The Excoms

By: Brett Battles

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

From best-selling author Brett Battles comes the first book in a spinoff series from his award-winning Jonathan Quinn thrillers.

Ananke thought her week couldn't get worse, but as she hunts for the man who screwed up her previous job, things really go sideways.

Turns out, she's not the only one having problems.

Rosario can acquire anything for anyone, but can she obtain freedom for herself when her latest assignment goes awry?

Dylan's sure his new gig will be a walk in the park - or rather, a drive, given that he's a courier. Unfortunately, the road is a bit bumpier than he expected.

Liesel is having the worst week of her life, and blames only herself.

And Ricky? Well, Ricky doesn't believe in bad weeks. Though he can't claim being stuck in prison is all that great. Convenient for all of them, then, that a mysterious organization comes along asking for their help, and in return promises to reverse their excommunication from the secret world.

Of course, nothing good ever comes without strings attached.

©2016 Brett Battles (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

ExComms

the story had a great many twists in the plot which was great and kept me on my toes. The characters or interesting and diverse. love the story and looking for more from mr. battles

Good story. Narrator takes awhile to get used to

Nothing wrong with the narrator, it’s just after a bunch of Battles’s books being read by Scott Brick, the change takes a while to get used to. Good read (listen) overall. More of a short story than a full novel. Or so it seemed.

Started out slow but Improved!

Started out slow, I was thinking of returning but continued listening.
It picked up and I was hooked! The writer was setting up the background for the group.
I will be continuing the series. Interesting characters.

Worth a listen!

The Excoms moved along quickly. The story was really interesting and the characters pulled you into the story. Left you wanting to see where the team goes next.

Good story Allyson Johnson is a wonderful narrator!

Hoping these characters are going to continue into a second book!
Would love to see more of their story lines.

Ok, had potential. We’ll have to see

I like the book overall. I think the fact that it is a series makes it a little bit more alluring than if it was an one off. I did think that the character development was not quite as deep as it needed to be given that this is completely a character driven story. I would give it an equivalent of an action movie that is fun and entertaining to watch but not particularly deep or well-developed. Again, a lot of potential so we’ll see. I got this book on sale for $4.99 so it was well worth that.

airplane read

This is the kind of book perfect for an airplane trip or maybe your daily public transportation commute. The plot, which could have been overly complicated, is kept easy to follow. The characters are all likeable in their own way. It's a light, entertaining read.

Very cool start for a series!!

I really did not know what to expect coming into this book. The premise reminded me of the show The Breakout King, which I loved, so I gave it a shot. Turns out, it was a great read!

Be prepared for a jumpy story line. By that I mean it isn't going to stay in one place and you transition from one character to the next. The upshot is it stays to sections narrated by one character and is easy to follow. The trickiest part is the beginning when you are meeting them all and getting back stories. It wasn't too complex, just requires more than a modicum of attention to follow.

I really liked the flow of the story. It also had dynamic and engaging characters. There are a few stereotypical things, but nothing too bad. The main plot was good, not overly complex, but not exactly exciting either. I expect more in time with the series. I do wonder about their mysterious counterpart.

I listened to the narration by Allyson Johnson, who did a terrific job. She had a lot of distinct voices to maintain and really did a wonderful job with all of them. I never once found the read lacking or unclear as to which character was driving the narrative. I enjoyed everything about the pace and energy of her voice. I look forward to many more of her reads.It was a pleasure and I hope she continues on with the series.

Overall, I was intrigued by the plot, enchanted by the characters, and left wanting more! A pretty good way to leave a reader! Just don't make me wait too long for the next book!

This was part of my reading for almost free commitment. I found it on Amazon, with my Kindle Unlimited subscription, I was able to borrow the audio for no additional charge. I do not know if this is a permanent arrangement or temporary. It was in effect at the time I wrote this review.

Nice tangent to the Quinn stories

The slightly confusing beginning is a surprise, as five underworld workers find themselves in untenable positions they, and we, never thought they would find themselves. Some of these are amateurs and some are super-black, skilled underworld professionals, and now they must decide to work together and trust each other (yeah, right) to accomplish the mission set before them.

After the intriguing beginning, the story weakens a bit.The setup is a bit far-fetched, and only the five teammates are really made full and round for us, so it is a bit thin. Ananke is here, so we are already familiar with at least one character. The action and the mystery keep us interested even though we never really believe the premise. Not the best of Battles' books, but this may end up being a satisfying spin-off to the Quinn stories.

OK start, poor narration

Solid start to a new series, if somewhat predictable.

The narrator is the box drawback. Her Mexican accent, and often her Irish accent, sounds Oriental. She doesn't distinguish between characters well. Overall annoying