The Florentine Deception

A Novel

De: Carey Nachenberg

Narrado por: Nick Podehl

A seemingly mundane computer cleanup leads to an electrifying quest for an enigmatic - and deadly - treasure in this gripping techno-thriller.

After selling his dorm-room startup for millions and effectively retiring at the age of 25, Alex Fife is eager for a new challenge. When he agrees to clean up an old PC as a favor, he never expects to find the adventure of a lifetime waiting for him inside the machine. But as he rummages through old emails, Alex stumbles upon a startling discovery: The previous owner, a shady antiques smuggler, had been trying to unload a mysterious object known as the Florentine on the black market. And with the dealer's untimely passing, the Florentine is now unaccounted for and ripe for the taking. Alex dives headfirst into a hunt for the priceless object. What starts out as a seemingly innocuous pursuit quickly devolves into a nightmare when Alex discovers the true technological nature of the Florentine. Not just a lost treasure, it's something far more insidious: a weapon that could bring the developed world to its knees. Alex races through subterranean grottos, freezing morgues, and hidden cellars in the dark underbelly of Los Angeles, desperate to find the Florentine before it falls into the wrong hands. Because if nefarious forces find it first, there'll be nothing Alex - or anyone else - can do to prevent a catastrophic attack.

©2015 Carey Nachenberg; This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Fun, fast-paced techno-adventure

Where does The Florentine Deception rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd place The Florentine Deception just below Ready Player One and Daemon in terms of my favorite audio books. I found all three books to be really fast-paced and fun to listen to. Normally I only listen to audiobooks during my commute, but I found myself also listening to this book during my downtime at breakfast, lunch, while brushing my teeth, etc.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the adventure aspects of the story most of all - the book is really a classic-style adventure novel (like a treasure hunt), with a technology angle. As a techie, I also enjoyed the "techno" parts of the story. Unlike most techno-thrillers, the technological part of this book seemed totally plausible (and scary). The technology parts were also easy to understand - there was no techno-babble.

Which character – as performed by Nick Podehl – was your favorite?

I really liked the narrator's portrayal of the main character (Alex Fife) - he really brought out the character's emotions. His portrayal of the Russian characters was also awesome! I thought that the narrator could have done a better job with some of the women characters, however. They all sounded a lot alike. That said, all of the characters were easy to distinguish (when talking to each other), so this is a bit of a nit.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I really enjoyed the story! The chapters are short, so it went by really quickly. The book could have done with a bit better editing, but that didn't detract too much from the story. Otherwise it was a great listen!

Kinda scary when you think about it!

A bit slow in the beginning then, as you get more and more engrossed in the story and characters, you begin trying to figure out "whodunit" so that, by the end, when the real world implications become clear, it's more than a little nerve-wrecking! Nice listen!

if you enjoy action or cyber-crime stories

The Florentine Deception was an enjoyable adventure-type story with an interesting plot, lots of action and some nice humor. Although it is a techno-thriller centering around a cyber-security expert you do not need a profound knowledge of computer science to follow the story. The author does a great job providing just enough details for easy understanding and without it getting too technical or dull. The main theme was really a treasure hunt to find the location of the Florentine. This involved among other things a funny trip to the morgue with the hero's grandfather, a climbing adventure and a few altercations with a couple of adversaries who were also after the Florentine. The author created a likable group of characters who were supporting the somewhat unlikely hero of this story: Alex is a twenty-five-year-old computer geek who made tons of money with his start-up and is now spending his days drifting, mainly climbing with friends and doing computer-related favors for his relatives. While there wasn't a lot of character development or truly breathtaking twists, it was an easy and fun story to listen to.

Nick Podehl's narration was as ever excellent, and one of the reasons I decided to listen to this book in the first place. He was a great fit for the character of Alex, but also managed to bring all the other characters to life with different voices and believable accents. It always feels as if he really gets into the stories he narrates and he is enjoying himself, which in turn makes it easy for the listener to engage with the audio book. There were no problems with the production.

I think it's worthwhile mentioning that the author is donating the proceeds of this debut publication to charities supporting underprivileged students and veterans. So if you enjoy action or cyber-crime stories and/or have an interest in climbing and/or computer security, you should definitely enjoy this audio book whilst simultaneously supporting a very good cause.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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An Exciting Adventure

Such an enjoyable audiobook!

