Brilliant and hilarious adventure

This book was absolutely brilliant. It’s a clever mix of science fiction, adventure and comedy gold from observational humour at its highest level.
There was literally nothing that I didn’t enjoy about this book- they even discussed the time travel paradoxes in a simple yet well versed way.
Really looking forward to the next book.

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Beware the IRS

You can go back to the the land of the dinosaurs but the tax collector will still find you and don’t forget the mad scientist from the future and you having the making of a great adventure.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book at first I didn’t like the main character but he kind of grew on me after awhile I cannot wait to see what they do next.

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tongue-in-cheek time travel adventure

T-Rexes & Tax Law is the third ‘genre type’ by Rachel Ford that I have read. My first reading experience was set in a dystopian future, the second a short story I would call a horror fantasy.
Rachel has proven her versatility with this time travelling tale and I would say my enjoyment has grown with each book I have read.
This book is light-hearted with plenty of action and an look at human interactions.
The main protagonist Alfred Favero, senior analyst for the IRS is a pedantic, number obsessed burocrat to whom keeping and enforcing rules is the highest objective. Alfred pompously considers himself superior to others and whilst pragmatic is hopelessly impractical.
The female lead character is Nancy Abbot, she is the lead information technology analyst at the IRS, intelligent and a bit of a geek. At the same time she is a confident, practical and adventurous woman and absolute counterpoint to Alfred.
They are thrown together on a mission to uncover tax fraud of large corporation and are flown out to this company’s facility in an oasis in the middle of a desert. The place is abandond and they are forced to spend the night there. They encounter dinosaurs and then accidentally send themselves back in time to the Cretaceous Period, where they find the missing billionaire and facility owner, his wife and a number of employees who have set up a fortified, well stocked camp, but are trapped in this time zone.
From here on a number of adventures and experiences ensue; some are about exploring the fauna and flora, some uncovering the secrets surrounding the facility and why these people are trapped in the past and some exploring human feelings and interactions.
Alfred learns there are more things to life than rules and starts to develop socially and emotionally. Ultimately they bring Alfred and Nancy closer and they become close friends.
Overall this is an amusing, often exciting, sometimes surprisingly deep and well paced time-travelling adventure story, which I thoroughly enjoyed and I am looking forward to the next books in the series.

At first I wasn’t sure about the narrator John Carter Aimone; to my British ear his voice would be most suited to Western or Private Investigator stories. Somehow though John’s calm, but not monotonous, ‘drawl’ suited Alfred’s character perfectly and added to the story’s enjoyment.

PS: We all know an Alfred and love to hate him!

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review of my own opinion of it.

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great story line

A routine tax fraud investigation. A strange lab. A mysterious button.
great story loved it from the start can't wait for book 2

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A monster of a book

This is a different book for me to listen, my choice is cozy mysteries but I fancied a change and the blurb sounded interesting so I gave it a go. Glad I did as I enjoyed it and am going to get book two. Again the title sounds strange and not one I would normally listen to- UFOs and unpaid taxes but some how the author made this one work so I am going to give it a try. I liked it because it was so unusual, there was also a slight mystery (which kept me happy) as to who had followed them and was trying to kill off the survivors. I liked the characters and the way Alfred used creative words for swearing, also the way he has no problems when it comes to his job and upholding the law but life and every thing else he is less assured of himself even if he doesn't know it.
When Alfred and Nancy go on a field trip to investigate some irregularities with a company's taxes and the fact that everybody in the company disappeared, they had no idea that the helicopter ride to the desert and a secret base would change there lives. The empty base in abandoned and there task seems impossible the computer doesn't work because there is no power. No power that is except for the power running to the big button. The big button that Alfred can't help but press. Sending them back in time to when the dinosaurs walked the earth and then begins a fight to survive, good job they are able to find the missing scientist. However any changes in the past could effect them in the future and by traveling back in time they have already made one big change that could effect every one and give Alfred a big headache trying to understand it all . Will the change mean they can get back to there own time line or are they stuck?
I liked the narrator but did have to increase the speed a bit because he talked a bit to slowly, the voices were good though and you could always tell who was speaking.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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A USA Taxman as a hero - unlikely but read on

I loved the sound of this book and boy I was not disappointed.

