The Human Factor.

Graham Greene. 1978/2002. Read by Tim Pigott-Smith. 8 tapes. 9.4 hrs. Chivers North America. 0-7540-0797-9. $69.95. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. SA

Written pre-dependence on gadgets and special effects, this espionage novel remains interesting because of its reliance on human emotions and the tension of conflicting loyalties. Maurice Castle is a security analyst in the African division of SIS, the British equivalent of the CIA. He is married to a South African woman, whom he smuggled out of South Africa while she was pregnant with her young son, Sam, whom he is raising as his own. When his superiors become aware of a leak in his division, they first suspect his co-worker. Gradually it becomes known that Maurice is the spy, trying to help the people who helped him save his wife in South Africa. What he does next and how it alters his life and the life of his loved ones show how the repercussions of one's actions, no matter one's motive, cannot always be predicted or understood.

Pigott-Smith is a master of English dialects and conveys the stuffiness of the aristocracy, the self-importance of the government workers, the kindness of Sarah, Maurice's wife, and the self-doubt of Maurice beautifully. He takes the listener to worlds not too far away or too long ago. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL