The Infiltration Game

The Think Tank Series, Book 2

By: Brian Andrews

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

When prominent CEOs of Fortune 500 companies begin dying in a series of freak accidents, The Think Tank is tasked to investigate.

Junior analyst Sloane Keller soon connects the CEOs to Chinese venture capitalist Michael Sun—a brilliant businessman with a shadowy past. With each new discovery, Sloane becomes convinced that the deaths are by design and all part of an international conspiracy. But to what end, she does not know …

The investigation soon takes a turn for the worse, when Sloane discovers that her father’s company has had business dealings with Sun. Afraid that her CEO father may be next on the hit list, Sloane and the Think Tank must unravel a hidden agenda that stretches from Washington to Beijing and unmask the world’s most devious assassin before it’s too late.

©2016, 2019 Brian Andrews (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing

The story had potential but the narrator held it back

It was hard to follow, because everyone sounds the same. The narrator did a disservice to the authors with his work. This also is on whomever does the QC of the audio quality which was tinny and shallow. I redownloaded the book to ensure it was the highest quality but still sounded bad. Sounded bad on AirPods and in the car. Just poor effort.

I enjoyed the book. BUT

It was very close to one of the Shepherd series books. I liked that one too.

The Think Tank Series is a Hit!

This second Think Tank thriller by Brian Andrews has all the hallmarks of what will be come seen as an outstanding series. The depth and breadth of characters has something for everyone, and the secretive nature of the Foundation threads into today’s reasonable theories that some call conspiratorial. MacLeod Andrews is a master narrator with perfect pitch, range, and timing.

Excellent Intrigue!

There were a couple of surprises and multiple levels of distrust with every character. It was hard to keep track of all the characters especially those who were not primary or completely developed., but a good story that kept your attention.

Nice change of pace

I actually enjoyed this series, I’ve been listening to the Tier One series and several of this authors other titles for a while so this was a nice change from naval warfare stuff. The “holes in the plot” as described by other reviewers i assume are lead ins to another novel in the series which is something both Wilson and Andrew’s do on the regular. Great narrator as usual and an enjoyable listen to me!

3.5 Stars - Unfinished Series?

Having just finished this book, it definitely feels like there was supposed to be a third book to pick up where this one left off. Since there isn't a third book, it makes the ending of the book less than satisfying. This was a factor in rounding down to 3 stars. Probably more of an issue with the publisher, but I still didn't like how it left so many unanswered questions. It would have been good to have a third book to see if the conflict between Wells and Nicolora comes to a head, to know what happens with Porter, to learn more about the woman between Wells and Nicolora, and to find out more about the icy blonde who was Well's right-hand person. The epilogue left so much unanswered.

I did like the author's note about the complexities of modern espionage and corporate influence. It was a good premise for the story. I thought the concept of China's long game plan to affect the US economy and to create backdoors in technological components was credible. The interaction between Sloane and Kalen was enjoyable. I would have liked to see where they might go in a third book. Some of the tech sounded fascinating; I just wonder how much was real back then or even now. And of course, I like it whenever my small town gets a mention in a story.

**Spoiler**

There were gaps in the story, though. I don't see how Amanda could work for both Wells and her father. I also didn't understand why Dave was set up and killed. The Chinese gun could have been left to still implicate the Chinese without killing Dave. The biggest question, though, was why go to the elaborate plan of collapsing the roof if Amanda ends up climbing out to shoot Keller? Dave could have shot Keller and she still could have escaped from the emergency hatch. I didn't quite buy that her anger over her father would cause her to act like she did on the roof.

Not as polished as Brian's other books, but this was written awhile back. Overall, it was a quick, fun read. As for the narrator, MacLeod does another excellent reading. He's one of the best in the business.

Awesome

Enjoyed this one immensely. Hope there’s another soon. Will be keeping my eye out. Now I’m finished writing the review .

Intelligent espionage!

I can’t imagine the amount of research this author puts into his work. The technical aspects of IT reads seamlessly even for those of us who aren’t privy to the terms or jargon, but somehow it’s still enjoyable!

Andrews does it again.

I started reading Clancy a few years ago. Then Jack Mars (who is so approachable and writes back) Luke Stone and Agent Zero books when I saw a Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson audible book with Ray Porter narrating and I was awe struck. Tier One series with Dempsey had me appreciating the usage of the English language the way it should be. I think I had listened to the entire series in a week or two. Now feenin for more I pre ordered anything coming out. I keep wondering why I don't see movies like Pete Carr's Terminal list. SpecOps or espionage is what I enjoy and this is the first book I listened to outside the Tier One or Shepard series that I have listened to. This is a must read.

not so good

sorry i spent actual money on this. i would try to return it but its a real hassle. Andrews and Wilson together are great, their individual novels are not good. narrator is very good. oh, the calypso directive was good. this does not follow on well from that.