Blood Codex: A Jake Crowley Adventure

Jake Crowley Adventures, Book 1

By: David Wood, Alan Baxter

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

An ancient order.

A deadly conspiracy.

A race against time.

When Jake Crowley rescues Rose Black from assailants on the streets of London, the two find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could cost them their lives. People are dying, and all the victims have one thing in common with Rose: a birthmark in the shape of an eagle.

From beneath the streets of London, to castle dungeons, to the heart of Christendom and beyond, Jake and Rose must race to stay alive as they seek to unlock the secrets of the Blood Codex.

©2016 David Wood (P)2017 Adrenaline Press

Good Historical Adventure Mix

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read any books by David Wood so I do not have any of his prior works to compare this to as some other reviewers did. However, as a first time reader, I felt this was a really good adventure story with history and Norse Mythology thrown in. It did remind me of Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code."

The main characters, Jake Crowley, a history teacher, and Rose Black, a museum guide, travel throughout Europe in search of historical clues to puzzle out why some men are trying to kidnap Rose. While you might say how would a history teacher and a museum guide have the wherewithal to travel and to stay one step ahead of the bad guys? Well, Jake is not just a history teacher, he is former military with specialized training. Rose has contacts everywhere who provide assistance and she is no slouch in the combat department. As for money for this adventure - unclear. But, in these types of books, you have to believe that the main characters will always be equipped with all they need to be successful in the adventure and just enjoy the ride.

I really enjoyed the historical and Norse mythology aspects of this book. The two main characters, Jake and Rose, are empathetic and at times humorous. They work well together. Although it seems that Jake is a lot more enamored of Rose than vice versa, I am guessing so that there is some basis for why he puts his life on the line for someone he just met. Putting that aside, I found the story moved along at a good pace and there were some good twists along the way.

The narrator, Jonathan Waters, did a great job conveying the lighter moments as well as the tensioned filled moments of the story through his vocal intonations. He did use different character voices and it was easy to understand who was speaking. I found his voice very pleasant.

I'm a lifer now

Not my normal genre, but I'm ifer now. The narration was superb, with just the right inflection and changes for characters to be distinguishable and easy to follow. I didn't expect much for the story,(as I said not my normal genre) but was surprised that I was completely engrossed and wanted more. Bravo!

Another new co-authored series

This book just didn't have the spark that other David Wood books I've listen to have had. It was an interesting romp with unique places, but just not a typical David Wood book - which I presume is because it's a co-authored book. I'll give the next book a try to see if things improve. If not, I'll just wait for the next Maddock book to come out.

Great adventure story!

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I thought this was a pretty good book. I liked the adventure and by play between Jake and Rose. The action was fast paced and the story was full of historic references. The narration was great, too, so I thought this was a well rounded and enjoyable book. I'll definitely look for more Jake Crowley action.

Wood and Baxter do it again!

Wood and Baxter might be the best writing duo since Lennon and McCartney! Although this isn't their best work, it's still better than 97.384% of the audiobooks out on the market today. This gripping adventure will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you start questioning what your own birthmarks might mean. Do yourself a favor, and give this book a listen ASAP.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

not bad but not my thing

I received this book free of charge for an honest review.. the title is misleading and played a fairly minor role though that particular topic would have been intriguing. it was kinda like indianna jones plenty of stuff going on but not alot of suspense. story flowed a little to smoothly for me to really enjoy it as much as other series. over all a decent story and the narration was ok. Just not my particular taste.

Another Exciting Jake Crowley Adventure!

A unique birthmark found only on a few people brings danger to museum curator, Rose Black. When she is attacked, fortunately Jake Crowley is able rescue her—this time. That begins a wild adventure searching for the reason why. What does the birthmark mean? Why are men determined to capture Rose? From underground passages to moving walls to giant statues the hunt will thrill. The historical side to the novel adds so much interest.

Entertaining characters, similar to the author’s other popular series, The Dane Maddock series, fans will love it. New readers won’t want to miss the beginning of Crowley’s adventures.

This audiobook was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review. You will find my complete review at Mystery Suspense Reviews.

Great Adventure!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I thought the author did a great job with the action, adventure, history, and characters. I have listened to a number of David Wood's other books and found them totally enjoyable and educational. The narrator was new to me on this book and I was very impressed by his performance. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily reviewed it. I highly recommend listening to this book and can't wait for the next one. This is a standalone listen.

interesting book

this book was really good. I wasn't sure how it was going to play out with the beginning being so dated but it was very good. This was Da Vinci codes meets marvel super hero's. I received this book for free for an honest review

A Pleasant Surprise

I went in to this story with modest expectations. I hadn’t heard of the authors nor the narrator. Both turned out to be adept at their respective crafts.
The story continues at a reasonable pace, and the main characters are well developed. The plot follows a reasonable path, considering the sci-fi elements that are included. The ending is a bit abrupt, however. The book finishes within 5 minutes of the climax, which is too quick for adequate/satisfactory resolution. I don’t want chapters of resolution, but usually it is easy to get 10-15 minutes of listening.
Jonathan Waters has crisp intonation, and a consistent voice. His reading was pleasant to listen to, and his character voices and accents made sense and were fairly believable. He has a mild British accent, but does not sound pretentious.
I enjoyed this audiobook and would be happy to read and/or listen to the contributors in the future.

Note: I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.