Wednesday 1 May 2024

SAINT JUSTICE


Saint Justice by Mike Grist
Book 1 in the Christopher Wren series
Narrated by Jeff Harding
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


THEY TRIED TO PUT HIM IN A CAGE. BIG MISTAKE.

Chris Wren was the ultimate black-ops warrior — a relentless killer highly skilled in psychological warfare. As an elite Marine then CIA assassin, he infiltrated and destroyed the world's darkest terror cells, jihadi threats and criminal cartels — all to keep the homeland safe.

But the darkness took a toll on his family. When his wife takes the kids and runs, fearing Wren's enemies, he goes AWOL to keep them safe — until a biker gang in Utah tries to put him in a cage.

Big mistake.

Now Wren's out for payback in the desert. But as the body count rises and the heat soars, a stunning national conspiracy unravels, with the clock ticking on a devastating attack. To save his country, Wren must plunge deeper into the darkness than ever before — and risk losing his family for good.

But justice must be done, and soon...
Source: Info in the "About Saint Justice" was taken from amazon on 29/04/2024.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
This is my first Mike Grist read and I like the way he tells a story.

I do not understand the psychology, the basis, nor the system of Wren's Foundation. Or why it works. It is so much simpler to just accept that it does, whether it is realistic or not.

While the ending resolved the current dilemma in the book it is also a cliffhanger that points to the next book at the same time. An incentive to encourage readers to buy book 2. While a very good marketing ploy, I do not like it. I do not like cliffhangers.

I've been listening to Jeff Harding as Charlie Parker by John Connolly for more than ten years now. Every time I hear him it is like hearing Charlie Parker talking. It takes a lot of adjusting to hear him as Christopher Wren.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (7 hrs and 49 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Christopher Wren Series:
Book 1: SAINT JUSTICE Book 2: NO MERCY Book 3: MAKE THEM PAY Book 4: FALSE FLAG Book 5: FIRE STORM Book 6: ENEMY OF THE POEPLE Book 7: BACK LASH Book 8: NEVER FORGIVE Book 9: WAR OF CHOICE Book 10: HAMMER OF GOD Book 3: (TBC)


 
Meet The Author

About Mike Grist:
Mike Grist writes the bestselling Christopher Wren and Girl Zero thriller series.

He was born in the UK to a British father and American mother, and spent his childhood winging between the family farm in Kentucky and a terraced house in Manchester. At 18 he finished his last year of high school in Indiana, took Greyhounds across the US coast-to-coast then worked at a summer camp in Massachusetts.

Fascinated by the extremes of human behavior, Mike got his undergraduate degree in Psychology then followed up with a Masters in motivation theory. After backpacking through India, he taught English in Tokyo, Japan for 11 years, also documenting the dark side of the country's gangs, cults and abandoned places. His photography and articles about urban exploration have been featured in the Guardian and the Daily Mail.

Now based in London, UK, Mike enjoys working out, eating out, running his local writers' group, playing ultimate frisbee and spending time with his wife and two cats.


About Jeff Harding
Jeff Harding
Jeff Harding is one of the most active American actors based in Britain. He is regularly seen in film and TV but he maintains interest in fringe theatre. He is particularly active in voice-over and radio. Having competed in rowing for many years, he still lives by the Thames and rows regularly – an appropriate sport for the reader of Ben Hur.
naxos | audible | facebook | goodreads


FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Tuesday 30 April 2024

TOE THE LINE


Toe The Line by Jack Probyn
Book 1 in the DC Jake Tanner series
Narrated by Aubrey Parsons
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


The owner of a jewellery store has been kidnapped.

The people responsible are known as The Crimsons, an organised crime group the police have been hunting for years.

A deadly collar bomb has been attached to her neck.

To save her, DC Jake Tanner, on the first day of secondment from the Met, must answer a series of riddles and clues to defuse the device.

The countdown to save her has begun…

But as the investigation develops, two things become clear: this is The Crimsons’ last height, and they’re willing to do anything to ensure their survival; and two, not everyone is on Jake’s side. A knot of corruption operating deep within the heart of Surrey Police is working against him every step of the way.

Without knowing who to trust, Jake must decide whether to toe the line of duty or turn against his colleagues and solve the case that could cost him his life…
Source: Info in the "About Toe The Line" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75560916-toe-the-line on 27/10/2023.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
When I bought this book, I did not realise that this book has been sold before under a different title. That made me a bit apprehensive going into this story. Like there might be something dodgy. Or perhaps the author upgraded the story so it changed title?...

Besides, what does "Toe The Line" got to do with the story?! I could stretch my imagination to make a pretty good guess. But, it would be a stretch!

I got confused with Mark/Murphy. The narration is confused too. I read Murphy in the ebook but I hear Mark. Or I read Mark in the ebook but I hear Murphy. Only to find out that his name is Mark Murphy in chapter 15. The script that the narrator was reading is obviously not the same one as the kindle ebook that amazon is selling. I hate it when that happens!

