Dead Air

Silence Jones Action Thrillers Series, Book 5

By: Erik Carter

Narrated by: Gary Bennett

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The bomb is ticking.

When the protectors are the ones who need protection, only unsanctioned justice can save them.

Vigilante assassin Silence Jones receives an encrypted SOS from a world-renowned security firm. A vindictive former employee is holding the firm at ransom claiming the company killed his father. The man exacts his vengeance through a series of ruthless kidnappings and bombings.

Though the bomber is undeniably deranged, Silence soon uncovers threads of truth in the man’s claims against his former employers. To stop a bloodbath, Silence will have to tear through a veil of lies and determine who the true villain is—the madman or his victims?

The next standalone action thriller in the pulse-pounding new series. Enter the world of Silence Jones. Hold on tight…

If you like action heroes with the steely resolve of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, the calculating will of Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X, and the raw power of Mark Greaney’s Gray Man, then you’ll love Silence Jones.

Unlock Dead Air and start your Silence Jones mission today!

©2022 Erik Carter (P)2023 Erik Carter

More Silence! Lots of action, mystery, and danger

Silence Jones, an assassin for a secret organization receives an urgent and encrypted SOS from a security firm. The danger is far worse than anyone believed possible, and Silence is smack dab in the middle trying to weave his way through the lies, secrets, and a hidden agenda. Time is of the essence and for the first time, Silence feels fear for those he has come to care about!

The author, Erik Carter delivers writes yet another edge-of-your-seat mystery. Although this is a stand-alone and can be read as such, I was mesmerized by the growth of Silence. The once aloof, standoffish man is no longer. Instead, we have a man who has those he cares about and worries about their safety, we have a person with feelings! While I enjoyed the aloof Silence, I like this new one. The story moves quickly with lots of action and exciting plot twists!

The narrator, Gary Bennett delivers another excellent performance. This book requires subtle changes to Silence – the most significant is his caring about certain characters enough to engage in a phone call during a fistfight! Silence suffers from a throat injury that does not allow him to talk above a whisper yet he carries on a conversation with Lola while dodging fists and throwing punches. Bennett must carefully present the conversation with the action, pauses, and noises one would come to expect during a fight. He does an excellent job! Bennett consistently maintains the voices of each character from one book to another, including maintaining the personality of each. Bennett provides a rich performance that projects the strength, passion, and essence of each character accordingly.

Of all the Silence Jones books, this is my favorite! A must-listen, especially if you enjoy action mystery-thrillers, this is the series for you as it comes with a strong writer and an equally strong narrator!

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Not the previous effort as the others so far.

I understand he's injured but it shouldn't slow his thinking like it did throughout this book. Also,by now we know he swallows every few words it bugs me to hear "Silence swallowed" after three words every single time. This one I could have missed and been fine.

Excellent… Probably The Best Yet

Dead Air was the fifth book in the Silence Jones series I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying, and honestly, it might be my new favorite. The pacing and overall “feeling” of this one were better than the others I’ve read. I felt like Silence had more at stake here and had a few human slip-ups compared to typically being more of a machine.

The story itself follows Silence as he investigates some people being kidnapped and held for ransom. All seemingly related to people that work at a world-renowned security company. But the story was much more than that.

We get to see Silence in his interactions with people close to him a few times, and each time I like him more and more. Sure, he’s a relentless assassin, but he’s still human under all of that quiet facade. He mourns and misses people he’s been close to. A few times, he even mentioned trusting his gut (since he usually just goes after facts). So it’s interesting watching someone evolve and start to use more factors in deciding what move to make next (or what the next move of the person he’s after is going to make).

The pacing in Dead Air was excellent. Fast-paced, with many scenes to keep the story moving in the right direction. It had a little bit of that “if it’s not this person, then who?!” throughout, making it one of those stories in that I found myself trying to guess what was going to happen or who was helping this person.

Throw in the excellent performance by Gary Bennett (who, as I think I mention every time) does an incredible job voicing Silence, a character whose voice basically sounds like gravel leaving someone’s throat. He allows Silence to be a real and interesting character while allowing the story’s pacing to move at the speed it needs to.

Overall, I enjoyed the heck out of Dead Air, and to be completely honest, I’ve enjoyed this series immensely. Carter has done an excellent job and has not just kept my attention but built on the character and situations in each additional book.

Silence Jones Evolving...

It is always a pleasure to have a new Silence Jones action thriller to listen to, and I can say that this newer one in the series (book 5) was just as good as the others, if not a bit better. If you have had the chance to listen to any of them, I would recommend this one as well. The books are well crafted and smart in their flow. The author, Erik Carter, does a wonderful job of keeping a balance between action and story, making the audiobook feel more like a real event. I have never been disappointed with anything I have listened to the audiobook’s narrator Gary Bennett. His ability to narrate is exceptional and often sets the bar for other books I review. This duo seems to have a thing going as the audiobooks appear to get better with each new release. If you are one that likes action and story, give this series a listen.

The author seems to open each of the audiobooks with flair and action. This fifth book in the series is no exception. The listener is thrown right into a scene with guns, explosives, and kidnapping. What more could you ask for in an action thriller? The author has a writing style and is detailed enough that one can picture the events while leaving some room for the listener to craft their own ideas. This audiobook, like the others, opens with a clearly defined event that takes the listener on a journey, yet the path is never as straight or easy as one would imagine.

I found that Silence felt more vulnerable in some ways, having an injury from the previous audiobook. He found that he faced not only opponents that could hit harder, but many that also were able to outwit him as well. There were times I would image this being the last audiobook in the series as I did not think Silence would be able to pull out a win, but he is Silence Jones in the series but it was no surprise that he pulled off the win. I wanted more Cicci and Mrs. Enfield in this story, yet I can hope for more in future ones. These are characters that often played a big role in Silence’s success, but this time it did not feel that was the case. We did get a bit more of a view into the Watchers organization and just how wrapped into all areas of our government and the extent of their control over officials. I did not count, but I think Silence in this audiobook was more vocal than previous ones. That raspy voice, which Gary Bennett has become, continues to amaze, and surprise me every time I hear it. I can feel the pain with every word spoken in my own throat.

I found this audiobook to contain some well thought out fight scenes and the main antagonist felt smarter than Silence. This change in tactics often required Silence to divert from his normal path of using strength to engaging his brain to solve the problem. I also do not remember the previous audiobooks having as much betrayal as this one did. So, I can say that the author did change things up a bit keeping a similar story but throwing in a few more twists and turns along the way.

About the audiobook’s narration, I can say that a narrator that has over one hundred and fifty audiobooks under their name is a true veteran. I look forward to the next one hundred and fifty as well. Mr. Bennett keeps the voicing of the many characters consistent, not only in the one audiobook, but over the five thus far in the series. As stated earlier, his ability to make me feel the pain when Silence speaks says what power he has when voicing characters. Even Mrs. Enfield and Cicci I like because of the great narration. No question that the production is professional, and I do not recall any noticeable pops, swallows, or other background noise while listening.

For parents and younger listeners, I have said that this series is not intended for younger audiences. There is language and graphic violence that would have me recommend it to only more mature audiences. Again, not over the top, but can be a bit strong on adult themes at times.

In summary, the fifth book in the Silence Jones series (Dead Air) is a wonderful addition to the series and brings with it a few new trails that need to be explored requiring different tactics. I like that change as it still felt like a Silence Jones novel, but with a twist. The writing and narration were both solid and enjoyable. This audiobook is a great addition to an already strong action thriller series.