Friction by Sandra Brown

Narrated by Stephen Lang

For the past several years, the release of Sandra Brown’s latest novel of romantic suspense has been a highlight of my summer. This year’s release, entitled Friction, was no exception.

Crawford Hunt is ready to be a father again. True, he went over the deep end when his wife died four years ago, but court-mandated therapy has helped him to change all that. He no longer drinks, and he’s learned to control his anger. Well, supposedly he’s learned to control it. Personally, I don’t buy it. Anyway, Crawford wants custody of his five-year-old daughter who is currently living with her maternal grandparents. The action starts when he goes to court, hoping to win his daughter back.

Crawford is on the witness stand when a masked man bursts into the courtroom, shooting wildly. The court deputy is killed, and the shooter is on his way toward judge Holly Spencer. Crawford shields her body with his own, and eventually tries to apprehend him. It’s at this point the listener learns that Crawford Hunt is a Texas Ranger.

Holly is shocked both by the shooting and by Crawford’s reaction to it. She’s pretty new to being a judge, having sat on the bench for a mere eleven months. Surely, she hasn’t been there long enough to earn the ire of the shooter, but, if the shooting wasn’t about her, who was the intended target? Holly wants answers, but she has a lot on her plate, most notably the upcoming election that, if she wins it, will add some much needed security to her career.

Crawford and Holly form a very shaky alliance in order to get to the bottom of things. There’s quite a bit of tension between these two, due in part to the brief moment of passion they shared the night after the shooting. Holly knows it’s unethical for her to be personally involved with Crawford, but she can’t convince herself to give him up. For his part, Crawford has a huge chip on his shoulder, and sometimes takes out his anger on Holly. He resents the authority her job gives her.

I’ve listened to narrator Stephen Lang on a couple of previous occasions. I find him to be a very skilled performer, although romance seems a strange choice of genres for him. His voice puts me in mind of an action-packed military novel or something similar. Luckily, the relationship between Holly and Crawford isn’t the least bit tender. This worked well for Mr. Lang. I’m not sure he could have softened his tone enough to convey a warmer, gentler relationship.

I was particularly pleased by Mr. Lang’s portrayal of Crawford. Although he isn’t my favorite of Ms. Brown’s heroes, Mr. Lang brought him to life beautifully. He speaks with a slight drawl, and a gruffness that fits Ms. Brown’s description to a tee. It’s obvious that Crawford has been through a lot. He loves his daughter deeply and is extremely committed to his job. Mr. Lang did an excellent job voicing the various nuances necessary for such a complex character.

The rest of the cast is equally well-voiced. Mr. Lang gives Holly a softer tone, but there’s an element of steel beneath the surface. Holly’s campaign manager sounds like a chain smoker. Crawford’s father-in-law is a tough man in his seventies who blames Crawford for his daughter’s death. His anger is plainly heard.

Overall, I enjoyed Crawford and Holly’s search for the truth. The plot is full of twists and turns, and, although I had some things figured out, there were some things that surprised me. I do wish the relationship between the leads could have been more realistic. Crawford is a bully, someone I couldn’t picture a career-oriented, ethical woman like Holly falling for. Ms. Brown didn’t flesh out the romance as much as she could have. Perhaps, if she had, I would have been more invested in the romance. Even so, Friction is worth the listen.

Shannon

Narration: A-

Book Content: B-

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Escalated Fighting

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Friction was provided to AudioGals by Hachette Audio for a review.

 [jwl-utmce-widget id=32435]