Avengers and Rogues

J.R. Finn Sailing Mystery Series, Book 2

By: Charles Dougherty

Narrated by: David Bosco

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two professional killers looking for revenge take on the mob in Florida and the Caribbean.

Finn is on a mission to take out a dangerous terrorist when a rogue FBI agent gets in his way.

The agent's looking for Finn's lady friend, Mary Beth O'Brien. Mary Beth has files linking Florida mobsters to corrupt national politicians, and the FBI agent is out to retrieve the incriminating records.

Finn alerts his boss to the agent's interference. His boss's inquiries get her fired. She decides to strike out on her own, recruiting Finn and Mary Beth to join her in exposing the corruption.

What happens when two professional killers become targets of the mob? Listen to Avengers and Rogues and see for yourself.

©2019 Charles Dougherty (P)2019 Charles Dougherty

Justified paranoia

It's not a bad thing to be paranoid when the mod is on your tail. This book is a great follow-up to the first in the series. If you haven't heard that one, I suggest getting that one first, even though they stand on their own just fine. Still, I prefer going in order with a series like this. Just as enjoyable as the first one, and if you like twists and reveals, you will love this book.

As always, David Bosco was an amazing narrator, and he does such a good job doing the different voices, I felt like I was right there watching the scenes unfold. Recommended for when you can't afford to go on an island vacation, but you want to feel the excitement of an adventure.

Intriguing Series - Highly Recommend

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is the second book in J.R. Finn Mystery Series. While it is a complete story and the author does provide quick summaries of events which occurred in the first book - I would not call this a standalone in that it provides some answers for issues raised by the first book ("Assassins and Liars") but also raised several new questions which were left unanswered. Additionally, I would recommend you start with the first book in the series so you can fully understand the characters and their motivations. The ending does set up the next book in the series.

I listened to this book in one sitting - I was completely transported into the world of Mary and Finn which is full of espionage, violence and the occasional cocktail at sunset on the beach. I was so into listening to this book that I audibly gasped at the unexpected twist at the very end. I highly recommend this series.

I really enjoy the two main characters in these books - Finn and Mary. Neither one of them is a known quantity. This book reminded me of the Bourne Identity series in that you were never sure whether you could trust what a character was saying or trust their actions which were frequently diametrically opposed to what they said or trust neither. Several times throughout the story, I had came to the conclusion that a certain character was being honest only to be twisted around by them and then when I was now sure who their true character was, I was twisted again. I was constantly on the edge of my seat with anxiety over what was going to happen next.

In this story, we do learn a bit more about Mary but the focus is on learning more about Finn. Finn is a man who is very careful and alert at all times because he has to be given his line of work. Finn has always been a loner - it was easier that way to trust only yourself and no one else would be in danger. But now that Mary's in his life and he has an interest in developing a future with her, Finn starts daydreaming at inopportune moments and loses focus when he is always so self-controlled. Finn was much more personable and relatable in those moments when he felt insecure about Mary's affections or his own feelings about their developing relationship. I found these moments the most revealing and relatable about his character. 

In contrast, Mary's character is still a tough nut to crack but still very intriguing. She is still less than forth coming but, the things she lets slip are very telling. For instance, Finn asks Mary about a gun she possesses and she explains she got it from her neighbor after he dropped it by her door. When Finn is somewhat surprised that someone would just drop a gun on her doorstep, she nonchalantly explains that the gun dropped from her neighbor's hand on her doorstep after she broke his arm when he tried to rob her. Clearly Mary is a very strong woman who can take care of herself in any situation. And then, out of the blue, she was very soft and tender to Finn - which made me like her even more.

A narrator, for me, is important to convey the author's meaning, the character's emotions and to transport the listener to the world created by the author's words. The narrator, David Bosco, with his wonderful baritone voice did just that narrating this book. He used different voices to make each character distinctive. This was a smooth narration with no extraneous noises. He also narrated the first book in this series, which is the first time I heard him narrate. I have become a fan.

An Excellent Ending

J.R. Finn pumps up the action from the opening chapter in this second book in the series. Mary, his sometime partner disappeared at the end of book one and Finn isn't sure he will meet up with her again. Even without Mary bad guys are stalking Finn but is wily and has a few tricks up his sleeve.Bad guys are the least of his troubles though, as Finn finds himself with two powerful women in his life, one has his back, the other may be setting him up. Which one can he trust?

I am looking forward to book three. Overall this story is an excellent listen and even though I do find the narrator's voice to be a bit flat and monotonous at times it doesn't prevent me from enjoying the book.

This. Series. Is. So. Good.

This is only the second book in the series and I am in deep. I can't get enough.

Finn is in trouble. Deep trouble. And he can't trust anyone but his fellow assassin Mary/Mary Beth. She has her own troubles too and people keep getting dead around her. This listen takes a dark turn at the end and it was GLORIOUS!!!!

Immediately after I finished, I looked for the third book. I was incredibly sad to see it was not yet available.

I'm beginning to think David Bosco, the narrator, is Finn's spirit animal. When Bosco speaks, there is no doubt he's Finn.

