David Baldacci's First Family is now available in an audio case of 5 CDs. I looked forward to listening on my long trips on the Los Angeles freeways. It was a way to get a little diversion when I've been too busy (really!) to read for entertainment.

And entertained, I was. But here's the thing. Audios generally are edited down. They, after all, are not books. So—and mind you this is from a writer's point of view—this book on CD seemed thin to me. Readers may not notice that the dialogue occasionally feels clichéd. Or that the plot points feel exaggerated compared to the spare style on other parts of the audio (there is a scene where a tunnel explodes that made me think of the exaggerated car chases in some movies). And they may not notice that some of the secondary plot threads seemed thin, or quite obviously there to create momentum but not much else. In fact, in the book, those flaws may not exist at all.

Does this mean that readers and Baldacci fans should not have a crack at this audio if their time is limited? Not a chance. But writers who expect topnotch craft in their mysteries will notice that the motivation feels unreliable. Five CDs sounds as if it should be enough to do justice to a detective story with tons of current interest. And it is enough to entertain. Just not enough to thrill a listener who prefers real books.