I lost time listening

Engaging. Witty. Fast paced. All the things you need in a book. Listened on a long drive and literally lost almost 3hrs. Looking forward to the next one.

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terrorists, bombs, and unsuspecting victims

The faceless one is lurking, stealthy recruiting and planning a horrible future for DC residents.  The faceless one is unseen, unknown, and can be anyone – he is invisible!  Rick Banik, a data analyst for EPIC is called up to help the government find the faceless one – to do so he must bring together different government agencies and convince them to work together to build an accurate profile of the faceless one and find him.

The faceless one is a Da’esh agent skilled at hiding in plain sight, manipulating people through lies and deception.   Unfortunately, he is good!   Rick Banik must risk his family and friends to catch this man.  His success hinges on everyone’s cooperation and his ability to bring everyone together.  He has only a few weeks to do this before the U.S.’s largest shopping and traveling day – Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

Craig Martelle creates an action packed terrorist thriller that is beyond realistic – it is doable!  Nothing is more frightening than something unseen – the unknown and that is what the faceless terrorist is – completely horrifying.  He has the power to disrupt lives, kill and maim for no reason other than ego.

The character development was perfect!  I could not only see the faceless one but I felt fear – knowing that he could be real!  I loved the interaction between Travis and Rick.  I felt anger and sadness when Clay died.  I even experienced a little bit of parking garage rage on behalf of Rick’s wife!

This is THE book for anyone who loves thrillers with terrorists, bombs, and unsuspecting victims.  The book was a bit slow when in the office but it needed to be slower so that the listener caught everything!

This book is too realistic; it will give the listener several nights worth of sleeplessness followed by looking at everyone carefully!

Basil Sands, narrator, performed outstandingly!  He helped place me into the story.  His voice projected the right amount of anger, fear, passion and fervor.  The accents were very good as well.  He has a deep voice which sounds as if it flows naturally.  This is the first time I have heard Sands; he is a very enjoyable narrator!

This book is for the person who loves thrillers and who isn’t afraid of the dark.  Different levels of darkness are wrapped within this story – you will not be able to think about anything else for days.  The fear is real!  The book is gripping in all areas – content and narrator!

I don't normally make promises - but I will promise you this: if you weren't afraid before the book, you will be by the end!

The audio quality of this book was outstanding - clear and concise.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

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

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5 people found this helpful

Finally - A DC thriller I can enjoy!

I normally don’t read DC thrillers. Often, they’re written by outsiders on the periphery of this interesting and complex world. Thankfully, this book is written by someone who actually knows the world he’s writing about. It’s refreshing, exciting, and a “page-turner.” It’s also full of poignant observations and commentary about the community that truly hits home.

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Great Story!

I had a lot of fun with this one, Basil Sands did an excellent job bringing the story to life.

Rick Banik is an awesome protag and Martelle continues to impress, felt like I was right there in the action.

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As real - and terrifying - as it gets

I have long been a fan of Veteran and veteran SciFi writer Craig Martelle. This one is, without a doubt, one of his best works.
It takes an insider, someone who can write from real life, to capture the nuances and little details that make this kind of story come alive. Beyond plausible, straight to probable, from a guy that obviously was involved with 3 and 4 letter agencies in the course of his agency and intelligence career. To tell the truth, so have I been. And this one scared me to my bones because it was like reading the anecdotal versions of mission logs and a life I also was a part of. Whew. They don't come more real than this.

Some parts of the story were clearly fictionalized, but they made the story hang together. The tedium of waiting for info and intel beyond your control or influence. The desperate need to act when you can't because you don't have a target to act on. The bad coffee! The dreaded interagency shuffles and the more dreaded politics got in the way of saving lives. It's all there. Rick Banik and his team got on a fast track that I found a little too fast for at least my experience, but they were needed to make the story flow. They didn't detract from the story, just like PTSD flashbacks when the President asks you a question. Balancing the need to work that digs into family time. Trading the safety of your own family and the desperate need to get them out of harm's way while you throw yourself directly into its path. Bending the rules to the breaking point to achieve the objective. Dealing with deadly, precise, well-trained professional operatives who are too well funded and who have absolutely not one shred of humanity, decency, or morality. It's all there.
So real that it felt like recapping mission logs and after-action reports.

This was my first time listening to Basil Sands, and it took a little getting used to because Rick, the main character, came off as a bit snide, a bit arrogant, and not that likable. But after a few chapters, I realized that Sands was doing an excellent job capturing Banik's character. His other accents and voicing of characters were spot on, and I give him top marks for the narration.

Whether or not you were in the field, or work in intelligence or for Justice or one of the other departments or agencies, this is an excellent thriller and a truly terrifying novel of our time. One that I hope does not come true. The book was written several years ago, and with the state of the country and the world right now, you can only imagine how much closer we are getting to a story like this in the headlines.

If you are looking for a read that will keep you enthralled, engaged, on the edge of your seat, and unable to put it down or stop listening, this book is for you. I can only imagine what Martelle will be delivering in the next books in the series, and I can't wait to find out.

Highly recommended.

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Riveting story

I really enjoyed the story, following Rick through the weeks running up to Thanksgiving. From an unappreciated cubicle dweller to becoming involved in the moving and shaking in Washington, it was a great tale of how one person doing the right thing and the best they can, really can make a difference.

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