Bad Spirits, Dead of Winter, Death Rites, Touring for Death

The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1

By: D.V. Berkom

Narrated by: Melissa Moran

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol. 1 includes the complete text for the following four novellas in the bestselling Kate Jones Thriller series:

BAD SPIRITS (Books 1-5): Kate Jones is on the run with a backpack full of money, intent on finding her way back to the United States from Mexico. Unfortunately, a ruthless drug lord named Salazar is just as intent on finding her, retrieving his stolen money, and making her pay for ever having left him. Is there anyone she can trust?

DEAD OF WINTER: Kate Jones is hiding out in small town Alaska when she witnesses an execution-style murder. Convinced the killers are Salazar's men and desperate to stop them from finding her, she reports the crime to local law enforcement, hoping to put them off her trail so she can escape.

DEATH RITES: When Kate has to leave Alaska (and Sam) behind, she runs to the last place she remembers feeling safe: the North Shore of Oahu. Against her better judgment, she re-establishes old connections, and soon faces a new problem in Alek, a gifted carver and avid surfer.

Then a brutal murder and theft of a priceless artifact from a museum is discovered, and Kate's thrown into the middle of what appears to be a violent ancient sect come to life. Her only chance of survival is to rely on her wits...

...and the ancient gods of Hawaii.

TOURING FOR DEATH: Kate Jones is hiding out from her shady past driving jeep tours through the rugged high desert of northern Arizona, determined to stop looking over her shoulder and find peace from her mistake of a gun-toting, former life. Testifying against a Mexican drug lord and a dirty DEA agent didn't turn out to be a life enhancing choice and she's been on the move ever since.

Now, five years have passed with no sign of trouble and Kate's finally starting to believe she's safe. Her current goal is to make enough money so she can get lost in the tropics when the tourist trade dies off. Unfortunately, it's the tourists that are dying off and she may be next.

©2012 D.V. Berkom (P)2014 D.V. Berkom

Started off interesting...

I really don't want to waste time reviewing this but I don't want others to waste a credit. It started off with interesting possibilities but then became very monotonous in its "twists". It's like getting on a roller coaster just to find out it's the kiddie version. By the end I skipped huge chunks just to say I finished it and I usually don't even do that with bad books. With a bad book I at least have the energy to hate and mock all the way to the end. This story is not horrible but I became more and more bored and apathetic even though the protagonist is basically on the run through the entire story line.

Laugh out loud funny with suspense!

Would you listen to Bad Spirits, Dead of Winter, Death Rites, Touring for Death again? Why?

Yes I would! I enjoyed reading the whole series twice and hearing it narrated just adds a different way to enjoy the books. Melissa Moran narrated the audio book beautifully and had me believing in each of the characters. I loved the way she portrayed Kate and her feelings, kept me laughing at all the right places.

Any additional comments?

Kate Jones is on the run for her life after leaving her ex boyfriend, Roberto Salazar, a drug lord in Mexico. She met him while on vacation in Mexico and fell in love after a wild courtship, thinking she knew what type of man he was. But after witnessing Salazar killing his best friend, Kate realized she had to find a way to leave and took a large amount of money stuffed in her backpack and ran off into the night. Now, Salazar wants the money and Kate back and will kill anyone standing in his way.
As Kate travels throughout Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii and Arizona trying to stay one step ahead of Salazar, she meets bad guys trying to kill her, good people trying to help, friends who turn out to be enemies and a few love interest along the way. You'll root for Kate, biting your nails wondering how will she get out of this jam, as houses explode around her and all the other numerous things that happen to her while continuing to try to live a normal life while staying under the radar of Salazar.
I love Kate! She's daring, loveable, compassionate, funny and strong, letting her weaknesses show only to those she loves, as she tries to survive.
This is a very fast paced and suspenseful book with a lot of humor on the side, which keeps it light and a fun audio to listen too. It's another great way to enjoy D. V. Berkom's books that brings her wonderful writing to life. I am looking forward to her next audio book. Highly recommend. JudyE

Great

An amazing suspense story about Kate, who's trying to get back to the US with a back pack of money. Too bad a druglord is after her. Wonderful listening for a change instead of reading. Enjoyable for everyone that enjoys action and suspense

Hard to turn off!

Really enjoyed these books. Fast paced.....just too short! Can't wait to get the next 3 volumes. So glad they're longer than the first 4. Love the narrator....going to look for other books she's done.