I love this book!!!!! I love this series!!!!!!!

Just two assassins making their way in the world..

Avengers and Rogues (J.R. Finn Sailing Mystery Series, Book 2) by Charlie Dougherty and narrated by David Bosco is an amazing second book to the series! This is a series that has pleasantly surprised me and I highly recommend it. If you enjoy mysteries with sailing elements, assassins, or looking for a new mystery, give this series a chance.

What’s it about? Taking place shortly after the end of the first book, Finn is on a job when an FBI agent waltzes in targeting Mary. From there the adventures begin...kidnapping, murder, corruption, the meeting of Finn’s long time boss, a new partnership emerges, a little romance, travel via sailboat, plenty of action and mystery. The questions are: How far up does the corruption go? Who manages to stay alive? What secrets have yet to be exposed?

David Bosco does an outstanding job once again. I’d recommend listening to the audiobook as David’s narrations are exceptional and add to the story.

I listened in one sitting and like the first book, wondered where the time went and it left me wanting the next book out on audible asap. If you enjoyed the Assassins and Liars don’t wait to get this one- dare I say this was better than the first? Yes, I will. The story and narration will draw you in. While I’d recommend starting with Assassins and Liars, you could pick this one up and have a general understanding but know you will enjoy the series to a greater extent if you start from the beginning. Once again, there is a good amount of sailing terms/knowledge, but you should have no problem keeping up even if you are a novice.

Parental guidance/trigger warnings: The two main characters are assassins, drugging, torture, murder (multiple), war talk (effects of war/PTSD- not discussed in detailed but indicated), mafia, a couple swear words throughout- I actually had to search the book afterwards because I couldn’t remember if there were swear words as the story pulled me in that much (1 f-word, 14 s-words, 12 damns, 13 hell), sex indicated (but not in detail), verbal sexual harassment (in a joking manner of a female to a male but also mild flirtation).

*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!

Fun, little violence, mystery

This is the second book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I am trying to be patient until book 3 is available. I’m enjoying this easy listen. It is fun, has a bit of sarcasm (which is up my alley), mystery (because we don’t know who Finn can trust or what Mary Beth is into), bit of ass kicking, and a touch of romance.
Finn seems to be getting deeper into the trouble that Mary Beth is involved with. The more he figures out, the more questions and incongruities or suspicious coincidences he finds.

This is the fifth book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( David Bosco) and I am enjoying his narrations. He does well with female voices in which some male narrators can have difficulty making them sound natural. I think they added a sound effect to make the internal dialogue of Finn more differentiated. They also had one for the phone calls he gets from his boss. I typically don’t like sound effects - these worked.

There are no explicit sex scenes, or excessively described violence. I don’t quite remember, but I think there might be the occasional swearing. If so, not bad because it does not stand out to me.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Tense!

This is a well-written who-dun-it that keeps you guessing who is betraying you!

David Bosco does a great job narrating.

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

A truly great series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

As with the first book, it is well done. The story, dialog and narration is fantastic. Unlike the first book, this one wasn't so weighed down with sailing terms and what not. I actually think this was better than the first book. Anyway, this is a fantastic series, and one you shouldn't miss.

Loving this series!

This was a great follow up to book one. I enjoy the characters, it kept my interest all the way through and I didn't know what to expect next. I'm looking forward to the next one! David Bosco is excellent for this type of book. His narration style makes it easier to picture the characters and what they are doing. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Who do you trust

FInn and Mary Beth? Make a good team and a cute couple. But do you trust her? And Nora gone rogue no way. I don’t know how anyone can keep multi ID’s straight in their head. They change their names and the name of the boat as often as they change their underwear.
Who Exactly does Finn work for?
I recommend this series great writer and awesome narrator.
I received this free for an honest review from the author or narrator.

amazing

Two professional killers looking for revenge take on the mob in Florida and the Caribbean.
Finn is on a mission to take out a dangerous terrorist when a rogue FBI agent gets in his way.

enjoyed this book very much

Only one of us will survive a betrayal.

This is one of those very rare occasions that I wish for an extra super star rating, offering recognition for a book which has it all -good writing, excellent plot, balance of action and story, great characters well developed, visual locations and, in an audiobook, a superb narrator.

Avengers and Rogues is the second in the series about Finn, sort of (in other words, not) retired assassin who started to be out of his depth when first he met with, and, he thought, rescued, the enigmatic Mary Beth, by accepting her as crew on his boat Island Girl. Can he trust her? He never trusts anyone. Except, he is in love with her.

And strange things have happened since the two of them went their seperate ways. Now she wants to meet with him again...

As previously mentioned, narrator David Bosco gives another excellent performance. Second in the series, Avengers and Rogues can be read as a stand alone but for full background information (and the pleasure of that book, too) better to have previously read Assassins and Liars, book one in the J .R.Finn Sailing Mystery. Excitement and sheer enjoyment, even if, like me, you are note a sailing officionado. Highly recommended to all who enjoy a really good thriller, three dimensional, if mysterious, characters and excellent scenery! Or anyone, really