate the power of a father's love for his child. Although one of the characters is a young boy, this is not a book for children because of the graphic violence that makes the story so compelling. This book is definitely one to put on your "must hear" list. Commuters will savor each traffic jam as they steal extra minutes with Tim Green and Scott Brick.

John Mormon
7/22/07