Covert Game

By: Christine Feehan

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

The GhostWalkers deal with the explosive fallout from Power Game in the latest suspenseful novel by number-one New York Times best-selling author Christine Feehan.

Despite the death of a traitor and key conspirator, the plot to use the GhostWalker experiments to undermine the security of the US by foreign interests still exists. The GhostWalkers themselves must race against the clock to neutralize the danger.

©2018 Christine Feehan (P)2018 Recorded Books

Tried to finish it 3 X- gave up and returned it

I used to adore this series and I still re-read the older titles occasionally but the last 3 or 4 have been hard to finish. I tried to finish this one 3 times but ended up returning it. I never do that with a book, usually thinking I am just not in the mood for a particular story. I come back to it and usually enjoy it. Usually a little angst helps us relate to a character but Feehan's characters have gone over the top and solidly into self-pity and whining. Both the main characters are an emotionally crippled mess that spend more time feeling sorry for themselves and unworthy than anything else. As a good writer I have found the direction Feehan has gone the last few years unworthy or her talent and imagination. I won't be back unless she modifies her style again.

meh

More of a guy romance book with all of the "oh I'll do whatever my man wants" "I practiced on a banana so I could be good for my man" I almost threw up. Female lead is a genius but then wants man to dominate and make decisions for her. gah I can do without all that

No More Ghost Walkers Ever!

I'm over the Ghost Walkers 3 out of the last four books were terrible. Power Game the only good one was the only reason I was willing to give this one a try. This was my last bad Ghost Walker book ever.

Spoiler Alerts contained here? No not really because there was no advancement in the ghost walker story line at all.

Let's look at the other problems that made this story both hard to stomach and weak.

Our female lead endures extensive torture no shortage of detail.

Our Male lead falls in love with her picture and claims her as his though he has never met her. Stalker Much?

Our badly batter traumatized female lead blindly does whatever male lead says because not thinking for herself makes her feel safe?

Our master villain creator of the Ghost walkers Dr. Whitney is barely a footnote and gives up way too easy. Seriously, they just made a phone call and asked him to give up and he agreed?


A chapter dedicated to seeing all the horrors a torture club has to offer that was basically a snuff film in print.

Our tortured hero had his moment to prove he was good at his core as Ghost walkers whose creed includes being honorable are supposed to be. He spent hours torturing the new sadistic villain as payback for hurting his woman before he knew her.

This book was pointless filler that did nothing for the overall story line of the ghost walkers. It came across as the author's attempt to convince us the three lousy books with their horrible couples were happy with their twisted relationships. She clearly knows what readers think because the one good female lead from Power Game spends the entire time telling the other women their relationships are twisted unbalanced and probably unhealthy.

So no more ghost walkers ever! Feehan has jumped the shark too many times for me to spend another dime on her work hoping for something decent.

Sad she took the sexy action packed universe full of strong men with equally strong smart women fighting for the right to survive and be free and turned it into this.

Series digresses

As the series has continued the 'enhancements' become convoluted and the sex scenes more explicit and lengthy. Seems as if the author is choosing a different 'fetish' for each new book.

I really enjoyed the first several books but quickly lost interest with the continuing books in this series.

Wrong reader

Couldn’t follow story even after multiple tries. So used to previous reader- Tom Stechschulte. I returned book. Good thing it was part of Audible Escape.

how do I rate this ...

First let me say I "have been" an avid GhostWalker fan, so this review pains me to my core.

Read on it's own (although it may be confusing without some background) the story itself is entertaining with an even pace. There is nothing overtly wrong with the Narration. Jim Franjione has good inflections and each character has distinct voices, so its easy to tell them apart and the narration quality is consistent, but it just lacks an underlying 'tension or anticipation' (I don't know what to call it) that this series needs - so for that i'm giving Covert Game four stars across the board.

As part of the GhostWalker series it's 3 stars - the premise was good, as were the first three or four chapters, but once the team was back in the bayou it was much the same as the others - set in the same location, doing mostly the same things.
I generally enjoy Jim Franjione as a narrator, but he doesn't suit these characters.

⚠ The rest of this review is my own personal note and reminder for the next time I do Series re-listen.... you don't need to waste your time reading any further, it's going to be harsh - 14 credits and more than 170 hours into a series, I want to remind myself how it really was.
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📖 Story: • First few chapters were excellent - but that was really it. • Wasn't a fan of Gino's possessiveness • I don't have the patience for Zara's constant insecurities • The language in this series is getting progressively "crass" • The story was too long - at the 11 hour mark I just wanted to get through it and bumped up the speed.

