Arkane Series book # 8

This fast-paced adventure sends Morgan Sierra and Jake Timber, the main players in this series, from the slums of Mumbai to the temples of Kolkata, to the Taj Mahal in Agra and to Rwanda looking for a fragment of an ancient Hindu sculpture stolen from the Arkane headquarters in London.

As all the books in this series this 8th installment can be read as a standalone and takes off right from the start and keeps an even pacing throughout. The story is fascinating I couldn’t helped but to zip through the pages in no time so deeply involved in the drama that I had a hard time to set it aside. This is by far my preferred series by this author ,“Destroyer of Worlds” tops it all. The vivid narrative and the colourful scenes create images in the mind, so easy to visualise what is going on. Of course Morgan and Jack, two interesting personalities, work so well together and I particularly love their kick-ass attitude...no- nonsense for them. In this story we are deeply into culture, mythology and beliefs all this beautifully mixed into a tale as scary as it is interesting. Ms. Penn research and attention to details is amazing. Only Ms. Penn can blend a bit of history and supernatural into an absolutely awesome read.

Well-done ( )

thriller, series, action-adventure, mystery, suspense, crime******

Intense and fast paced, like everything I've read by the author. The main, recurring individuals are strong and relate well to their jobs and their environment. The story is memorable, but I was equally impressed with the learning experience about religions and the people and sights of Mumbai, Kolkata, and more. I loved it, like always, but each book has it's own shining delight.
It was interesting listening to the narrator. ( )

*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.

A bomb in Westminster exposes the belly of the underground ARKANE headquarters, right where the vault holding artifacts that could destroy civilization. There is one thing that's stolen. A box that could lead to the destruction of the world. Morgan and Jake are on the case to find the remaining pieces before the person searching for them finds and puts them together.

I find Veronica to be one of the best narrators with pauses and speed of speech to go with the events of the story. She adds the right amount of suspense in the moment of pause and she picks up the cadence of speech with the race of the moment. All taking us along for the ride, drawing our hearts to slow and race with the story. She also adds different voice tones and accents for characters making listening a great pleasure.

J.F. Penn always starts us off quick with a huge event. I love these beginnings. They make me curious and hold my attention. I thrive off of every word when we start because I know it's going to set the events of the book to come. So much hinted at, so many questions. And we get all the connections and answers through out the story.

The story never seems to slow down for me either. There is always a closeness to the timing to keep me held to the words I'm hearing. I don't want to stop listening as there is so much to learn or action to live through. But I do stop, so I can piece together what I've learned, and it does all piece together.

Another thing, other than the story/plot writing that holds my attention is the characters. I enjoy Morgan and Jake as a team. The personal tension between Morgan and Jake starts to surface here. Maybe they'll grow closer? Hints have lead up to them possibly doing so. Then their's Director Mariette. Mariette plays a more important part in this book, even if he's not with our two agents throughout the book. We learn more about him and his past. And we get the story from the 'bad guys' POV as well. To see their thinking and actions is always a great addition to moving the story along and keeping me enthralled.

This book could be read/listened to on it's own. Sure, the previous books are mentioned, and may have you curious and wanting to go back to them. But the mentions are not detailed to the point that you feel you've missed something. The characters are human and their previous cases and what they've learned will linger with them in their minds, maybe even help them in the current situation, but you will get the information you need if that's the case. ( )