The Tears of Odessa

Atlas Hargrove, Book 1

De: R.B. Schow

Narrado por: James Way

A kidnapped fifteen-year-old girl in a country this father barely understands. Atlas Hargrove is officially on the hunt.

Former SWAT commander, Atlas Hargrove, just earned himself back-to-back life sentences in a California supermax prison. One wrong moment cost him his wife, his family, his life.

All is not lost, though. On the fringes of polite society, financiers with leverage and influence are in constant search of a brute like Atlas, an unlikely asset with a perfect alibi and the need to raise hell in the middle of hell itself.

Halfway across the globe, a stolen child is being moved from one country to the next. With time as his enemy and the rule of law behind him, Atlas will rely on a dodgy group of mercenaries to hunt down those who took the girl and stamp a single message into the minds of monsters: If Atlas Hargrove comes for you, you don't stand a chance.

This edge-of-your-seat vigilante justice thriller from bestselling author Benjamin Medrano begs the question: what would you do to save the ones you love, and how far would you go to avenge them? More importantly, will you be able to live with who you have become once it’s over?

©2022 R.B. Schow (P)2022 Podium Audio

Dark and Grittty

3.5 overall. This book was tough, with a lot of very difficult information in the story, but the author did a good job and pulled no punches. It was dark, graphic, and heartbreaking. There were many satisfying action scenes and excellent pay back. It got a bit slow in the middle but was good overall.

Mixed feelings

Spoilers ahead, be warned. This is a tough one. I liked some parts of this a lot. I believe child trafficking and sexploitation to be about the worst crimes someone can commit. So, seeing the bad people get what is coming to them is very satisfying. It reminds me a little of Livia Lone and her crusade against abusers. Also, the performance was top notch.
Now, on the other hand, I was not thrilled with the character development. The "hero" went from 0 to insane in no time flat. You never knew how he would react. He was rotten as heck to allies if he didn't like something they did and just not a decent person.
Also, what is the deal with him having to go back to prison after every job? It makes no sense. And the violence is extreme, and I don't shy away from graphic violence. It is hard to read about violence and death pertaining to children.
Bottom line, I will probably not buy any more of this series. The writing is only fair and it is not enough to get me back.

Keeper Shelf

I enjoyed the storyline in this book, touching on subjects that need to have a serious light shined on them. The narrator was great, and really enhanced the book.
The action was interesting and I never thought to put the book down in boredom. Wonderful read, I hope the whole series is in audiobooks.

Nightmares come to lif

This series does touch on a very real issue on trafficking children and the very real things that can and do happen to them. If people in these reviews think these things don't exist in our world, then they have their heads in the sand. Atlas' situation, yeah, I can see someone seeing/experiencing the very last straw and snapping, just like that out of the blue. It happens. These are very real characters, that I find I can believe that things like this can happen in the real world. Off the books, black ops are a thing. That said, this book can give someone nightmares and make you cry, then pump your fists in victory. Non stop action.

Wow!

I've read all your other type books. The are fantastic. This Atlas Hargrove has it all.
Narrator is great also.

A bit too unbelievable

This book addresses a very real issue but the characters were lame and it was hard to get through to the end.

Unfortunate reality

This is an amazing book by Mr. Schow. It touches on a topic I feel most people are oblivious to. Keep telling the story R.B. This needs to be in front of more eyes, these kids hopefully can be saved.

Atlas Hargrove Shrugged

I listen to 40-50 books each year. Tears of Odessa is in my top 5 novels of all time. In the character of Atlas Hargrove, the reader or listener, finds the ultimate good guy/bad guy. R B has layered this character from every angle. Despite the very bad things Atlas does, you cannot help but root for him every time. And the story, plotting, pacing, back story and everything else is a masterpiece of novel writing. And James Way does a masterful job with his vocal performance which made the listening all the more enjoyable.

Reacher on steroids

First time author for me. I tried to decide what genre this book is and kept coming up with Jack Reacher on steroids.

In researching the author it said he leads a quiet life with his wife and two attack kittens that’s also a good way to put it.

It was an intense, interesting listen.

Atlas is no Reacher

The story seemed longer than necessary, but it did make for a more complex story. After I finished it I thought it could be made into a limited series because it's definitely too long for a movie. I've read the comparisons between the Atlas character and Jack Reacher. I get that the author is trying to appeal to Lee Child fans in hopes of attracting them to his series. Atlas is the antithesis of Reacher and the story didn't move quickly like the Lee Child books do. If Reacher had a rough-around-the-edges, black-sheep-of-the-family brother, it would be Atlas. The author did a good job of creating tension and loose ends that kept me engaged to find out if everything would get rectified. The narration was amazing. I would read another of this series.

Two problems with the recording. At chapter 35 the narrator announces the next chapter as "Epilogue - Chapter 35." It wasn't the epilogue. And then 56 minutes into that chapter the narrator calls Atlas "Alice.".