Desecration

By: J.F. Penn

Narrated by: Rosalind Ashford

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Her daughter is dying...and a killer with a fetish for body parts stalks London.

As Detective Sergeant Jamie Brooke copes with the daily pain of watching her daughter suffer through her last days, she is assigned to a macabre murder case. The mutilated body of a young heiress is found within the London Royal College of Surgeons surrounded by medical specimen jars.

An antique Anatomical Venus figurine is discovered beside the body, and Jamie enlists the help of British Museum researcher Blake Daniel to look into its past.

When personal tragedy strikes, Jamie has nothing left to lose, and she must race against time to stop the mysterious Lyceum before they claim another victim.

As Jamie and Blake delve into a macabre world of grave robbery, body modification, and the genetic engineering of monsters, they must fight to keep their sanity - and their lives.

©2013, 2014 Joanna Penn (P)2014 Joanna Penn

Be prepared to face a view into man's inhumanity

This book contains triggers.
Not much in this book that doesn't ring as true possible reality. Ask most nurses. Or cops. Whether it is the suffering of a parent facing a child's inevitable prolonged death, or the things that people do to their own bodies, or the questionable things that some categorize as art. Is the insanity of the villain any worse than that of Dahmer? Are the delusions of pharmaceutical and genetic engineering companies any less true in reality than in this work of fiction ? I have viewed the Plastination exhibits, and they have extensive documentation of permission from the individuals and/or their families to use the bodies in question. And any empathetic person can relate to the PTSD of the historian burdened with psychometry as well as a personal history of parental religious abuse. The publisher's summary will give the hints needed regarding the plot, and no spoilers desired. The plot moves along well, and the imagery is too good. Excellent character development.
This book was a gift.
Rosalind is a great choice for narrator and gives an excellent performance and adds much to the value of this novel.

nightmare visions

Would you listen to Desecration again? Why?

Yes, an amazing story about a level of inhumanity that very seldom comes to light

What other book might you compare Desecration to and why?

Desecration cannot be compared to any other book, it is completely unique in my experience

Which character – as performed by Rosalind Ashford – was your favorite?

My favorite was Lady Neville, Rosalind Ashford made her sound extremely evil.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The extreme reaction that I had was loathing for people who could do this to children

Any additional comments?

Well written and professionally narrated. This book is very entertaining and gets under your skin. A must read for every sentient being

Murder and Grave Robbing for Genetic Research

Desecration begins with Detective Sergeant Jaime Brooke investigating the murder of an heiress within the Royal College of Surgeons. Among the evidence was an ivory figurine left by the body. There are only a handful of suspects and none seemed to have any motive.

Jaime is also dealing with her her daughter, Polly's illness. She knew that Polly doesn't have much time before the illness would claim Polly.

Jaime is given a reference to seek Blake Daniel, a psychic for . Blake is a psychic with the ability to read inanimate objects. Blake doesn't shared his ability

Together Jaime and Blake discovered an underground world where grave robbery and body modification existed in the name of genetic engineering. What made it more personnel to Jaime was when her daughter, Polly's body was stolen.

The title Desecration gave the right pitch of imagination. The victims' bodies are desecrated instead of allowing them the proper burials. Body parts are missing from the victim as the killer(s) would keep them for their trophies.

I also like that Blake is introduced into the London's Psychic series. After having met Blake from the Day of the Viking, ARKANE series, there is a story to discover who Blake really is. The author is able to spin-off Blake Daniel into another series for readers/listeners to know Blake better.

Since I started with the third book in this series, readers/listeners can still follow the story. Each book can stand alone. The only thing that would be preferable is to start with the Desecration, Delium, and then Deviance to follow Jaime's story chronologically of how she is dealing with the loss of her daughter.

Blake's story is easier to follow as he is discovering a past that his father has hid so well from him. Blake will have to make a choice of whether he wants to find out about his past or accept the life he has made for himself.

The narrator Rosalind Ashford does a very good job narrating the story. I love listening to her accent. Her accent is a bit of English and something else that I can't place.

I would love to give this audiobook 4.5 stars if that is possible.

I was given this audiobook by the author in exchange of an honest review. I was not compensated or influence in any way for writing this review.

Macabre Desecration Thriller Rocks

Where does Desecration rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is number 2 on my list of top audiobooks.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Blake Daniel was fantastic. A tortured man with a beautiful soul, running away from his calling in life. I laughed out loud at his dry sense of humour and cannot wait to see him appear in more of J. F. Penn's fantastic novels.

