Camel club

January 2, 2006
If anyone can make terrorism entertaining and ironically exciting, it's thriller vet Baldacci. New York stage actor Davis helps to brighten up a bleak subject with almost perfect pitch (his female characters' voices are often disconcertingly lodged in the baritone range), as he brings to audio life the adventures of a gang of four Muslim men who live in the Washington, D.C., area and meet regularly in isolated places to discuss and argue about international politics. Led by a likable chap who calls himself "Oliver Stone" because he and the film director share a supersized fascination with conspiracies, the Camel Club is basically an excuse for its members to feel involved and important. But when they accidentally witness a real high-level conspiracy in action, the four are suddenly at the center of a world class disaster which could lead to an American nuclear attack on Damascus. Baldacci works hard to balance all his many characters and their connecting stories, and Davis holds up his end with clever, sharp-edged subtlety that helps listeners stay in the picture. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 22).

March 6, 2006
With the snappy delivery of a play-by-play commentator, Conger ably performs Halberstam's reverent biography of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Chronicling Belichick's tutelage at the hands of his sharp college coach father, Halberstam moves through Belichick's trail of internships and promotions, augmenting his narrative with engaging anecdotes and succinct illustrations of the tactical genius that propelled him through the ranks of the NFL. Conger doesn't have to stretch much in terms of characterization; he's simply a good choice for the project, with a smart, clean delivery that goes just as well with a description of a tender exchange between Belichick and his father as it does with a detailed breakdown of the Patriots' unorthodox defensive strategy in the Super Bowl. The production's one shortcoming is the strange choice of musical snippets for the beginnings and endings of different sections. None of the widely varied music fits in very well with the reading and proves to be much more of a puzzling distraction than an effective accompaniment. Still, it's not enough to overshadow an engrossing portrait of one of the NFL's best coaches, or a reading that hits just the right note. Simultaneous release with the Hyperion hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 10).