Gray Shadows

Russian Bodyguard, Book 1

By: Julia Gousseva

Narrated by: Jack de Golia

Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

They live a life of danger, sacrifice, and bravery. They die saving others but get no fame, no medals, and no solemn ceremonies. They are…

Gray Shadows.

Nikolai, a bodyguard in the prestigious Centurion Personal Protection agency, is injured in the line of duty. While recovering from his injuries, he is assigned to a new client. An easy case, his boss tells him.

Nikolai travels to a small quiet town north of Siberia to provide protection for a young woman, on her dad’s request. At first, both Nikolai and his boss see the assignment as a whim of a rich overprotective father. But the more Nikolai learns about the town, the oil company that the young woman is working for, and the people involved, the more he encounters secrets, suspicious behaviors, lies, and threats. In an unexpected and frightening course of events, Nikolai’s easy assignment becomes one of the toughest and the most dangerous.

©2014 Julia Gousseva (P)2014 Julia Gousseva

I didn't know who the villian was until the end!

Gray Shadows, written by Julia Gousseva, is subtitled as Book 1 of the Russian Bodyguard series. The main character is Nikolai is a professional bodyguard. He is still finding his place in the new Russia. Before the break up of the USSR, he was in the military. As communism fell and capitalism rose, the military lost power and the criminal element expanded. Nikolai puts his military learned skills to work as a bodyguard for various high profile capitalist or politicians. He works for an agency that assigns the jobs he takes.

Nikolai is living with his girlfriend Olga in a deteriorating relationship. After being injured on the job, he is given a light duty assignment, guarding the daughter of a wealthy man. Nikolai’s charge, Natalya, is a spoiled immature girl who is working as a translator. Her assignment takes her, and Nikolai, to an oil town in Siberia. Once there, his original mission of just keeping Natalya out of trouble, transforms into uncovering sabotage.

I enjoyed the story although Nikolai was the only character I liked. I really did not know who the villain was until the last 25 minutes. The transition from communism to capitalism in Russia was interesting. The connections between the political and criminal power structures was fascinating. I would like to learn more about how the transition from communism to capitalism has affected normal people, whether it made their lives better or worse. Keeping track of the Russian names (both formal and nicknames) was a bit difficult but got easier as the book progressed.

Production values were very good. The volume level was consistent and there were no extraneous noises. The narration was a problem. When Jack de Golia, the narrator, is speaking in his normal voice, it is fine. He has a very nice voice. The sample on Audible is a good example of his normal speaking voice as he has no characters to voice in the sample. The problem I had was his character’s voices and accents. Natalya’s voice is grating. In the very beginning, Nikolai sounds more American than Russian. Later in the story, he has a more pronounced accent. A good example of narrating Russian accents can be found in Paul Michael’s narrations of Sergei Lukyanenko’s Watch series. Unfortunately Mr. de Golia’s accents and character voices were distractions. If he had read the book instead of performing the roles, I feel it would have been a much better audiobook.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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North of Siberia there is crime, too!

action/adventure, suspense, murder, assassins, Russia, Siberia, relationships, thriller

Fast paced suspense with lots of twists and turns. Written by a Russian expat now living in the US. The protagonist is former military living in Moscow and working as a bodyguard. He is good at detection and investigation,and has a healthy sense of paranoia. This does not endear him to his girlfriend, however. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers. I really enjoyed this small view into life in post cold war Russia.
Jack De Golia does a great job of approximating a Russian accent without making it too difficult for most to understand. Excellent work!
I requested and received a free review copy from the publisher, author, or narrator courtesy of AudioBookBOOM.

Perfect for Audio, exciting listen

Fast paced, excitement all the way, you won't want to stop listening to this story.
Wonderful evocative writing, listening to the narrator describing the Siberian landscape is enough to make you shiver with the coldness!
Twists and plots galore, with a great ending.
Narration
Jack de Golia was the perfect choice, he has that wonderful noir, gangster edge to his voice, his characterisations, rythymn and tone brought much enjoyment to the listening experience.
This book is perfect for audio

Excellent Read !!

This is the first book by the author that I read and I can say that I truly enjoyed it as the well-written crime novel that it is.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Fast-Paced Suspense, Dynamic Narration!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! Listening to this novel was like riding a Roller Coaster of Suspense, full of thrills and chills! Just as you're catching your breath from a twist, another one comes at you out of nowhere and takes you careening into the next turn! Hold On Tight!

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed the way the flow, movement, vivid characters and imagery reminded me of listening to a Graphic Novel. The narrator, Jack de Golia, handled the pacing and feel of this intriguingly nuanced writing perfectly. He was dynamic yet easy to listen to, and his timing and interpretation was spot on throughout.

Which character – as performed by Jack de Golia – was your favorite?