🎧 Narration: I can enjoy a weak story if the narration is good - but from chapter 3 I set the audio speed to 1.2x, doubled it up through the sex scenes and left it at 1.5x after 11 hours. Stechschulte is the reason I picked this series up in the beginning, he was a better fit for strong characters - Franjione's narration style is too passive and doesn't intone the right underlying level of strength and tension the GhostWalkers deserve.

📌 Where does it sit on my personal scale? 3.75 - it was just too long and I really wasn't a fan of either main character - can skip this one next time.
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list • 8 kept me up past bed-time • 9 recommended to family/friends • 10 own it in multiple formats • 11 keep a copy with me at all times
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New Narrator Please

I have all of the Ghost walker books and this Narrator needs to be reading childrens books and books that aren't associated with Soldiers or Violence. He has a soft voice and nothing like the narrator from the previous Ghost Walker Books Please find a new Narrator !!!!

VOLUME RECORDING WAS TO LOW!!

RECORDED VOLUME WAS TO LOW !!EVEN WHEN TURNED ALL THE WAY UP TO HIGH IT WAS TO LOW!! HARD TO HEAR IF SOMETHING ELSE WAS GOING ON AROUND YOU. LIKE IN THE CAR!!

Zara Hightower has be captured by Cheng and is horrifically tortured by his brother Bolan Zhu. Readers Beware the torture is descriptive and goes on way to long before Zara is Rescued by GhostWalker Team 4. It took me over a day just to get past the descriptions of the torture Zara was enduring. It was way to much for me and way to descriptive. But once I got past that part of the storyline the rest was a good mix of action and a growing love relationship between Zara and Gino. Gino Mazza is your typical Alpha Male. I loved the way he loved Zara and her acceptance of his dominate personality. Gino was dominate but not dominating. Of course they have a pretty hot sensual relationship. But surprisingly not as sensual as most of Christine Feehan's books. This was a bit toned down in my opinion. Zara has a unique GW ability she can communicate with computers and she store there information and files in her brain, just like she is computer herself. This was really interesting to read and I hope CF expands on AI intelligence in future GW stories.

The triplets Ginger, Cannalle and Thym are mentioned through out the story, but there is no real interaction of banter with them. I Loved there antics in the other GW stories. I love Nonny and those triplet babies. So I missed there presence in this story and hope they get there usual spot in the next GW book. Nonny of course was there to give her advice to her new girl Zara. There girls night out was a pleasant surprise to the story.

If an CF wants to write descriptive torture scenes then I wish she had written Gino's torture of Bolan Zhu instead Zara's torture by Bolan Zhu. We are just told that Gino tortured Zhu before he killed him. All in All it was an Okay addition to the wonderful World of GhostWalkers.

All the action is throbbing genitals.

This is a weak Mills and Boon story line, layed over a thoroughly predictible action plot where there is very little action.

Disappointed by the Narrator

I wish I had read the book instead of listening to it. When I am reading, my imagination provides wonderful Cajun accents; the narrator did not.

Good listening

loved it and really enjoyed this narrater he is good. You feel part of it.

ANOTHER FANTASTIC GHOSTWALKER

Another fantastic great Ghost Walker book.
LOVE Christine Feehan's Ghost Walkers.
This time it's Gino's turn to save & meet his mate. Zara the woman who was sent out to get the intelligent from the areas she was sent to talk about cyber intelligent.
Where she was sent to Shanghai, kidnapped & tortured.
Here we see another fantastic episode of these GhostWalker protectors, give the comeuppance that the abuser deserved.

Another great story

I love this series.
The characters are all so 3 dimensional.
The scenes are set brilliantly. The suspense has you on the edge if your seat. Tightly recommended this book and series.
Tlu don't need to read them in order, but it will make more sense if you do.

Classic Feehan

This follows on from "Power Game" with the same baddies involved. We learn more about Gino and his relationship to Joe, including childhood. Nonny is around dishing out wisdom as usual, and there is updates on a few of the others about.

The fate of the girls held with Bella is cleared up a bit. The girls night out with Nonny to the Hurican club was a hoot!!! Zara's abilities are going to make for some interesting reading in coming books especially if she joins up with Jamie from team 3 and Flame from team 1 as all 3 are computer geniuses.

This book is back to being classic Feehan with more story and action than bedroom action. It sets up an interesting "What if" for future with what Zara brings back from Cheung and that he is still about.

Overall this was a great read and had me up all night unable to put it down!!!

The Narrator has done a few Feehan books now and I think he is improving but he is a bit flat at times with no emotion in his voice when there should be. He is still very easy to listen to but his female voices tend to be very off. Overall a decent narrator.

ENJOY!!