Assignment: Athens

A SpyCo Novella, Book 1

By: Craig A. Hart

Narrated by: Anthony Lee

Length: 2 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

When a SpyCo agent is killed on a deserted road during the wee hours, things begin falling apart for SpyCo chief J. Carlton Moore. A briefcase containing classified information disappears, leaving the future of the United States' war on terror in doubt. With the terrorist group Scorpion suspected of possessing the missing briefcase and vital information somehow leaking from the most secure SpyCo meetings, Moore calls on covert operative James Reagan Burke. Thrown together into an unlikely team composed of a former flame and a Grecian body-builder, and seeing shadowy pursuers at every turn, Burke must decide whom he can trust and recover the briefcase before it's too late.

A fun romp in the Mediterranean, Assignment: Athens provides thrills without the darkness, and chills without the nightmares. Infused with wry humor, Assignment: Athens is an enjoyable beginning to the SpyCo novella series.

©2017 Craig A. Hart (P)2017 Craig A. Hart

Enjoyable novella, narrator didn't work for me

I was interested in this series after having listened to and enjoyed several books in Craig A. Hart’s Shelby Alexander series. Hart has teamed up with S.J. Varengo to bring a series of fun thriller novellas to life. At less than two hours to read, these would be best enjoyed by readers who are looking for quick missions and witty banter. While each story has a complete storyline, subsequent books build on characters and events from previous books, so you’ll want to read these in order.

Assignment: Athens introduces SpyCo (yes, really), it’s taciturn leader J. Carlton Moore, and agents James Burke and Lindsey Archer. Burke, code name: Tiger and Lindsey, code name: Venus are tasked with recovering a stolen briefcase leading them to Greece. Just traveling turns out to be perilous and once they arrive it’s apparent there are forces working against them from more than one agency. Adding to the tension is the fact that Burke & Lindsey have a previous personal relationship.

This was an entertaining read and I’m looking forward to the next book, Assignment: Paris.

Narration:
I had such a difficult time with the narration by Anthony Lee that I stopped listening and just read the book. His main voice was OK though somewhat robotic/AI sounding. However, outside of Burke, almost everyone’s speaking voice had an identical unidentifiable accent no matter what the text indicated they should sound like.

The Story Was Good

I liked the story, but I did not really care for the narrator, I had read the story previously on Kindle, but the audio did not live up to the printed version.. I have noticed that the next stories in the series have a different narrator, so I am optimistic. I received this audiobook for free and this is my voluntary review.

Spyjinx in Athens

When an operative turns up dead and the briefcase full of top secret documents he was carrying disappears, agent James Burke gets sent on a covert mission to Athens to track down the briefcase and find out who stole it. Aided by a former partner (and fiancee) he's not sure he can trust any more and a Greek body-builder he's never worked with, Burke dodges bullets while following the clues to unravel the mystery.
I love Bond type heroes and super spy novels and this one's a good one founded in the tradition of shoot-em ups and spy craft dramas. There's a beautiful girl, a ruthless villain, a band of mercenary thugs, a red car, a high class soiree, an exotic city with lots of interesting backdrops for the action and plenty of gun play. What more could an espionage fan ask for?

Assignment: Action & Adventure!

Any additional comments?

Another fun, excellent story from Craig A Hart! The story moved at break-neck speed and included a cast of colorful characters. You’ll definitely want to listen to this tale in one sitting!

Just your regular espionage story.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

There wasn't any edge-of-the-seat moment in this book. To be honest, it was pretty text-book / formula espionage story with nothing new brought to the table. Same old missing classified info, same old "bad guys have it", same old fight over information. Even those scenes aren't written in a way that creates thrill or makes the heart race. Overall, it was pretty meh.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, the narration was good and possibly the best thing about this book.

Any additional comments?

I received this book for free from the author / narrator / publisher, in exchange for an unbiased review.

A page turner.

Would you listen to Assignment: Athens again? Why?

Yes, you can follow the characters and plot better.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Burke was tenacious to complete his assignment.

What does Anthony Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He knew his characters well and brought them to life.
A bit of a weird accent.

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

Yes, the plot held your attention throughout.

Any additional comments?

"I was given a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Enjoyable spy novella...

Quick and entertaining read for anyone wanting a fast-paced uncomplicated spy story that can be enjoyed in one sitting. The main characters were likeable and well-developed considering the brevity of the story. I do not wish to be harsh, but I felt the narrator of the audio version gave a rather flat performance. In my opinion, his cadence and lack of emotion diminished the tension and flattened the personalities of the characters. I do think he managed to distinguish each character with unique vocal characteristics but, at times, I had the impression that I was listening to a text-to-speech program or an AI voice.

While I did purchase a copy of this book, the author gifted me with a code for the audio version and the above is my honest and unbiased review.

If you find this review helpful, thank you for so indicating.

Not an auspicious start

Usually I insist on starting at the beginning of a series and working through it. This time, I started in a random place (London) and it was much better than this first “episode”. If you like the premise, keep going. The narrator that joins later is much better and the writing is more active and less strangely introspective.

Just did not work for me . . .

I am not one to typically give harsh reviews, but this particular work did not deliver any sort of value as a takeaway for the time spent listening. The level of espionage was at a sophomoric level being both shallowly developed and rather predicable and mundane. Although the narrator, Anthony Lee, has done several other Audible titles, this one seemed to be out of his voice range. The character accents seemed forced and inconsistent. In all honesty, the part of the book I found most pleasurable was completing the listenas this just did not work for me in any aspect. Sorry.

A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. My hope is that this review helps in your decision to obtain this book.

A dime novel spy book set in the 80's

If you are looking for a real mystery, thriller, or thought provoking novel this really is not the story for you. Craig Hart story seems to be lacking any depth or detail in the descriptions. There are points when the action is described relatively well but as if the surroundings and feelings of the moment did not matter to the author.

On a positive note Anthony Lee did a good job narrating the material he had to work with. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.