An mystery lover can appreciate the excitement of finding a clue to a missing gem. Even more fun to run across it while simply checking out an old computer. Like a hidden compartment or buried treasure, it bring to life the imagination.

So did The Florentine Deception. Finding the clue in the computer would be exciting enough. Yet what Alex Fife discovers is potential treason, foreign assassins, and an imminent plot to destroy America. Will his skills be enough to prevent it? Will it be too late? All because of a gem?

Alex, fortunately has a wealth of knowledge. Having sold his successful computer security software, he is singularly in a position to delve into the old system tracing back to who and what it involves. What he finds could cost his life and those he holds dear.

It’s a thrill ride of an adventure, with lots of action and twists to keep you wondering how they can succeed. From deep within the computer to to deep within a cave that may hold the answers, he and his likable friends try to stay one step ahead of killers. Only it doesn’t always work.

I’m always pleased to find a book available in audio format. Narrated by popular Nick Podehl, the audiobook runs just over ten and a half hours. He does have a great voice that suits Alex Fife very well.

Thank you to iRead Book Tours for providing this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Loved listening to such an exciting story. You can find my full review on Jaquo Lifestyle Magazine.

Enticing subject

Great story and narration. Unfortunately, the writer seems to have desperate need for a good editor. Many chapters drug on needlessly and we’re unnecessarily repetitive. The protagonist, a seemingly smart guy, perpetually made stupid choices for no apparent reason. It was frustrating to have a book ping pong the reader back and forth between loving and hating it.
All of that being said I look forward to the author refining their skills or upgrading the editor so I can enjoy many more excellent adventures to come.

Over-simplified, yet too detailed at the same time

Any additional comments?

I initially chose this book because I like a good crime mystery. I read through a ton of glowing reviews, and I was ready to be riveted. The opening was ok, so I powered through.

What really got me, though, was that at many (many) times throughout the book, the author just over-explains an idea; almost as if talking to a child. I just kept thinking: "come on already, get to the point." Now, I'm no technology guru...just an average person who can work the basics on a computer. The protagonist, on the other hand, is introduced as a forward thinking revolutionary in the technology field. Yet, he is so slow on the uptake of certain events, that this is hard to believe. On the flip-side of this, there are times that the author just goes off for a time in great detail on some technological point. There's no middle ground.

I listened through to the end, just to see what happens, but I was really ready to be done about 2/3 of the way through. The narrator was solid/consistent through to the end. Looking back, I wish I'd picked something else.

Fun, engaging, and actually educational

If you could sum up The Florentine Deception in three words, what would they be?

It's a great read, and I think outside of the story telling it opens up eyes for the "average joe" by making concepts around computer security much more tangible.

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

Yes it did, though at times I felt that the main character was experiencing an unusual string of bad luck! What I really liked about these circumstances was the nice balance the main character used between clever solutions at times and just brute forcing (like in real life) at other times.

Which scene was your favorite?

It's a toss up between the panic room scene and the cave scene

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Probably the UCLA morgue scene

Any additional comments?

I think this book has an educational value to it, specifically for the average Joe. I'm in the tech industry and so suspect I was definitely taking a lot of the material understanding for granted, but my wife is not and as we both listened to the book I was mindful of how she would be able to absorb the concepts and appreciate them. She definitely learned a thing or two about security awareness, and that's a win for me!

Great book

I really enjoyed this book! I would put this in one of my top 5 books overall. When does part 2 come out?

W*O*W!

Wow! I don't normally write a full review but I felt compelled to with this book. The author has a way of making the reader feel as though he's part of the story. I couldn't stop listening! The narration was very good as well - I liked the voices. Please Carey write another book soon! Hurry!

Good, but rushed ending

it was a very believable and intriguing story. one of the better mysteey/suspense stories I have read. the only bummer was the rush ending. rather than have us join the character's last days we are just "debriefed" at an nsa meeting and not even given all the details. it seemed as though the author had to rush to meet a deadline or got tired of telling the story. aside from that I enjoyed the story immensely.