Andrew Klavan's DAMNATION STREET is a noir mystery twist on the love triangle. Not only don't the principals really love the girl, one is a professional killer with a twisted sense of entitlement, and the other is an obsessed detective hoping to lure the killer to justice. Both are looking for Julie, although Detective Scott Weiss sees her a means to an end. Julie herself is a hooker with the face of an angel. Can you see where this is going, following several usual and unusual twists? Yup. A showdown on Damnation Street. The author narrates, which is usually a bad decision, but Klavan is good enough to be a narrator of other author's stories as well. It's particularly appropriate here, too, since the author intervenes in the plot to claim he once worked for Weiss in real life, and he needs to deliver a final twist on that subject himself, at the climax. One of the better mysteries to come out this year, with both quirky, believable characters and a neat wrap-up. (Blackstone Audio/10 hours unabridged)

With the trans-fat scare now making headlines, french fries and processed snacks are discouraged, so what's safe to eat anymore? An overview of the answers are available in a "new and expanded" edition of Dr. Andrew Weil's bestseller EIGHT WEEKS TO OPTIMUM HEALTH, now out on audio, narrated by the author. I put the words "new" and "expanded" in quotes, because not much is new here, and instead of "expanded" I'd recommend the words "simplified" and "abridged." Still, it's a good book for those who've never heard Weil, an expert on alternative medicine, which means natural remedies instead of pharmaceutical drugs. (For instance, did you know that raw garlic is as good as some cholesterol lowering drugs?) Best thing about Weil is that he doesn't talk down to you, or load up his delivery with dubious promises or sugary hype. For more scientific information, try his book "Healthy Aging." This one, in its abridged format, might better be titled "Eating and Walking For Dummies." (Random House Audio/3 hours abridged)

Ah, Dennis Miller. He's got a mouth on him, for sure. Not the loud and obnoxious kind, though. Dennis is into slicing and dicing his targets with metaphors instead of mere insults. His fourth satirical audiobook, which he reads like a standup act, is THE RANT ZONE, a three hour tirade against bureaucracy, child stars, reality TV, baseball, and all the bullies who beat him up for being more intelligent than they are. Cynical and gifted, Miller is unafraid to say whatever comes to mind, and that's quite a bit, considering his self-conscious obsession with comparative judgment. This particular audiobook is like a roundup of the Rant series, but you may have heard some of these segments before on HBO, so be warned. Laughs are never as good the second time around, although if you weren't listening closely, you may not have gotten it the first time. Or maybe just not all of it. (Harper Audio/3 hours unabridged)

Finally, when an Indian shaman arrives in south Florida with a bag of totems, various Cuban-American businessmen begin dying gruesome and inexplicable deaths. Could this have something to do with the Jaguar god that Jimmy Paz, Miami's resident sleuth of the weird, has nightmares about? To preserve the rain forest of Colombia, sacrifices are sometimes required, aren't they? And so is Jimmy's daughter being targeted by a jungle cat, as he suspects? If the plot of NIGHT OF THE JAGUAR sounds preposterous, know that most of Clive Cussler's plots do too. Or Michael Crighton's. What makes them plausible is the quality of the writing, or the ability to suspend disbelief, even for the supernatural. Match this with the superb narration of Jonathan Davis, and you have an intriguing production, with added dimension beyond the usual cops and terrorists escapist puzzle. Or, as Dennis Miller might put it, "if you don't like the idea of Osama and Jack Nicholson in their underwear in a freezing garden maze at night, equipped with hatchets and Bic lighters, well, then, my friend, you're either dead or you're a Price Is Right fan." (Sound Library/15 hours unabridged)

(These audiobooks may be rented from Audio Adventures by calling 1-800-551-6692. Be sure to ask for Jonathan's high caffeine supernatural suspense AWAKENING STORM.)