Acheron Highway

The Second Jonathan Shade Novel

By: Gary Jonas

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

"He stole my heart, Mr. Shade. I want you to find him and steal it back."

The dead won't stay buried in Denver, so Jonathan Shade isn't too surprised when a deceased woman shows up wanting to hire him. A necromancer stalker has stolen her heart - literally - and she needs it if she's going to live.

But Shade's jobs are never simple. The dead won't leave him alone. They work for a lovesick goddess who wants Shade to turn over her former lover. Chased by zombies, and then by an army of skeletons, Shade and his magically-engineered partner, Kelly Chan, fight to stay alive.

Keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times, and hang on, because there are no safe exits from Acheron Highway....

The Jonathan Shade series so far:

• Modern Sorcery
• Acheron Highway
• Dragon Gate
• Anubis Nights
• Sunset Specters

©2014 Gary Jonas (P)2015 Sky Warrior Book Publishing, LLC

This book is amazing

Gary Jonas has hit another home run with Acheron Highway, the second Jonathan Shade book.

The usual cast of characters return (albeit briefly) Kelly Chan, Brant, Esther and Jonathan along with some DGI folks which also spell a fun time – like Phil who is so terrified of Kelly that he practically wets himself when she smiles at him.

This book is darker than the first in many different ways.  First the dead are walking and hunting Jonathan.  They want information on the missing Charon (or Sharon as he is known to Jonathan) the lover of Hades’ Persephone.   Persephone is relentless and wants Charon home where he belongs and she is willing to do anything it takes to get him back; including hurting Jonathan.

Persephone sends the walking dead after Jonathan, with a little help from DGI Jonathan thwarts that attack but finds himself knee deep in another case while trying to contact Sharon.  This case involves a necromancer and his obsession with a woman who rejected him.  He literally steals her heart.

Between the zombies, the army of skeletons and the vengeful Persephone Kelly, Brant and Jonathan struggle to survive.  The deadly clash comes down to death – deaths that Jonathan will not tolerate; friendships end and Jonathan changes.  But will the change be enough to save his friends?  Can he stop Persephone?

This book is amazing.  There was one point where the shocking turn of events made Jonas my least favorite author.  His characters are so well developed they are almost real.   He is masterful at creating twists and surprises that leave one breathless.  His plots are well executed.  Jonas’ books are truly like riding a roller coaster … ups and downs. This book I listened to almost non-stop because I couldn’t turn it off.

Jonas drove home that friends are important.  Life is short and frail.  Luck runs out; one must change eventually if friends and family are to survive.  Being flippant has a place but not when it is life or death situations.

Joe Hempel does an excellent narration.  As the listener I could not help but be swept away into the story as Hempel took control and became Shade.   This is not something that is done easily but Hempel succeeds where others fail.  The only issue I had was Hempel sounded like he was saying Essler instead of Esther.  His ability to project emotions and energy into the characters through is voice brings the book alive.

There were no issues with the audio production aspect of this book.  It was well done!

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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

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great book

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.”

i enjoyed this book. i couldnt stop listening

A good 2nd story

What did you love best about Acheron Highway?

The ghost secretary. I did not realize that I had read the first book in this series until this book mentioned this secretary. I loved the first book so it goes to say that I loved this book too.

What did you like best about this story?

It was interesting that there were 2 stories going on that all tied together.

What about Joe Hempel’s performance did you like?

I liken how he developed each character's personality.

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

I was not expecting the way the book ended and it really disheartened me.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

Entertaining Urban Fantasy

Would you consider the audio edition of Acheron Highway to be better than the print version?

I would, the story itself was quite interesting and entertaining but the addition of a solid performance by the narrator takes it to another level.

What other book might you compare Acheron Highway to and why?

Would compare it to the Dresden Files, Daniel Faust, and the other urban fantasy novels I've listened/read to, with the connection in setting, main character, and a number of subtle things as well.

Which character – as performed by Joe Hempel – was your favorite?

I enjoyed the performance of Shade himself the best, though considering he fits the gritty hero but not quite spotless that stories like this need it's hard to put someone over him.

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

Yes, it moved fast and kept my attention throughout.

Any additional comments?

I received the code for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I greatly enjoyed it and will keep my eyes open for the rest of the series when its brought over. Recommended.

Awesome!

