for some reason this book just did not stimulate me as much as others of this genre tend to do and I am not sure why. The setting, background of the characters, and plot were all of the kind that I typically enjoy so I kept waiting for story to really grab hold of me; it never did. It was not the narrator (Travis Baldtree) as, if nothing else, I think he did a great deal to add to the listen with his different character voices and inflection. I gave him a 4th star as opposed to the 3-starts for the story and overall rating.
The plot takes several twists and turns, with one never knowing until the conclusion of the book as to who the ultimate (among the several minor) villains were. The characters were well developed and we knew enough of their back-stories to appreciate their actions. The author also did a good job of tying off most of the potential loose ends by not just dropping characters from the story-line; they were all accounted for by the ending. Speaking of the ending, I did find it being rather abrupt. It wasn’t so much that it was incomplete, but it just concluded without much of winding down period after the fact. In mean the concluding chapter, where everything comes together, takes place in a about 5-minutes of listening time. The epilogue did help in finishing up the story and the after lives of the main characters, so that was good.
I realized, after the fact, that this book is part of a series. However, it was written as a standalone and did work as such. Maybe if I had listened to some of the earlier Rick Cahill novels I may have enjoyed this book all the more. If I have a chance, I will give them a listen and perhaps update this review.
As an aside, I tend to review books in comparison to others I have read or listened to in the same genre. Given that, I rate this book as average, or a bit above. Not bad, but not among the best.
Finally, I was provided a free copy of the audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher in return for my unbiased review of the work. Thanks, and I hope others find this entry helpful.