Author Description

Product Description<br/><br/><br/>Reporter Claire Gillespie delves into the past of criminal profiler Laurel Madden, a beautiful and talented woman with an unsettling ability to understand the mind of a killer.<br/><br/><br/>From Library Journal<br/><br/><br/>Claire Gillespie is a news magazine reporter trying to finish a piece on the Russian mafia in New York when she uncovers some disturbing ties to a kidnapping/murder case in California. Dan Sprague, an old friend of the family, conveniently heads the investigation, giving Claire access to inside information. She is shadowed by an ex-FBI agent who keeps dropping in on her and leaving hints about the killer. When Claire, her niece, and the ex-FBI agent are all trapped by the killer, the ugly truth about the dark side of human nature is revealed. Smith writes a compelling story that is very well abridged. Details and descriptions are accurate, and dialog moves the story forward. Masterful reading by Barbara Rosenblat makes this an excellent listen for thriller fans. Recommended.Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence<br/>Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.<br/><br/><br/>From AudioFile<br/><br/><br/>At times, Barbara Rosenblat reads Taylor Smith's new mystery like a children's librarian sharing Dr. Seuss on a Saturday morning. Random Acts involves, in part, the kidnap and murder of small children, and such grisly subject matter calls for a hard-nosed narrative tone instead of the breathless intensity that is Rosenblat's style. But Rosenblat does well with accents, from Russian to Cajun, and her husky vocality gives the book's big love scene more steam than a lunch-buffet special. The mood she manages to create is almost enough to cover up Smith's too obvious plot line. D.A.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine