Arkane Thrillers, Books 1 - 3

Stone of Fire, Crypt of Bone, Ark of Blood

By: J F Penn

Narrated by: Veronica Giguere

Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

Meet Morgan Sierra. Ex-Israeli military psychologist, specialist in religious cults at Oxford University, Krav Maga expert, and now recruited to work for ARKANE, a secret British government agency investigating supernatural mysteries around the world.

Three full-length thrillers in one box-set.

Stone of Fire #1

India. When a nun is burned alive on the sacred ghats of Varanasi, and the stone she carried is stolen, an international hunt is triggered for the relics of the early church. Morgan Sierra is forced into the search when her sister and niece are held hostage. She's helped by Jake Timber from the mysterious ARKANE. Morgan must risk her own life to save her family, but will she ultimately be betrayed?

From ancient Christian sites in Spain, Italy, and Israel, to the far reaches of Iran and Tunisia, Morgan and Jake must track down the stones through the myths of the early church, before the fires of evil are summoned again.

Crypt of Bone #2

The prophecy in Revelation, declares that a quarter of the world must die .

Israel. A man jumps to his death from the top of the Western Wall, his body smashed on the ancient stones. Another disembowels himself under the scrawled figure of the Pale Horse of the Apocalypse. As she investigates the deaths, Morgan Sierra becomes embroiled in an international conspiracy that will use technology to carry an ancient curse to mankind. Working with ARKANE agent Jake Timber, they hunt down the Devil's Bible, pursued all the way by the evil forces of Thanatos.

From the catacombs of Paris, to the skeletal ossuaries of Sicily, and the Czech Republic, Morgan and Jake must find the Devil's Bible and stop the curse being released into the world, before one in four are destroyed in the coming holocaust. Because in just seven days, the final curse will be spoken, and the prophecy will be fulfilled.

ARK OF BLOOD #3

Egypt. The curator of the Museum of Antiquities is ritually murdered by a group wearing the masks of Ancient Egyptian deities.

USA. In Washington DC, a decapitated head is placed on a replica Ark of the Covenant, with a chilling message that warns of a terrifying escalation of violence in the Middle East.

Morgan Sierra must race against time to find the real Ark, while her nemesis, the vicious mercenary Natasha, is in the hunt and out for bloody revenge. Morgan travels across Egypt, Jordan, and back to London, following a trail of clues that takes her into the mists of history - and mortal danger.

©2012, 2017 J.F.Penn (P)2017 J.F.Penn

Great books with an OK narration...

It's the second bundle of books by Ms Penn that I listened to; the first was intriguing, with a twist on the paranormal, this one focuses on the iconic mysteries of Christianity and is as engaging and thrilling...

Morgan Sierra is an intriguing character; a very intelligent scholar with wide knowledge of religious cults, a psychologist but also a soldier, trained in weapon use and good at it... She partners with men as intelligent and as capable as she is and together they solve three cases connected with three great artefacts of Christianity: the Pentecost Stones, the Devil's Bible and the Ark of the Covenant...

I like the way Ms Penn mixes myths and legends surrounding those artefacts with historical facts, creating fast-paced, thrilling stories which take us all around the world. The idea is not new, but Ms Penn makes it her own, adds her own flare to it. I like the fact that she does show violence in the stories, though I generally don't like gore just for the sake of gore in my books; but the scenes of violence in these stories make sense, are plausible and logically suit the situations...

The only thing I didn't like much in this set is the narration. It's really difficult for me to rate Ms Giguere's interpretation... On the one hand I generally liked the voices she gave individual characters, though I thought Morgan sounded too delicate, as if she apologized she's alive all the time. The male voices, however, were very well done indeed. On the other hand, the way she read narrative parts started to irritate me after the first two hours of listenig - every sentence, even those that just give you historical facts/information, were read so emotionally that I had an impression she'd burt into tears at any moment (like a teenager seeing her idol and not being able to hold the emotions inside... you know what I mean, right?). It definitely got better in the third book, but it still kind of bothered me... So I'd say it's somewhere between just OK and good - 2.5 stars for the narration.

But otherwise it's a greatly engaging set of thrillers so just get it and definitely give it a chance :)

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Sounds like Alexa is reading the book

This has been the worst performance I have heard. It is to fast and it sounds like Amazon’s Alexa is reading it. I tried slowing it down but then it is too slow. I want to hear the story which seems to be good but I can’t take any more of the performance.

Another Hit for Penn!

Three exciting ARKANE thrillers in one superb audio book. Veronica Giguere brings these books to life with her unique intonation. Wonderful to listen to.

Didn't want to stop listening

This was a thrilling story intertwining Biblical prophecy and other religions myths. It was full of adventure taking place in Europe to the Middle East. Israel and Egypt being key. The heroine is a tough woman who cannot be beaten down. She will do what is needed to stop the evil from permeating the world. I received a complimentary audio and my review is voluntary.

Hard to listen to this narrator

narrator used a very strident tone of voice and poke a bit too fast. I think if one of my friends had the voice that the narrator uses for the main character, I would have to stop being friends with them.

Oh my god, the narration!

What a terrible narrator! From her overacting and annoying voice to her super-annoying mispronunciations, it was just dreadful, I have no idea if this is a good story or not because I simply cannot listen to it. I chose this book because I have read Joanna Penn's non-fiction, which I find helpful and well-narrated, and I have listened to her podcast (which is also excellent), so I decided to give her fiction a go. Well Joanna, if you're reading this, never hire Ms Giguere again!

Not bad

The story line and the writing were decent but what made these books great were the villains and the artifacts. I was more interested in Morgan’s partner and the other members of Arkane than Morgan herself. The narration was overall not bad but I found the main character’s voice breathy and kind of annoying. I kept listening to find out what would happen to the other characters. 3 stars because it wasn’t terrible but it didn’t hook me either.

Another well-written & enjoyable thriller

Stone of Fire (ARKANE #1). Captivating, well-developed characters coupled with an intriguing storyline make for a page-turning read! I'm a character reader, I get into what makes characters tick, who and what they are. Penn does a good job with her character development, you can like and/or hate these characters. I like the storyline although it seemed stretched in places. She lays the groundwork for an ongoing series.
Crypt of Bone by author J.F. Penn is a captivating, well-developed characters coupled with an intriguing storyline make for a page-turning read! The sequel to Stone of Fire. I'm a character reader, I get into what makes characters tick, who and what they are. Penn does a good job with her character development; you can like and/or hate these characters!
Ark of Blood (ARKANE #3), my seventh read from author J.F. Penn, was captivating, with well-developed characters coupled with an outstanding suspense story-line with its intricately woven twists and turns. I'm a character reader, I get into what makes characters tick, who and what they are. Penn does a good job with her character development; you can like and/or hate these characters. I was given an Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. Narrator Veronica Giguere's narration adds to the book's enjoyment. I'll be reading more by this author as I get more of her books. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Intriguing

While not my usual genre, I enjoyed these books. The concept alone is gripping, though the execution wasn't quite to my liking.

Keep in mind this is all opinion, and these books may be perfect for you.

My real issue was with the pacing. Everything happened a little too quickly, with answers to mystical-type questions being a bit too convenient. While every answer wasn't immediate, and every bit of conjecture wasn't perfect, the mystery solving was still too quick for me to believe. This took a lot more suspension of disbelief than I'm accustomed to, and I usually read fantasy.

That aside, characters are solid, and the adventures are a lot of fun. Giguere's performance is exceptional, bringing an extra layer of life to the narrative.

An Awesome Listen

Very enjoyable series. The characters are well written, with enough back ground information to understand them, but not bore you. It was fast paced and kept you turning pages. It was great to be able to listen to all three together. Looking forward to more adventures.

Great action adventure stories

I wrote a fuller review on Amazon but just to reflect that, I enjoyed all these books. It’s a bit of a cliché to say they get better as they go along but oil found it true in this case. Well researched and well worth your time. Recommended if you want something adventurous.

Amazing

I never thought that I was interested in thrillers but I gave it a go and I was amazed. I didn't want to stop listening. The story 8s filled with great characters and plots.

Thrilling Stories Thrillingly Narrated

Excellently paced, exciting, engaging stories satisfyingly told! Great value box set devoured over a few days. Highly recommended.