I like the twisty plot. That one was a pleasure to read! Even though there are plot holes in there. Like, if a character is involved in the plot/scheme, it shouldn't make her faint in fright because she knows what is going on already. Holes...

The story telling quality though... I find myself needing frequent little breaks in between. This made the pace a little slow despite the convenience of the audiobook format.

Aubrey Parsons narrated this book and that is what made me buy this book to begin with. Obviously I am an old Aubrey Parsons fan.


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hrs and 15 mins listening time)
Plot = 2.5
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The DC Jake Tanner Series:
Book 0.5: THE RED VIPER Book 0.6: A DEADLY VICE Book 1: TOE THE LINE Book 2: WALK THE LINE Book 3: UNDER THE LINE Book 4: CROSS THE LINE Book 5: OVER THE LINE Book 6: PAST THE LINE Book 7: (No Title Yet)


 
Meet The Author

About Jack Probyn:
Jack Probyn hasn’t experienced the world. He’s never even owned a pet. But he’d like to; there’s still time. His twenty-two years on the planet have been spent in the United Kingdom, with a few excursions overseas — a particular favourite of his was Amsterdam. Or Norway. Both of which were lovely.

But what Jack lacks in life-experience, he more than makes up for in creative ingenuity. His Jake Tanner series is the birth child of a sinister and twisted mind, and a propensity to assume the worst will happen in even the most mediocre situation.

Finding himself pigeon-holed as a millennial, Jack decided to stick with the stereotype and do things his own way. After all, he felt entitled and he wanted to destroy industries.

Enter: writing.

The love of writing was rekindled in Jack’s life when he (briefly) entered the corporate world, and the passion snowballed from there. No more will the millennial writer find himself working 9-5, indulging in the complexities of business life, or wearing a M&S suit.

He will take the world by storm with his pen(keyboard) and his ability to entertain and enthral readers.


The Narrator

About Aubrey Parsons:
Professional voice over artist and singer for over 20 years. Based in the UK, I have a very neutral British accent. However, I can mimic most UK & Irish accents along with General American and various U.S. regional accents. In addition to voiceover work I am a professional singer.



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Sunday 21 April 2024

TAKEN TO THE HILLS


Taken To The Hills by S J Richards
Book 1 in the Luke Sackville Crime Thrillers series
Narrated by Aubrey Parsons
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


Abductions and murder are not what ex-DCI Luke Sackville expected when he left the police after tragedy struck his family.

Luke’s return to the workplace was meant to be a soft landing but when a woman vanishes after being accused of taking bribes, he is assigned a disparate team and tasked with tracking her down.

Their search becomes more urgent when her disappearance is linked to the death of a second woman. When a third goes missing the hunt becomes a race against time. Luke’s return to work presents him with the most challenging case of his career as the murder victims mount.
Source: Info in the "About Taken To The Hills" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159533729-taken-to-the-hills on 24/10/2023.


Buy Link(s):
  Audible Books


My Thoughts:
Promising start to a new-to-me series!

Luke's world is chuck full of bad guys! If I say anymore it would be spoilery-ish. So, I'll stop there. I am definitely a fan of this series now!

This is my first S J Richards book and I would definitely look out for more works by this author.

Interesting perspective for a story from a, sort of, outside point of view. Luke is no longer police. So that is an added challenge to his investigation. He no longer have access to things he usually had as police and he has to get used to that.

I'm an old Aubrey Parsons fan. So, of course, his narration was wonderful!!


Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (7 hrs and 30 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5


Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Luke Sackville Crime Thrillers Series:
Book 1: TAKEN TO THE HILLS Book 2: BLACK MONEY Book 3: FOG OF SILENCE Book 4: THE CORRUPTION CODE Book 5: LETHAL ODDS


 
Meet The Author

About S J Richards:
Let's get one thing straight: my name's Steve. I've never been called 'SJ' but Steve Richards is a political writer hence the pen name.

I was born in Bath and have lived at various times on an irregular clockwise circle around England. After university in Manchester my wife and I settled in Macclesfield before moving to Bedfordshire then a few years ago back to Somerset. We now live in Croscombe, a lovely village just outside Wells, with our 2 sprightly cocker spaniels.

I've always loved writing but have only really had the time to indulge myself since taking early retirement. My daughter is a brilliant author (I'm not biased of course) which is both an inspiration and - because she's so good - a challenge. After a few experiments, and a couple of completed but unsatisfactory and never published novels, I decided to write a crime fiction series as it's one of the genres I most enjoy.


The Narrator

About Aubrey Parsons:
Professional voice over artist and singer for over 20 years. Based in the UK, I have a very neutral British accent. However, I can mimic most UK & Irish accents along with General American and various U.S. regional accents. In addition to voiceover work I am a professional singer.



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.