What does Rosalind Ashford bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Rosalind Ashford brought the characters to life through accent and pulling me into the story. Her way of connecting with the characters was fascinating and I could hear the raw emotion in her voice as she read chapter 14. That was one of the best chapters in the book!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed at Blake Daniel's dry sense of humour and I cried, sobbed actually while sitting on the train home from work as I listened to chapter 14. I don't want to give what happens away but this was such a profound and deeply moving part of J. F. Penn's work. Lastly, I blanched quite a bit at the desecration and felt angry with the nasty inhumane characters. I wanted to help Jamie get out of danger and see her bring them to justice for the horrific crimes they committed.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely loved this audiobook and found that I literally could not stop listening. I was pulled into Jamie's world and as confronting as some of the events were in the story, I loved her and her gritty determination.This would have been a fantastic read, but the audiobook brings this story to life in a vivid way.

Hypnotic and Compelling Thriller

This was such a great listen right from the start. The female protagonist, Jamie is a very likeable, compassionate person and is easy to identify with through her love for her
terminally ill daughter Polly. I think the subject is broached about donating her body for study in the field of genetics but she deems it out of the question and wants to honor her daughter's wishes. The murder investigation of the heiress Jenna is overshadowed by her family's pharmaceutical company and everywhere she turns is a 'dead' end. They find a clue in the form of an ivory anatomical Venus which sends them down a macabre path into the art of body modification and modeling. This was a well thought out story with great twists. It was somewhat dark which I loved and it was eye-opening into the underground meddling in genetics and vivisection. I'm now a fan of J.F. Penn.
Rosalind Ashford did a fantastic job narrating this audiobook. Her voice was perfect with the right inflections and a good steady pace. She made the story enjoyable. I almost listened to the whole audiobook in one sitting. I would recomend this to my friends.
I received this audiobook foc in exchange for an unbiased review.

not what I expected

started slow and didn't really get off the ground. struggled to finish. the end was anti climactic

Good book that grabs hold and makes you finish it.

If you could sum up Desecration in three words, what would they be?

English supernatural thriller.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Desecration?

When Jamie's supernatural partner relates the story of his father's cruelty. The telling is vivid and nuanced and sets up a very interesting character.

Have you listened to any of Rosalind Ashford’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but I did find her voice to be very pleasureful. Rosalind's voice is ethereal. Her reading of the material is great and it seems like she conveyed the feelings the author was going for.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but I downed the books in two sittings. It picks up at chapter eight mightily and goes pretty fast from there on.

Any additional comments?

I am not Sarah. I am her husband Steve who signed into the wrong account when downloading and had to use her account for the review.

Great story but be prepared: it's quite gory

Any additional comments?

Desecration is a great story, following an anti-social detective around London as she tries to deal with a dying child in the hospital whilst seeking out the murders of a rich and powerful family. A supernatural element is introduced as she meets a man who can remember strong emotional moments in the life of an inanimate object just by touching it. The crime itself is graphic, but the clues leading to it's solving are far more so, involving the vivisection of children and adults, both dead and alive when the process begins. If you have a weak stomach, it may be best to pass this one by. If you aren't squeemish, though, it's a great adventure with well-rounded characters. I could see this as the makings for the start of a great movie script.

Rosalind Ashford does a great job reading the book and was a pleasure to listen to.

Keeps you on the edge of your seat ...

Desecration is a story set in London during the present day. DS Jaime Brook is on the case of a murdered woman who had great bodily damage done to her. As this is going on, Brook is also dealing with the illness of a family member. We see Brook as she is trying to keep these two lives separate. In the course of investigation, Brook is drawn into a world that is on the edge.

Rosalind Ashford gives a wonderful performance. She gives each character is own voice and it is her narration, along with the author's words, that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would highly recommend this book to my friends who want a well paced murder mystery with a twist. I look forward to listening to more books in this series along with other books Ms. Ashford narrates.

Slow Start, but overall good read

Where does Desecration rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Lower on my list of overall audiobooks. The narrator isn't my favorite. Sounds a lot like the narrator from The Rook, her sentences start out strong and fade, making a very annoying listen.

What did you like best about this story?

The novel started slow, but once it picked up, the plot really took off and it became a good read.

Would you be willing to try another one of Rosalind Ashford’s performances?

I definitely will not be looking for this narrator, and will only listen to if it's the only available narration for a book I really want to read.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It was good, but the narration threw me off a little bit, and the start was a little slow, but overall the book was good, but not one sitting good.

Any additional comments?

Review, "This novel started slow and very graphic. At first I was turned off, and the narrator for the audio version is a bit rough to listen to. I love an accent, but I don't know what this narrator is doing. She starts her sentences strong and lingers off at the end. With every sentence it makes it rather annoying. She sounds like the narrator for "The Rook", which had the same problem, but I did love that story. This story picks up, I think there was too much background in the beginning. I understand the author wanted to connect the reader with emotion to the main character and her daughter, but I felt it was a bit too strong and overwhelming in the beginning. I think it should have been spread out a little bit more. After the beginning when the plot picked up it was a very entertaining read and I enjoyed it throughout. It is a good read for those who like detective, thrillers, and action. "