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  • Hell & High Water

  • THIRDS, Book 1
  • By: Charlie Cochet
  • Narrated by: Mark Westfield
  • Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (188 ratings)
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Hell & High Water cover art

Hell & High Water

By: Charlie Cochet
Narrated by: Mark Westfield
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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
  • Series: THIRDS, Book 1
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about Hell & High Water

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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4 stars read/listen

Any additional comments?




Dex makes a testimony that puts his police partner in jail. It also makes him boyfriendless and almost jobless. But his adoptive father steps up, and pulls Dex into the world of the Thirds, a shifter police-type force trying to keep the peace between the humans and the shifters. SLoane is the leader of the team DEx is placed in, and from the very start, he knows they still haven't dealt with the loss of their team mate, the one Dex replaces. There are other, darker forces at work, and when faced with the death of 3 HumaniTherian activists, Dex knows he has his work cut out to make the team accept him, especially Slaone, to whom Dex has a powerful reaction to.

A different take on shifters, the Thirds agents are mostly Therian, cat shifters of some kind, and they need extra special care after shifter, hence the need for a partner. Sloane and Dex have an head butting reaction, and its quite amusing how Dex deals with it differently to Sloane. Dex is witty, has excellent taste in *old music* but Sloane is straight laced, down the line, lets get this work done! These two, along with the rest of the team made for some interesting reading.

I enjoyed it, and will keep going with this series, Dex and Sloane dont get a full HEA, just a happy-for-now sort of ever-after, so there is more to come from these two! And it isn't going to be a picnic, I can tell!

Mark Westfield narrates, and this is the first I've listened to by this narrator. He has a deep clear *reading voice* and a clear distincion between the characters, making conversations between multiple characters clear and concise and with no problem making out who is talking at which time. Emotions come across in all the right places, and you get all the drama too, just where you need it. His voice made it easy for me to listen, and I will certainly listen to other work narrated by him.

4 stars for the narration, 4 for the story, and 4 overall.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Really bad narration

The story was ok, and had promise, but it was like listening to 10 year old boys squabbling. I want sexy men, not a school yard. The narration being like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh really didn’t help either. His voice was so emotionally flat that I felt like his apathy and depression was contagious and left me feeling low. Narrators need to actually feel what they’re speaking and be an actor. Disappointed as this series has really high reviews, and the author’s more recent book Love in Spades is much better and has a great narrator and is what inspired me to give this book a go.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable Story

A well written story with and interesting  concept.  The characters are likeable and the narration is very good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

awful

so poorly written. Its full of cliches and bad tropes. so So bad. Save your money.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

Love this book. Charlie takes you on a fast paced rollercoaster of a ride. Dex is an amazing loveable Dork and Sloane is everything you expect of a Alpha Male. The story is involved but never boring. if you like hot men, guns, high octane action and romance then read this book and the series. Amazing narrator who does a great job with all the characters.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

MM Shifter Series


I first read this series a few years ago, and now I'm starting again, but in audio.

When you first meet Dex and Sloane, you will never forget them. I have laughed so hard at Dex's antics and have come to think of the whole team and everything to do with Thirds as real life. You end up so immersed in their world that you believe it to be real.

Charlie Cochet can write, and this series is among her best work; her world-building skills go above and beyond.

Mark Westfield narrates these books. It took me a while to gel with his voice, but after three books, I was convinced.

Hell & High Water
THIRDS, Book 1
By: Charlie Cochet
Narrated by: Mark Westfield
Series: THIRDS, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

❤❤❤❤❤ Overall
🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration
📚📚📚📚📚 Story
Read at 1.15 speed on Audible

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

No. Nope. Nah.

The protagonists are action types in field jobs so snap decisions are better than thinking shit through. They are powerfully built maintaining peak physical conditioning and looks by eating baked goodies, junk food and fighting over vending machine snacks. MCs are said to be best of the best, whip smart with good judgement but are shown making stupid decisions and having poor impulse control. Protagonists are 37 + 33 but evidently this is dog years. Exhibit A: Unprofessional behaviour at work because lust is everything. Exhibit B: Snark, pranks and jokes are modelled on Jackass, the TV Show. Exhibit C: This dating club (30% of whom are father and sons, yes) is badass because it is called Team Destructive Delta. This absolutely did not work for me.

🎧 Mark Westfield uses special effects - that was fun! He distinctively voices characters which l appreciated. H&HW had lots of information dumps so the narrator's dry delivery suited those. MW did a decent job considering.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story. Graphic moments

I really enjoyed the story. The narrator really brought it to life. Be warned though, some of the initimate moments a pretty graphic.

There is just the right balance between thriller, fantasy and humour. The lead character, Dex, is both annoying but one of those guys you would want as a friend. A great character, well written.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Story Good - Narration ,,, iffy

I liked the story and the way it sets up an overarching plot, and the developing sense of camaraderie between Dex and the team. Even though the central relationship is only just beginning however, it still felt a bit insta, especially from Sloane's side (and that he'd so easily go from one forbidden "fraternisation" relationship to a second felt off.) But clearly there's a way to go for these two and I'm hooked in enough to want to read more.

The narration by Mark Westfield is... well, not great. I've heard worse and he does settle in a bit as we go along, but in the early stages, the narrative portions are wooden and a bit monotonous. He does read with expression, but it's a reading rather than a performance; it doesn't feel very natural and his vocal acting isn't great. His voices for Dex and Sloane are okay, although a lot of the humour falls flat because he just doesn't 'get' it, and his accents - mostly for the English medic and what sounds like a Latinx team-mate are truly horrible. They only have small amounts of dialogue here though, so I could get through it.

I might try book 2 to see if the "settling in" continues.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absorbing

We learn step by step with Dex as he is integrated into his new team, about this dystopian world with it's foibles and forces, it's foes and friends. Such a well thought out premise, well researched, encompassing and intriguing with the added spice of a budding romance in this action/thriller.

Delightful MCs well described and delineated, who stand up strongly to each other to give contrast and drama, as well as well written banter. The comedic undertones crop us just when you're not expecting them.

So happy to have stumbled on this series and am contemplating investigating the follow on 9 books of this series.

Not encountered this narrator before, and found his tone and presentation perfect for the genre, not over egging the pudding just because he can, which gives a charming "it's all in a day's work" aspect to the tale. A good one Audible.

LOOKING FORWARD TO BOOK 2

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