The Harrowing of Hell

The Jack Elliot Series, Book 2

By: Dean Kutzler

Narrated by: Tom Lennon

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

There's a secret about the Son of God most won't believe?

Jack Elliot is back in another harrowing adventure, and this time he's taking his partner, Calvin, along for the ride. Neither is qualified to do the dangerous work Jack has set out to do, but that doesn't stop them from taking on the mission.

Deep in the heart of the Congo, a dangerous artifact was hidden a long time ago.

One that is said to wield the power of resurrection.

As they seek out an old man living somewhere along the Congo River who supposedly knows about the artifact, a mysterious boy abducts Jack behind Calvin's back. With a machete in each hand and only a direction to follow, he runs off chopping his way through the jungle!

The mission heats up when they learn the artifact is linked to a secret from the beginning days of the church. If uncovered, the veil of hope protecting humanity will be torn down. If it exists, it cannot fall into the wrong hands.

The Harrowing of Hell, the second book in The Jack Elliot Thriller series, is sure to deliver fast-paced, thrilling action, and adventure with a strong sense of mystery. Fans of Dan Brown, James Rollins, or Clive Cussler are sure to love this series!

©2017 Ironclad Bindings (P)2017 Ironclad Bindings

Tomb Raider/Uncharted video games In Book Form

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a book about a band of adventurers who begin to unravel a conspiracy related to Christianity and other world religions. The team obtains knowledge of an ancient story of power and jealousy that began the deep-rooted tension between races. There is a big reveal about the truth of the basis of religion that will leave readers conflicted on a spiritual and social level. It is an ambitious move by Kutzler and I respect his willingness to challenge the reader in an internal and intellectual way.

The plot is fast paced with appropriate lulls and I particularly liked the new characters introduced in this one—one being a strong independent woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue, quick to call the protagonist out on his shenanigans.

The narrator stepped up his game in this installment—which was a complaint of mine about the first book. I have to admit that the narrator is shaping my mental image of the protagonist into someone quirkier than the author likely intended, though this isn’t a complaint by any means. It’s adding more depth to the bold and sassy Jack by giving him a professor-like quality.

The quality of the prose is sound in all areas except for when it begins to describe large-scale chamber oriented “puzzles.” This was reminiscent of puzzles encountered in the video games “Uncharted” and “Tomb Raider.” While these work on screen, they are not entirely suited to be described in great detail with the written word.

Overall I recommend this read—especially to those that enjoy “Indiana Jones,” “Uncharted,” and “Tomb-raider.” Walk in to this prepared for an interesting alternate history that may challenge you on a few levels—religion and spirituality and social constructs being at the forefront.

love this series

A thriller filled with mystery and suspense, genetically altered monster. Guaranteed to keep you listening.

I've really enjoyed listening to Tom Lennon. I like his voice and the way he narrates.

I was provided a free copy at my request. I'm happy to provide my honest review

Faster pace.

The book doesn't really start off where the first one ended. It starts off on a new adventure looking for a new artifact. The book does go over briefly what happened in the first book, so you could actually read this one as a stand alone. This book also has a much faster pace than the first. It goes into great detail about the history of the secret organization and how everything came to be. Great read. Once again the narration was a little slow for me. Read at 1.5x speed. I would recommend this book.

Great #2 in Series

What made the experience of listening to The Harrowing of Hell the most enjoyable?

I really enjoyed book 1 and was concerned about how a sequel could measure up. This one builds on all we already know, yet offers a stand alone plot that is completely engrossing.

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

Plenty of action and some really evil bad guys.

What about Tom Lennon’s performance did you like?

He seems to enjoy telling the story. Makes it very believable.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to number 3.

A Good read / listen

The Harrowing of Hell, Is even better than book 1 - I enjoyed book 1 but this one is stronger in the storyline. well developed plot, characters are all just so much more rounded. The author writing style has matured. -
A really good read throughly entertaining.
Audio quality and narration are both excellent and Tom Lennon is making this book easy listening.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my own request, and voluntarily leave this review.

Good, but lacks the greatness of its predecessor.

Book one of the Jack Elliot series, titled Brownstone, was so well written that I expected the same experience here in book two, but it seemed to scramble for a solid foothold. I was able to follow the story, but it just didn't grab me like Brownstone did. Some parts were unnecessarily complex, overly detailed, and dragged on. There was more of a supernatural quality that succeeded only in drifting off into prolonged dialogue. Jack's relationship with his partner, Calvin, was introduced in Brownstone, but now Calvin has come along for Jack's adventure and his presence did add more depth to the overall story. At the same time, characters new to Harrowing play significantly larger roles which create less room for Jack's storyline, and I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

Tom Lennon narrates again. He does a great job by enhancing the humor and drama in the story. A small number of mispronounciations were sprinkled throughout but didn't detract from my enjoyment. I hope the next installment will turn the series around for me because I simply wasn't impressed by Harrowing.

(I requested this free review copy audiobook and voluntarily posted this unbiased review.)

great and again great

a wonderful and interesting and very very good story I love this book very much it was extremely well written the story was fascinating great book

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

Entertaining

So, this is an entertaining, light read with an interesting take on the origins of Christianity (although I could have done it without the pontification, TBH) and quite a bit of action.

There are nazis, a global conspiration for world domination, magic artefacts, ancient DNA and, well, a bit of everything. Even the kind of female character I hate: a super-powerful woman (because that's the only way a woman can be strong) whose wit is used only to spit derogative namecalling for everybody around her, and, although she is smart, physically strong and amazing in a fight, the one character who interacts with her is all the time thinking about her body and her beauty *rolls eyes*

I like that Jack is now with Calvin, his partner, but I don't like the new character (Armitage? I already forgot his name).

The story follows a lot of threads at the same time, so when the book ended, I felt like I hadn't spent enough time with any character. And all those threads are left unfinished, so I'll need to read/listen to the next book to know what happens and ended with a sense of that nothing really happens here. Which isn't true, but there you go :P

All in all, entertaining, but nothing else.

Tom Lennon does an excellent job with the narration.

A different form of Indiana Jones.

Although this story is far from original it is well constructed and is entertaining.The main thanks is to a good performance by the
Narrator.For those lsteners who enjoy this genre you will enjoy this ride.


This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Great story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is exciting and gives clues and hints that had me thinking. I can't wait to read book 3!


This review was in exchange for a free copy of the book