Eric Carter and Gary Bennett continue to bring their deep writing and superb narration to the Silence Jones series of action thrillers to new heights. In their latest edition of the series, “Tight-Lipped”, book three in the series, pivots some from the normal paths and gives us a view of Silence Jones we have not seen previously. The story is more complex, and the scope of the missions are on a much bigger scale. I find that Mr. Carter’s writing is engaging and has a way of keeping the action and thrills coming without giving away too much until the reveal. I often found myself trying to guess what was coming next, as with many thrillers, but found myself frequently in the wrong. For me, that is what makes for a story a great story. Mr. Bennett, the audiobook’s narrator did a wonderful job and I often cringed at the gruff and gravelly voice needed for the main character due to a previous injury. Thankfully, Silence Jones does not talk more than a few words when he does so the narrator does not have to become hoarse. If you like action thrillers, I think you will find this series will whet your appetite and scratch that hard to reach itch, pick it up and give it a listen. I have been enjoying this team’s efforts and the series itself thus far and I look forward to the next one when it is available.
Once again, we are dropped into a world where covert agencies do the work that our government is unable or unwilling to perform. This secretive group is like a modern-day Robin Hood where they often dole out justice to those who may get away with crimes via our traditional courts. Silence Jones is one of the low rungs on this mysterious corporate ladder, but he is the man that gets things done. This story does not diverge much from the previous activities, but here Mr. Jones has a side kick most of the time. As I said earlier, this story additionally is on a much grander scale than the previous ones. More travel, more action, and more thrills, which is never a bad thing. We are even shown some additional interaction with a few three-letter agencies which may or may not assist Mr. Jones.
The author did a good job of providing some background details so that each progression in the series we begin to better understand who Silence Jones is. I would have liked even more, but I assume this will come in future books. I also wanted to have a bit more from his beloved Cici in this book, but I feel that our main character was tore a bit when it comes to relationships; you will have to listen to know why. It is always good to see how Silence and Mrs. Enfield interact and her ability to keep Jones inline while also getting to know him more during each interaction. I guess one really cares for some of these characters when all you want is more information about them and their background details, I guess this is a good reason to keep listening to the series as well.
Turning to the audiobook’s narration, I know I have said it before, but Gary Bennett is one of my favorite narrators. He is now a veteran in this role having over one hundred audiobooks narrated on Audible, at the time of this review. