BOOKS TO READ WITH YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD
by Jonathan Lowe

Spending way too much time in your car lately? Here's a selection of great books to read with your eyes on the road.

CLOSE TO SHORE: A True Story of Terror in An Age of Innocence
Michael Capuzzo
read by Len Cariou
Bantam Books-Audio
Nonfiction
ISBN: 055352769X

Michael Capuzzo tells the true story that inspired JAWS in CLOSE TO SHORE, about a rampaging great white shark that attacked swimmers off the Jersey shore in 1916. On hearing this narrative, you may want to go back in time with a copy of JAWS and shake these people, because they simply refuse to believe it's a shark doing this to them! Even the ignorant scientists of the day mock the idea. Meanwhile, the shark continues to enjoy flank steak à la Homo Sapien while brave macho men continue to power stroke the waves. As told by Capuzzo, the story is as much about the people and the era as it is about teeth in the water. Actor Len Cariou lends his appropriately gruff nicotine voice to the history that needs no overt dramatization.

SHAME THE DEVIL
George P. Pelecanos
read by Richard J. Brewer
Publishing Mills Audiobooks
Thriller
ISBN: 1575110776

Publishing Mills finally has some new titles out, and one of them, SHAME THE DEVIL, is a real kicker. Written by George P. Pelecanos, the story is about a pizza shop robbery and murder that result in the death of Dimitri Karras' son. Dimitri has a friend named Nick, who is a PI, and three years later Nick discovers who the killers are. Now the killers are coming back, and Dimitri is ready for them. Narrator and actor Richard J. Brewer reads the novel as though he's sitting at a lawyer's conference table with the transcript of a bizarre case. Unabridged, this award nominee runs nine hours.

TELL NO ONE
Harlan Coben
read by Steven Weber
Bantam Books-Audio
Thriller
ISBN: 0553528653

In TELL NO ONE by Harlan Coben, a doctor's wife is taken from him during an attack. Presuming her dead, the good doctor is still grieving when he receives a cryptic eMail, which only his wife could have sent. What follows is his own solitary, frightening investigation, culminating in guess-who-dunnit twists. This five hour, three tape abridgment is read by actor Steven Weber, who conveys the emotional roller coaster ride of the protagonist with disarming candor and accuracy.

DEAL TO DIE FOR
Les Standiford
read by Ron McLarty
Recorded Books
Thriller
ISBN: 0788731114

One of my favorite writers is Les Standiford, whose DEAL TO DIE FOR is an older title, written in 1995 and recorded in 1999, but well worth the trouble of finding. As read by Ron McLarty, this unabridged tale of suicide and disappearance set in seedy south Florida is a rare treat. McLarty is the perfect narrator to play John Deal --- moody, mysterious and right on target. For a newer Standiford novel, try the recent BLACK MOUNTAIN.

SNOW CRASH
Neal Stephenson
read by Jonathan Davis
Time Warner Audio Books
Sci-fi
ISBN: 1586211137

Another older novel, published in 1992 and only now released on audio, is the offbeat science fiction near-masterpiece SNOW CRASH by Neal Stephenson. The novel takes place in a metaverse of future America, an oddly comic but virtually recognizable urban landscape, where cyber reality and computer viruses are as real as the pizza delivery that falls under the jurisdiction of the Cosa Nostra. Narrator Jonathan Davis, heard also on GONE FOR SOLDIERS, is the perfect choice for this production, with his precise yet quirky feel for the material. No stumbling here --- Davis has done his homework, and he nails it. The unusual and unobtrusive tech music, which enhances the story, makes this production one of the most original and enjoyable I've ever heard.

THE MAKING OF A CHEF: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America
Michael Ruhlman
read by Jeff Riggenbach
Blackstone Audio Books
Memoir
ISBN: 0786114142

One of the students attending school at the Culinary Institute of America, or CIA, wants to start a division within it called the Food & Beverage Institute, or FBI. But for the writer who goes through the school in order to give us the inside scoop --- journalist Michael Ruhlman --- the hectic process of learning to become a master cook at this most elite of cooking schools is a difficult enough challenge, particularly as he must relate practically everything he hears and sees and does. Jeff Riggenbach stands in well for Ruhlman as narrator of this first person account...so well that we can believe he has been the one juggling sauce pans and fighting for stove space while the teacher waits to grade. You'll come away from THE MAKING OF A CHEF not only knowing far more about food and chemistry than you imagined, but about motivations and people as well.