Place of Fear

By: Ken Pelham

Narrated by: Mark Kamish

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Deep in the rainforest of Guatemala, a missing scientist, long given up for dead, languishes in a lightless prison cell. Fueled by a powerful, unknown narcotic, his senses are on fire; he can feel them expanding far beyond human bounds, even as the drug tears at his sanity. Upon learning that his friend is alive, Carson Grant mounts a frenzied rescue before the appointed time of execution. While a cutthroat band of looters, seeking easy riches, closes in for the kill, Grant stumbles onto the remnant of a mysterious hybrid civilization intent on destroying anyone that threatens to expose it. Trapped and desperate, Grant entrusts his team's survival into the hands of a young Maya cop and his beautiful, haunted sister.

Winner of the 2012 Royal Palm Literary Award, Place of Fear propels you inexorably toward a collision between Norse myth and Maya history, wherein only ultimate sacrifice brings survival. Place of Fear is the stunning prequel hinted at in Brigands Key, the thriller described by The Florida Weekly as "a perfect storm of menace...breathtaking!" Fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, James Rollins, and Steve Berry will find in Place of Fear to be a pause-resisting adventure and absorbing mystery that will keep them listening long into the night.

©2013 Ken Pelham (P)2016 Ken Pelham

Will keep you engaged

With its dive into the world of archaeology and ancient culture, this book goes beyond your typical thriller. The book is fast-paced from beginning to end, with danger arising at every turn.

The narrator does an excellent job of drawing the listener into the story. His voice is well-suited for the novel, and he captures the drama of each scene.

I was voluntarily provided with a copy of the audiobook at no charge.

Better than any old Indiana Jones story

A unlikely band of archeologists go off the grid to rescue a missing colleague. The mission, as missions are wont to do, goes off the rails and expands into an adventure no one anticipated. Place of Fear was a pleasant surprise for me. It shares the same genre as an Indiana Jones adventure or a Clive Cussler novel. But unlike one of the other reviewers, I didn't find the pace slow at all. The plot was captivating and presented enough action to keep me riveted to the story throughout the performance.

As the plot unfolded, I felt I was drawn deeper and deeper into the "place of fear." Mr. Pelham did a commendable job with the narrative, describing the darkness, the evil. He made it almost palpable. To me, the characters were fleshed out enough to fit the stories needs. Any more depth to most of the characters and it would have been superfluous.

Mark Kamish is a great storyteller. He has this soft accent from a US region I can't place easily, but it's not at all distracting. It added depth to most of the characters, especially the main character - Grant Carson. The voice of Elisa was a bit too soft for my taste, but otherwise he did a fantastic job.

In the end, I was wholly satisfied with the story, the length, and the narration.

This audio book was gifted to me by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Action-Packed Adventure

Any additional comments?

Place of Fear is an action-packed adventure that reminded me of an Indiana Jones film. A team of archeologists on the search for a lost colleague encounter crooked government officials, looters, mysticism and a fabled location and tribe. You couldn’t ask for more!

There are multiple narrators in Place of Fear, and that allows readers a greater understanding of the multitudes of characters. While the main character, Grant Carson, is the most developed, Mr. Pelham has given readers plenty of insight into the secondary and tertiary characters as well. The story alternates between the team of archeologists, some questionable local officials and leaders, and occasionally a scene from the missing archeologist. Pelham steadily builds the tension and sense of dread as Grant Carson’s team gets closer to their destination and as the summer solstice deadline nears. Unlike Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone story lines, there is a great deal of death and peril in Place of Fear, and not all of the good guys remain unscathed and whole. Most of the story is well-paced, but I could have done with shorter battle scenes, and there were a few grisly scenes that I wasn’t sure that I could finish reading.

I loved the inclusion of local mysticism. It enabled the nefarious characters to play on locals’ fears as well as increase the sense of menace in some scenes. The archeologists are like kids open gifts on Christmas when they come across a new find while searching for their friend/coworker. Their wonder at what they stumble across is tempered by their desire to keep it whole and safe from looters.

I listened to rather than read this book, and I have to say that narrator, Mark Kamish, truly made the book come alive. I’ve listened to several books he has narrated—romance, nonfiction and adventure, and he is remarkably versatile.

Intense and thorough

I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review and I think I got the better end of the deal. An amazing and unforgettable adventure that the narrator delivered with skill. Many twists on several levels so if you enjoy intricate plots this is book is a must.

Fantastic Mystery/Adventure!

Any additional comments?

If you liked Indiana Jones, or you enjoy Clive Cussler books, or you just dig adventure stories in general, this book is for you. 'Place of Fear' is an adventure story that leverages history, international locations, local lure of international places and some genius writing skills to weave this tale. An intricate look at archeology and all of the ways that it can go wrong, in the most dangerous of circumstances. I absolutely loved trying to figure out how the mystery would be solved and was enthralled from top to bottom. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a historical, suspenseful adventure story. 10/10

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

speed up narrator, enjoyable listen then.

I received this book free from ebalst, and this is my unbiased opion. First speed up narrator to 1.25, that makes it so much better. I enjoyed the story, it's a classic Indiana Jones. There are some twists and it is notentirely predictable. It's worth a listen.

Place of... not a good book for me

Liked the idea, did not like the performance - some Voices were almost annoying and others were congested, went too slow for me, played at a faster rate but that did not help...I did like some of the story line, somewhat contrived, but this may be a case where the performance skewed how good the book really is, I mean, it did win an award. This book was provided free by book affiliate for an honest review

Action-Packed Adventure

Makes you wonder what is in the unexplored far corners of the earth and something like this might actually sort of kind of happen! Great read. Great characters, story unraveled at a good pace and kept me intrigued.

Mark Kamish does an excellent job of drawing the listener into the story. His voice is well-suited for the novel, and he captures the drama of each scene

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

Kept me glued till the end! Very well written!!!

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

Yes, loved the twists and turns of this book.

What about Mark Kamish’s performance did you like?

Strong, easy to understand voice with compelling emotions.

Any additional comments?

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

More character building needed

This was a decent adventure/thriller. The story is interesting with a touch of the supernatural. My first issue is it's just not believable. The story is fun but I never really bought it. My next issue is few of the characters are terribly likable or sympathetic. It didn't help that very little character building was done. I did however enjoy the book. It was a nice distraction during my commute.

The narrator was ok. He did try really hard and was very enthusiastic but he really couldn't do female voices and was awful with accents.

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