Edge of your seat thriller

Bad Spirits (Kate Jones Thriller #1-5)
I do not know how these books went as a serial, they are very quick snippets of the story. It would have driven me crazy getting them piece mail. Thank goodness they are together here, a much better option.

I like spunky Kate. She has an attitude that keeps her dynamic, even when she can be a very naive character. She is on the run from her drug dealer boyfriend, well ex. She comes into a lot of trouble along the way in Mexico. Seems the girl just can't catch a break, but then she follows her instincts and survives.

There are some great moments in the story, but it feels rushed. I would love to see this expanded. The story could use more detail and would be great if it were longer. We end at a kind of non-ending. Things are left unresolved and you need to wait for the next book in the series to see what happens.

Dead of Winter (Kate Jones Thriller #6)
Kate is hiding out in Alaska. Of course she will stumble upon a murder, that is her luck. She is smart enough to look for help and hooks up with dishy detective Sam. I am not going to classify it as a romance, down and dirty time on the sheets does not equal love. I do see great potential for them in the future.

The story is engaging and connects with the first book. I am anticipating this will be a thread through this series. Kate hoping from location to location running from the bad guys. I can deal with that, it has huge potential. I do wish the book were longer.

Kate is as always spunky and sweet at the same time. She is getting smarter about hiding out and it will be interesting to see how thing progress.

Death Rites (Kate Jones Thriller #7)
This is the best book of the series so far!! We get to see more of Kate and what makes her who she is up to this point. I really loved seeing her with her friends and hearing a bit more of her past.

The other reason this book is great is that the trouble she runs across isn't strictly Salazar related. It was a refreshing turn. The girl can find trouble anywhere!!

The story was more involved and detailed than others in the series. I did not see the twist coming and was more than a touch shocked! Kudos on that.

I was hoping for more Sam, but I have faith he will pop up again in the series!

Touring for Death (Kate Jones Thriller, #8)
This book picks up the series with Kate in yet another location. She is still hiding out and has come across more trouble, unconnected to Salazar. She has a real penchant for finding chaos!

I have really come to like Kate over the series. She has gumption and is pretty clever in her escapes. Sure she has a few dumb girl moments, but as a whole she is learning. I really like that through it all she still manages to stay sweet.

The story moves along swiftly and is again rather short. This time around we get another love interest in Sheriff Cole. I do wish we could have spent longer on that relationship. It has huge potential and a very interesting dynamic with his kids.

It will be interesting to see what will happen with the rest of the series. It would be nice to see the Mexico fiasco have a clear ending.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Melissa Moran, who does a great job with all the accents and voices. She has a very mater of fact tone that fits Kate to a "T". That is key because the whole narrative is from her POV. She keeps the voices consistent and distinct through the series. A great pace keeps things moving along at a steady clip. She has terrific energy in her read that adds to the action scenes. I will definitely be looking for more of her work.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

Kate Jones defies fate

Sometimes when I read or in this case listen to a story, I can’t help but think how naïve or stupid a character can be. Kate knows that peopke are wanting her dead yet she seems to constantly find herself in lethal situations. Yet she must have nine lives because she always manages to escape and survive against the odds. The narration was good with different fluctuations in voice for various characters. good story line but too many miraculous escapes.

Bad spirits

I'm going to read more from this author, this book was exciting! This woman has escape skills!

A REALLY GOOD READ

Attention grabbing & holding. I stuck with it because I had to see how Kate would get out of the dangers she constantly found herself in. Her adventures made me think of a hero, in one of those old serials, we watched back in the 50s. I held back that 5th star because the writer would switch from third person narritive to first person, midstride. A no-no in grammer. Also, the reader was a little too dramitic for my taste. It was more like she was acting in a play. All in all, though, a really good book.

Consequences have repercussions

I loved the Leine Basso series by this author (DV Berkman) so thought I would give this series ago and even though I really enjoyed it, I preferred the Leine series but feel both are worth a listener too.

This is 4 mini stories that joined together make up one book explaining how Kate has to flee for her life and finds herself on the run from a vengeful boyfriend (who just happens to be a drug Lord). With no friends and family she can turn to for help without putting them in danger and the witnesses protection compromised she has to go it alone, moving from one place to the next in each book. Staying in one place leads to trouble and I love the way that she has to escape or use the environment round her to survive.

It's a roller coaster rider of a book.

With lots and lots of characters in this book the narrator did a good job of allowing you to tell who is who.