Adept

By: Robert Finn

Narrated by: David Thorpe

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

When insurance investigator David Braun probes a particularly violent break-in, the crime scene raises more questions than it answers. Turning to Susan Milton of the London School of Antiquities for help, they find themselves the target of a ruthless and elusive killer as they risk their lives to expose a horrifying centuries-old secret.

©2004 Robert Finn (P)2005 Oakhill Publishing Ltd.

the good...the bad...the sequel

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I really liked the narrator. Maybe his accent wasn't perfect, but he did a great job jumping between characters and holding our interest.

Very intriguing plot, but, boy, was the ending ever a letdown. Seems like at some point in writing the last chapters the thought of a sequel suddenly weighed strongly upon the author, who therefore decided to devote the climax to preparing us for his next book. So, the ending was a bit of a dud, but overall a great listen.

A bit silly

Finn tries really hard to not be silly, and he almost succeeded. But there was just too much cartoonery and unlikeliness. If it were possible, I'd raise him to a 2-1/2, because it was borderline.

Audio:
The reader has a nice voice -- sounds remarkably like Hugh Grant. He doesn't do accents very well, though, nor women. On the whole, he's better than most.

Average thriller

The main character is mostly uninteresting but becomes involved in a mystery that is interesting enough -- but so awfully average.

Well read...but the storyline will blend in with every other thriller you've read.

pretty good, but:

Good book, no doubt, and the narration was mostly good. The only problem I had was the American accent. I think they would have done better to do a cast version. Other than the accent, though, perfect.

Just Ridiculous

I was hoping for more from this one. The plot description caught my attention, and I admit to liking a plot-driven piece of ear-candy now and then. But I want at least a modicum of explanation and plausibility.

Everything, and I do mean everything, is magical in this book. There are huge inconsistencies that are leaped in a single bound - magically. Weird character flaws and again inconsistencies that are simply glossed over - magically. The plot twist at the end was thoroughly predictable and even the ending was hole filled with questions regarding all of the character's motives.

In the end, there is absolutely NO explanation of how the main plot device (the golden circlets) work through people's mind/spirit power, NO explanation of how they connect to ancient China, and NO explanation of how all this esoteric knowledge stayed hidden for 800 or more years.

Apparently there is a sequel, although not on available on Audible.com, called Ex Machina. As in, Deus Ex Machina. God from the machine? Seriously, I wouldn't be to certain that more information or explaination will be forthcoming in a sequel the title of which refers to the hackneyed plot device of an improbable character or event simply appearing to make the way smooth for our heroes...

Skip this one, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Really annoying narrator

Truly terrible narration - the American accent quite literally sounds like a whining Bugs Bunny.