I loved his performance of Vanya, an older gentleman who was head of security, but found he had more than a few lessons to learn from the younger body guard. Jack de Golia's Vanya was so full of depth that I pictured him perfectly and felt all of his mixed emotions.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did want to, and certainly I could have if life had allowed! Instead, I had to force myself to stop listening several times, and was so happy to get back to Gousseva's skillfully crafted world, wrapped up in the tones of de Golia's wonderful narration. This was a Great Listen!

Great narration for a great story!

Would you consider the audio edition of Gray Shadows to be better than the print version?

YES! the narrator, Jack de Golia really brought the story to life with his interpretation of the characters. pronunciation of the names, dialects and story telling skills.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gray Shadows?

With there being several, I think without giving it away, one of the best is the ending.

What does Jack de Golia bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Theater of the mind. You can picture the scenes in your minds eye with Jacks' narration, voice over and theatrical skills.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Jack keep me interested the whole time. I listened to the whole book in one sitting with just 2 short breaks.

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to listen to another one of Jack de Galia's narrations; What an excellent story teller!

An Intriguing Thriller!

Where does Gray Shadows rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's honestly the first audiobook I've ever listened to, but I still have to say I was very impressed.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, there were plenty of twists and unexpected outcomes!

Which character – as performed by Jack de Golia – was your favorite?

Nikolai was definitely my favorite.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me enthralled as I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this was a really well-written and intriguing thriller. The narrator did a great job conveying the story, and I enjoyed how he spoke with a Russian accent when reading the dialogue. It made the book come to life.

A thriller imbued with Russian Chill

If you could sum up Gray Shadows in three words, what would they be?

Unexpected, thrilling twists

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the deceptive calm with which the story opened, which hinted at once that things are not as they may seem: “Everything was exactly like it was supposed to be. So far, the only unusual thing that winter morning was the bright sun that enveloped Moscow with a surreal warm glow.”

Also, I love the sense of ‘Russian soul’ in the writing, which sustains the story in every twist and turn from beginning to end.

What about Jack de Golia’s performance did you like?

Jack de Golia has an engaging, warm voice with lovely variations in mood and flow, and a great handle on producing different accents, Russian in particular, all of which make him a perfect choice to narrate Gray Shadows. He brings to life each and every character, and during the dialog he steps in and out of the skins (and voices) of the characters at the drop of a hat.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not only did I want to listen to it in a single setting, but that it what I actually did!

Any additional comments?

Like her previous books, this book is imbued by Russian culture. Author Jullia Gousseva carries the landscapes of her Russian motherland. They are lit with the memory of many historical events, and in Gray Shadows she uses this heritage as a vivid backdrop for a new and exciting action-filled suspense thriller, with cinematic scenes and fast-paced dialogue.

Twenty-eight year-old Nikolai is a “tall, fit, muscular, and with prior military experience” bodyguard. In spite of the affection between him and Olga, the difference between them is subtly drawn: “He felt out of place with these wealthy people… Over the last few years, she had grown accustomed to this lifestyle. Nikolai had not.”

He is assigned to watch over a rebellious twenty-two year-old Natalya, who has accepted a position as a translator in Siberia. Recovering from an injury from his previous assignment, Nikolai assumes that protecting a spoiled rich girl will be a simple task. But in the oil refinery plant in the northern region of Siberia, nothing is as it seems, and Nikilai hast to sort out fact from falsehood in this strange, frigid world. “He watched the bleak landscape roll by: the tall mounds of snow, the dwarf trees, and the low darkening sky.”

Indeed, with such a banal assignment, and a seemingly innocent client, what’s the worst that can happen? No spoilers here, except to say this: find out.

five stars for the story, and for the narration.

For those who love Russian-themed thrillers

What did you love best about Gray Shadows?

Nokolai has been assigned to guard twenty-two year old, spoiled socialite, Natalya. Of course, when he arrives on the scene, nothing is as it seems. With the rich Russian culture we've come to expect from this author, Gray Shadows is proof of her maturity as an author. Each book gets better and deeper. 5 stars.

A Great Beginning to a New Series

I like the way this story is set in Russia. Nikolai is a good guy and works as a bodyguard for Anatoli, the owner of the Centurion Personal Protection Agency. After catching a bullet for a client, he gets lighter duty and a job protecting Natalia, the daughter of a new client. She's an interpreter at the oil fields. There's more to this job than meets the eye. Natalia is a spoiled rich girl who always gets her way. When they first arrive at the oil fields, there had just been a security guard murdered.

This story has some really good unexpected twists and is completely unpredictable. There's good character development and I can see where there's room for more as the series continues. I want to know more about Nikolai and Olga. Nikolai, the gray shadow is a really likeable character. This was a good beginning to a series and I look forward to seeing where this one goes next.

About the narrator: Jack de Golia is a fantastic voice actor. I think he did an outstanding job with the characters and the Russian dialect. I don't know how he does what he does with his voice. He made them all sound like different people were speaking. Great character distinction. I hope he continues with the series. Very enjoyable.