Hell & High Water

THIRDS, Book 1

By: Charlie Cochet

Narrated by: Mark Westfield

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences—and the media frenzy—aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father—a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS—pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.

Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer - and every bit as dangerous.

©2014 Charlie Cochet (P)2023 Charlie Cochet

A L'il SciFi. A L'il Romance. A Whole Lot Sexy.

A little bit romance, a little bit comic book/ superheroes, and a pinch of the Agents of Shields bundled into an exciting and suspenseful story. Despite moments when there seemed to be too much detail on the training/ fighting thing which really isn't for me, the plot was tightly written. The characters were quite unique, particularly Dex. The science fiction feel of a world with an alternate breed of beings added to the complexity and created a world unlike any other I had previously read.

Listening to the book on audio was a nice alternative but sometimes proved difficult in pulling in all the details. I slowed it down and was careful to listen carefully. This is not a story you can miss anything! Everything that happens has a point and the narrator brings in the emotion -tension and passion- of the story.

Awesome book.

wow love it great book . I enjoyed it. The narrator does a really good job in bringing the characters to life. highly recommended

Didn't think I like it...but I LOVED IT!

Superb story and narration. The characters are complex. The story is fascinating. Great spin on the m/m shifter theme.
I had grown a little tired of shifter stories but a read a review and thought I would give it a try. As serious as the underlying theme of bigotry is, there is also some of the best LOL lines I have ever read. The sex is sparse but very hot! Going to listen to the sequel right now.

Fun start to an awesome series

Love the detailed explanation of how Therians came to be and the concept of the Thirds. There's plenty of action and romace...LOVE Dex and Sloane and while there are some serious parts, this story also has some scenes that are so funny I was clutching my side and bowling with laughter. Mark Westfield does a great job narrating this series

Oh, No! Cliffhanger!

But the story is so good you can ignore that pesky little issue.

This is shifters like I've never seen. Excellent world building, strong characters, and an engaging mystery.

Fall into Charlie Cochet's Thirds series. You won't be disappointed. Narrator Mark Westfield has made this an audio that I've listened to several times, and have marked with a Favorites ❤

A feel-good sort of story

While this was an enjoyable read I did have a few problems with it there for four stars instead of five. The first thing that bothered me was the very detailed descriptions of the surroundings; color of furniture, pictures on the walls, etc., none of these things were really essential to the plot but stretched the book out. The world building was OK except for this extra detail and I'm eager to see more of it as I move onto the next book in the series. As for the main characters I feel there is a lot of room for more development. I feel like they get together a little too easy after how they are initially described as being strong independent guys yet with the sensitive side to each of them. I felt the way they were developed it would've actually taking a little bit more work for them to get to the point where they'd hop into bed with each other. As for the two characters and all the characters for that matter they are all very likable and like I said there is plenty of room for development in later books. The narration by Mark Westfield was pretty good although I had a couple issues with a couple of his voices that were kind of blah. But overall he did do a fairly good job. The plot was not very deep however it served fairly well to introduce us to all the characters. To sum it up I enjoyed it enough that I will probably read the whole series and would recommend it for those who are into MM romance. Oh yes, I almost forgot, the sex scenes were pretty hot between the two main characters even though it seemed a little too quick to happen.

Good story with a flat delivery

The story is good with interesting characters. Naming partners Calvin and Hobbs merited an eye roll, not a giggle.

The reader has a pleasant voice but he read, rather than performed the book. There were scenes that should have been very funny but they were read so deadpan that the humor was sucked out of the scene.

Characters that are so easy to connect with

The witty dialogue made this audio book for me the narrator does a great job in keeping up. All the banter is so funny and it makes then all relatable

Ah-Maaaazing!

I LOVED this book. I had a smile on my face the whole time. I usually listen to audibles on my walks. I lost like 5 pounds because of the many walk I did just to finish this book. Book one was enchanting. The author really let you get to know the characters and thier playful quirks without it being a slow eye-rolling burn. I must admi the plot, if you are a UNSOLVED mysteries type, you will totally figure it out but loved the journey of them playing catch up to figure out. The main characters are so easy to fall in love with. The "love" story was perfect. Again, in this day and age, I don't have time for slow burns. The timing of the book was ideal and overall just a great dang book.

Fantasy, Family, Fun, Fur and Friends

A great start to a very enjoyable series featuring a unique group of shifters and their families. What I liked was there was joy and thrills both from the Thirds adventure and their erotic encounters. Acceptance of peoples differences and sexual preferences. These are characters that you will want to get to know and root for! The narrator Mark Westfield is a good match for the stories.