Undefeated

Sydney Rye Mysteries, Book 15

By: Emily Kimelman

Narrated by: Sonja Field

The moon hangs low and full, her silvery light reflecting in the facets of black choppy water.

Blue and I sit in the cockpit of a sailboat. My eyes scan the open ocean while female Peshmerga fighters sleep all around me—below deck, across benches on the bow, and one curled up on the stern.

I cup my pregnant belly, allowing myself room to grieve in this peaceful moment. Rida saved my life…and I got her killed.

My old story starts to ride its rails: Everyone I love dies.

Tears thicken my throat. My dog, Blue, sitting by my feet, leans more heavily against my leg. I sink my fingers into the thick ruff across his broad shoulders, finding some peace in the warmth there. Blue doesn't die.

Rida did, though. Shot in the back. Killed in an instant.

The faces of others I've lost crowd my mind's eye. My brother, James, grins at me like he knows all my secrets. Malina winks, her eyes sparkling with joy. I got them killed too....

I spawned the lies Rida used to start a revolution. Right before she died, Rida told me my lies were truth, that she was a messenger from God, and so was I. Because we are all divine. Bunch of nonsense.

But Rida's lies lent strength to women, offering them the opportunity to recognize their worth.

Her words freed women who'd believed other lies about our gender. That we are dangerous and in danger. More nonsense.

But women believed Rida's new story instead of the old ones…fascinating how much power belief lends reality.

Rida claimed to be a prophet, to have heard the voice of God, and that He said women were equal, and should rise-up and claim their rightful positions next to men. But it wasn't God, it was a very brain damaged me.

The lies took on a life of their own, as they so often do. Fueled by enough belief, a well told lie—fiction—can change the world.

The boat rocks gently, the sail filled by a fresh gust of wind.

We are in international waters off the coast of France, fleeing. This is how my life as Sydney Rye began. Blue and I in a boat, escaping New York City. But it’s no longer just us two. My son shifts inside me as if he can sense my thoughts of him…and maybe he can.

The connection I feel to my son is not something I can articulate. Maybe because I’m afraid of what it sounds like. It sounds like a bunch of nonsense.

I've always insisted that faith in a God, in a deity outside myself is dangerous. I always held myself responsible. Insisted that I choose to save lives, often by taking others. I made those choices. No God told me what to do, or absolved me of my actions.

Those beliefs brought me here, to this boat, to this life growing inside of me. To a grief as deep as the sea beneath me.

Is there a way forward without bloodshed? Can I break this curse and hold onto the ones I love without giving up and just letting the world spin on without me? It's all the trying that gets people killed. But every time I stop…they suck me back in.

Lightning flashes in the distance and I look at Blue, he doesn't react to the storm I see hovering on the horizon. It lives in my damaged brain. A lie I'm telling myself.

I smile, humor in the absurd thinning the blanket of grief cloaking me.

Thunder rumbles and a voice whispers within it. Burn it all down.

©2022 Emily Kimelman (P)2022 Emily Kimelman

can't stop listening!

Great story, I'm so invested in the characters that I can't stop! I love the grit, and the suspense is killing me!

Noooooooo! Lol - I love this series!!!

Hooray for strong and feisty and fierce women! I can’t wait until book 16 is recorded for Audible :)

Looking forward to the next book - book 16

The author does a good job having you get invested in the characters. You root for them, cheering them on in their pursuit of Justice. The narrator, Sonja Field, is fabulous. She makes the story come alive with her accents and reading style. Very enjoyable.

These Stories Will Consume You

The entire Sydney Rye series is amazing. These were not light reads that you can easily put down. The excitement, storylines, character builds, intensity, and range of emotions are riveting and will leave you wanting more. The reader brings each character alive in such a believable way, it's captivating. Be prepared for emotional hangovers!!!

Douglas

This woman frustrated me
But I'm compelled to find out what is next up.

She finally had the baby!!

I’m so sad for Mulberry’s death. 😭 I hope because there’s no body that he somehow survived

HOLY MOLY!!!!

I LOVE this series. Ms. Kimelman is a master at character development and weaving a gripping story. I love that the woman is one strong lady with a dog that does not die. I am sitting on pins and needles for Book 16 to be released in audiobooks. Sonja Field is a great narrator as well.

I can't get enough!

Outstanding female lead, fully formed characters, the bad guys die, and dogs! I can't get enough.

My name is…

This is my second time listening to this series with the additions of books 15-18, I’m thrilled! I can’t wait to exercise in the morning, as I listen to them when I ride my bike with my three dogs. I’m an American expat teacher who currently lives in China, but I also lived in the Middle East and Russia so I LOVE when Sydney goes abroad. I see what she describes.

Excellent narration

I want to praise Sonia Fields for her incredible ability to portray so many characters believably. Kudos on a series well read.