enjoyable listen with a realistic topical subject

Frank Bowen and his Mi6 team are tasked with tracking down Pandora, the code named data security employee whole stole highly classified information.  If the data is released, it could bring down the government and possibly the entire security organizations of the British secret service.  Not known to the British agents is that a second team of Russian assassins were also hired to recover the data and kill anyone in the way including Frank and his team.

The action moves quickly as the teams follow tenuous leads to Central America and the Caribbean.  Pandora knows how important the data is and has covered her tracks well, but maybe not well enough for the combined resources of the expert spy networks.  Gun battles, car chases, and murder move through the novel as the teams get close to each other and Pandora.  Who will get there first is a race against time and survival?

Pandora Red is generally fast paced with episodes of internal contemplation and conspiracy revelations as the listener must decide who are the villains and who are the heroes.  The discoveries of WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden come to mind and give authenticity to the scope and importance to the data breach.  The balance of personal freedom and a government’s desire to track terrorists is in play.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The action is enjoyable, but not that much of the story.  It is more about Frank’s push from company man to the limits of his loyalty.  He has a moral compass and a good judge of character and is not afraid to use them.

The story is performed by Chris MacDonnell who does a generally excellent job.  He delivers the action in an understated stiff-upper lip kind of way.  The characters are easily discernible, but sometimes the female characters don’t match what might be in the listener's mind.  This is very minor and doesn’t detract from a very good performance.

Pandora Red is a thoughtful spy action novel.  It may not be as action packed as some listeners might crave, but has enough interesting characters to keep a steady pace.  It is an enjoyable listen with a realistic topical subject that should satisfy most enthusiasts of a government conspiracy.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.

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

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2 people found this helpful

Good Thriller

Frank's up to his eyeballs again I would presume. I did not get to read the first installment, but with that being said, I did not miss a beat. This read just as well as a stand alone novel.

Jay did a terrific job with the development of his characters. I thought I was reading the evening paper with the way it flowed so well. Governments tend to be exactly the way they were described in the story.

If you want a "Do not put me down" kind of listen, then this is for you. I am definitely going to read more of this series. A ton of info I did not know about was provided also.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

1 person found this helpful

Action thriller

This was a good mystery/thriller/action. Politically it's so on the mark it's scary. I enjoyed the characters and the story flowed well. Hooked me from the very start. I never got bored. Great action.

The narrator gave a good performance, however he really couldn't do female voices.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

1 person found this helpful

Conspiracy Thriller that lives up to that title!

I was worried because I didn't start with the first book in this series... however, that didn't take away from this story at all! I listened to this book in one day and found myself living vicariously through the characters. The author did a great job of character and story development. This book is INTENSE! It's got a Snowden/Wikileaks/Infowars type of vibe. The narrator really brought the characters to life... I definitely recommend it!

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

1 person found this helpful

Good Conspiracy Plot

Code name for date information that was stolen, if released it would bring havoc to the government. and British security. Frank and his team are called in. With threats to them and families. Good tension filled plot, that doesn’t disappoint readers. Good audio of which ARC was given for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

5 Star Story

A story that was so hard to shut down for the night!!! The narrator would be great for some other story but he just didn't sound like what I thought the characters should have sounded.

Pandora Red

Any additional comments?

Starts off slowly and builds as the story unfolds. I had a hard time really getting into the story. Not because of the story because of the narration. I could only listen a bit at a time because of the narration. I would recommend reading the story rather than listening.

The quote used by Zbigniew Brzezinski in the beginning is thought provoking and very scary.

Well written, interesting story and plotline.
Spies, political conspiracy, action, suspense, mystery, corrupt leaders and more woven into and entertaining, intense and engaging political thriller. As if Frank doesn't have enough on his plate, he needs to save his family. Who can he trust?

This is the first time I have listened to Chris MacDonnell narrate a book. It's not that he has a bad voice. For me his voice was just to dry/flat for the story. There was just not enough change in the tone of his narration to make the emotion and the characters come to life. He was just reading the story. He needs to put more emotion into his narration.

This audiobook was provided by author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom

rough start, mild finish

Would you try another book from Jay Tinsiano and/or Chris MacDonnell?

I would consider another book by Jay Tinsiano, but I don't feel that Chris MacDonnell really brought out the strengths of the characters.

Any additional comments?

I thought that the concepts in this book were good, the plot was well executed, but the story and narration was missing something. I wouldn't recommend this book.

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”