Do or Die

Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann
(Blackstone Audio, 2014)
Format: audio download via Audiobook Jukebox (narrated by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank)

From Goodreads: "Former Navy SEAL Ian Dunn has been tasked by a mysterious government agency with rescuing two children believed to have been taken prisoner in a South American embassy. Leading the mission alongside Phoebe Kruger, the new hire at the prestigious law firm where Dunn is a client, Dunn will embark on a race against time while simultaneously dealing with an equally pressing danger: being hunted by the mob. In the midst of all this, Phoebe gets sucked deeper and deeper into Dunn's clandestine world, and Dunn faces some surprises of his own as he slowly becomes aware of Phoebe's sharp intelligence, keen sense of humor, and generous heart."

One of these days, I'll meet Suzanne Brockmann and be surprised when Patrick Lawlor's voice doesn't come out of her mouth. Her audio team is so strong and adept with each of her books that their tones are inextricably linked to her stories, in my mind. And that's all to the good; Brockmann in audio is consistently delightful. The stories are tense and the situations dire and the characters sharp and snarky and crude and sexy and fierce, and it's all just great fun. 

This is a new series, Reluctant Heroes, which is an offshoot of the Troubleshooter series. So Jules Cassidy is somewhere in the background (which is better than not having Jules Cassidy mentioned at all, but I still missed him), and we get to spend time with some others who were secondary but who are coming to the forefront now (Yoshi! Martell!) It's nicely woven into Brockmann's world, and full of her usual energy. The complexities of the local mafia and international baddies was maybe more expansive than necessary for this particular novel, but I'm presuming that the series as a whole will make good use of the elements Brockmann set into play here.

Lawlor and Ewbank are, as always, great at the tension (and not just the sexual tension) and emotion of the narrative. Picking up one of their audios is pretty much a guaranteed several hours (in this case, 19 1/2 hours) of good listening. If you enjoy Brockmann (and why wouldn't you?), you'll really enjoy this audiobook.