Power by Debra Webb

Narrated by Carol Schneider

In Power, Book 3 in the Faces of Evil series, Jess Harris is ready to put her past behind her. She has officially resigned from the FBI, and is ready to start her new position as chief of Birmingham’s Major Crime division. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to be quite that easy.

Dan Burnett is sure he can put his feelings for Jess aside. After all, he’s the chief of police, a man with a ton of responsibility. Surely, he can treat Jess as a fellow officer of the law, and not the woman his heart longs for.

When a dance instructor is found dead in her studio, Jess is certain it’s foul play. The powers that be see things differently, and the death is ruled an accident. Jess is furious. She hates the fact that no one is taking her concerns seriously. Despite countless admonitions, she continues to investigate. Her investigations take her far from the members of Birmingham society, and thrusts her into the path of a gang war waiting to happen.

Carol Schneider’s narration of this series continues to improve. She seems to get to know Webb’s characters better and better with each book she reads. I get the sense that she has finally hit her stride, something for which I’m very grateful.

Schneider has a low voice for a woman, but she can still sound feminine. Each of her female characters sounds distinct. It’s always possible to tell when Jess is speaking. Schneider gives her a no-nonsense, slightly gruff sound. The listener definitely gets the idea that Jess is a seasoned officer, one who is unwilling to take crap from anyone for anything. She’s stubborn to a fault. We see this most often when she and Dan are arguing.

The benefit of having a relatively low female voice is that both male and female characters can be performed without sounding forced or fake. Schneider doesn’t fall into the trap of trying to lower pitch too much when male characters are speaking. Dan, for example, clearly sounds lower than Jess, and he has a southern accent. I was able to sense his frustration with Jess, and with himself. I was also given a clear look into his heart and mind, as far as his career is concerned. He wants to serve the citizens of Birmingham well, and he cares deeply about all of his officers. Of course, Jess holds a special place in his heart, even though he tries hard to hide this.

Schneider has the ability to really make the listener believe in what Jess and Dan are feeling. There’s a certain push-pull quality to their relationship that I sometimes found annoying. Both have their reasons for keeping the other at a distance but, when they give in and allow themselves to be together, Schneider’s pacing and pitch allow us to see just how special their relationship could be, if only they’d let it.

People have asked me what I think of the romance in this series. After reading Power, I’d have to say that the romance is going nowhere fast. We know Jess and Dan care for one another, but they can’t, or won’t, allow themselves to be anything other than friends. I’m not sure how Webb will resolve the issue of their relationship or lack thereof, but I’m eager to find out. I’m also eager to see Jess blossom into more of her own person. It seems that she kept a lot of things inside since she left Alabama. Now that she’s home again, I can’t help but wonder if we’ll get to know the real Jess Harris, rather than the various guises she wears.

Shannon

Narration:  A

Book Content:  A-

Steam Factor:  You can play it out loud

Violence:  Graphic

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Power was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.