Its a fun ride following Alfred and Nancy's trip into the past - but you ask 'how does a taxman end up back when the T-Rex once roamed the earth, well no spoilers from me but I will say Alfred is such an unlikely hero yet I adore him.

If you like a bit of time travel along with a mystery and a very ordinary taxman off on adventures then this is the book for you - it's so nice when ordinary unlikely people find themselves having adventures likes this.

I was given the opportunity to maybe receive this book for free and I admit grabbed at the chance and am so glad the author choose me as one of the ones who were given the book. I honestly love it and look forward to more of Alfred's adventures.........

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Grew on me

When I say "grew on me", it's not like I didn't enjoy the first few chapters of the book, but the main character (Alfred) definitely became more likeable as the book went! That said, a big part of what made the book fun is how whiney and a little bit annoying he is. He's not annoying enough that I felt the book or story was annoying, just annoying enough so I could laugh at him :) Story was interesting and fun and I enjoyed all the characters and twists.

I didn't enjoy the narrator so much. He did also grow on me, but not totally. There are lines he just says in a way that is too over the top for me. A bit over the top suits this story, but some of it didn't gel with me. But, listening on 1.3x speed, I could still enjoy the story.

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Unlikely hero!

The title of this book was what drew me to it! I'm a big fan of book with dinosaurs but couldn't figure what it had to do with tax but it quickly became apparent when I started to listen.

Senior analyst for the IRS, Alfred Favero, is sent to investigate a big company who is suspected of fraud. His reluctant companion is Nancy who is barely able to stand Alfreds' pompous attitude. When they arrive at the compound they find the place to be abandoned, and it looks like it's been abandoned for years. They enter a room and Alfred pushes a big red button which causes both of their lives to change forever!! Alfred and Nancy are transported millions of years into the past with no way home. they eventually find the missing people but they also find themselves embattled in a mystery that needs to be unraveled.

While the plot sounds ridiculous, it actually works extremely well! Who knew that the IRS would stumble upon such a mystery!! Lol. I do wish there was more dinosaur action though, there was one scene where it became very tense, but I wanted more. I did love the mystery intertwined with the time travelling plot though and couldn't listen to it fast enough in order to find out what happened.

But the absolute best thing about this book was Alfred. He is so sure of himself and his work, he follows the rules to the letter and is almost pompous in his attitude, but he is a lovable pompous and I immediately liked him. He reminded me a bit of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory in a way, though he isn't geeky at all!! I also loved his interactions with Nancy. You can feel her exasperation with him but she gets Alfred to take a long look at himself when she reveals some truths to him. That's when he stars growing as a character and that's when he and Nancy become friends.

In all, this was a fun read, with plenty of laugh out loud moments... most of them from or about Alfred!! I'm intrigued to see what else Alfred gets up to and am so glad I have the second one to listen to right away!!

While I loved the story, I'm quiet torn with the narration. On one hand John Carter Aimone made for an awesome Alfred but on the other, he just read the story too slowly. It took me ages to get into because it sounded so boring and I ended up having to start again from the start and speed up the narration in order to finish it. Once I found a speed I felt comfortable with, I did end up liking his narration. He had plenty of tones and voices and put emotion behind his performance, which made it all the more fun with Alfred!!

I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

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4 people found this helpful

exellent

Great series...doing everything i wanted it to. Helped me kill some time. If you like this sort of thing go for it.

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fantastic and quirky

Wow what a fantastic and quirky book, I loved every single minute of it.

It was great hearing Alfred becoming a much nicer person.

Well written and narrated as always xxxx

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