This series is great so far! I was pretty shocked at the turn of events this book took, and surprised at the way it resolved. Action packed and full of crazy paranormal situations, Acheron Highway has escalated the series in unbelievable ways! Brilliantly narrated! I'm actually 1/3 of the way through book 3. Just taking a few minutes, now that I can, to tell you all how much I love this series so far!

EXCELLENT! FANTASTIC STORYLINE AND WELL PERFORMED.

Most enjoyable. I like the twist at the end. Wonderful! I did not expect the ending! I am downloading the next two books and I hope Gary Jonas will write more books for this series. Very action packed and I like the interaction among his friends and allies. Fabulously performed by Joe Hempel whose voices for the different character were fantastic.

Lot of twists and turns, edge-of-you-seat

This was another great book in the Jonathan Shade series. It had lots of excitement and action, even more twists and turns than the first book, and even provided some more backstory on the main characters. This book was really hard to put down. I listened to the Audible edition, and the narrator does a great job with pacing and character differentiation. I can't wait to start the next book.

What an ending!

Wow! Have you ever had something really bad happen in a book and realize there isn't much left to the book? You wonder how the heck they can conclude the story after that??? Is it gonna end in a cliffhanger? God I hate that! lol This did not end that way. Gary Jonas really surprised me with this ending.

Johnathan Shade is a paranormal private investigator. Book 2 deals with more mythology than book 1. Shade is a man willing to do anything for his friends and he certainly proves that in this book. Constant action in this book and a bit more emotional than book 1. I really am looking forward to the rest of the series.

An awesome narration by Joe Hempel. He was the reason I chose this series. Definitely one of my favorite narrators.

A High Octane Follow Up To Book One

Any additional comments?

“Acheron Highway” by Gary Jonas is the second Jonathan Shade novel in the series and it’s just as fast paced as the first. In this installment, we have a now dead woman, who doesn’t accept that she’s dead and whose heart was cut from her chest, hiring Shade to find her heart and get it back. Meanwhile, the recently dead in Denver are harassing Shade on behalf of a goddess. And that’s only part of what’s going on in this installment of the Jonathan Shade series.

I felt this novel was an excellent follow up to book one in the series. Just like the first novel, I wanted to continue listening all the way through to the end of the book in one listening session. Author Gary Jonas brings back all of Shade’s supporting characters from book one and does some very unexpected things with them. Although I figured out the big twist before it was revealed in the story, the plot was still interesting to me. As I approached the end of the book, I kept speculating on the direction the story would take and how it was going to be wrapped up. I have to admit that I was surprised by the author’s choice of direction. I liked the clever idea Gary Jonas had for wrapping up his novel. I just felt like when the time finally came to actually wrap up the story, what Gary Jonas wrote happened so fast, so matter of factly that it came off as just too pat of an ending for me. All I can say is I really liked the idea Gary Jonas had for the ending, but not so much the choice of how he executed it. I wish I could explain and defend my statement in more detail, but I won’t out of fear of revealing too much and spoiling it for others.

Narrator Joe Hempel returns for this novel and just like the first novel, I still don’t care for him. Once again, I feel he is a talented voice actor, but his voice just doesn’t work for me. While Mr. Hempel’s voice isn’t a deal breaker for me when it comes to listening to the Jonathan Shade audio books, I still honestly think his voice is wrong for the series. I will admit, however, that I think Mr. Hempel’s performance was better in this novel than he was for me in the first one. I think it was because there were fewer moments when Hempel’s voice rose into his higher, softer, more youthful register. Also, perhaps Mr. Hempel was more comfortable with the various vocal choices he made in book two because he’s more familiar with the characters and how he wanted to depict them. Maybe someone else who has listened to both books will think it’s all in my head, but I honestly think there was an improvement from book one to book two.

I liked “Acheron Highway” and I recommend it as being worth spending a credit on. I also think you can follow things without having read/listened to book one. Of course, if you can read/listen to book one first, it’s always best to read a series in order. Finally, my audio copy of “Acheron Highway” by Gary Jonas was provided at no cost by the narrator through Audiobook Blast in exchange for my honest review.

Good Story, Good Characters

This is an enjoyable series so far. Lots of character development. The characters are likable, not very complex -they are either good or bad. The story isn't as rich or complex as the Dresden series that I see others comparing this too, but still it is well written.