Stephen

This was my first time with this author and narrator. I thought the story was average and main character a bit undeveloped (e.g. he is muslim, but how does this affect him? the love interest goes nowhere etc). Also, did not care at all for the narrator - he enunciates rather unclearly and hard to tell which character is speaking. Average dime story novel.

This was an entertaining story as most Cussler books are: very defined bad guys going up against our James Bond like good guy. However, the story is implausible and there are some parts that could just be cut out. Also, I found the characters a bit undeveloped and hard to like. Finally, the narrator, Scott Brick, has done some excellent work in the past, but in this book, he is much too melodramatic. If you're looking for a light, fun listen this is a good choice.

My first novel by this author, but finished it wishing I had saved my credit. The author repeatedly bludgeons the reader with over-simplified and stereotypically ideas - e.g. all politicians are corrupt or useless (yawn) etc etc Yes, we know that extreme times call for extreme measures, but this gray area is never fully fleshed out in the characters who, by the way, are very two dimensional. Instead, we are repeatedly beaten down by how our CIA types need a free hand to practice torture because the bad guys don't follow the same rules. For those who want character development, well developed plot lines and something close to intellectual stimulation - don't bother with this one. It belongs on the 4.99 sale rack at the local drugstore.

This is a wonderful book and expertly narrated. As a long-time nautical fiction fan, I was pleasantly surprised how well written and narrated it was. The characters are fully developed, events based on truth and not a lagging moment in the entire book. This would be a great starter NF book as it is so clearly written and with a minimum of sailing jargon. Will look forward to this author's next installment of this Hayden series. Can't miss download !

If you are are nautical fiction fan, you won't be disappointed with this audiobook. The narrator does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life with a variety of accents -British, American, French, Jamaican etc. As an avid reader of this genre, there is no comparison to P. O'Brian's masterpieces but this is a good adventure that will give you a glimpse of life in the Royal Navy in the late 1700s. The only compliant I had with this one is that I felt as if I had intruded into the middle of the author's character development for Captain Lewrie. This was indeed the 10th book in the series for this character! Wish audible would have started with the first one.

Actually, the mystery of this book is not hard to figure out but it is the journey you take with the main character of revealing the raw complexities of human nature and overcoming his personal tragedies and flaws that make this novel so refreshing. Wonderfully complex and realistic, you won't regret listening to this one. This author/narrator combination is easily among the best on Audible. One caveat: the language is pretty strong so don't listen with the kids.

I love J.L Burke's novels as he is one of the most talented fiction writers out there. The narrator is also excellent making the author/narrator pair one of the best on Audible. This installment of the Robicheaux series was not as enjoyable to listen to as Burke's main purpose was to decribe what happened to New Orleans during and after Katrina. This was excellent in itself but maybe he should have written a non-fiction book for that purpose. As a result, the storyline and character development seemed to slack off a bit from the previous novels. Last but not least, the ending was a complete fizzle, as if Burke had run of those horrid Katrina decriptions and just decided to end it. I have to admit I do feel much more informed and sympathetic for the people of New Orleans but didn't particularly enjoy the process of it learning about it in a "fiction" novel.

This book was good in the fact that it is well written and it does seem to take the reader away to a different time and place: Edo Japan. Unfortunately, if you can get past the quite unbelievable plot and characters, you won't be able to escape the one dimensional narration. The narrator sounds better suited to a PBS documentary and does not pronounce many of the simplest Japanese words correctly (e.g. Edo). This would be a better read than listen.

Yes, I agree with the previous reviewers. This is a relaxing fun adventure story based in the age of sail of the Napoleonic era. Any nautical fiction fan will surely enjoy this one as well as a first-timer to the genre. The author has taken care to make this readable for those not use to nautical fiction novels. I've read just about all the nautical fiction authors and while it cannot be compared to quality of O'Brian's novels (who can?) it was a really enjoyable listen. Let's hope audible will add more for this genre!

I was a little hesitant to download this but am glad I did. This was one of the best I've come across yet on audible. The author narrates this extremely well and you will come away knowing a lot more about Afghanistan and its rich culture. A heartbreaking tale of childhood, love and redemption. Don't miss this one!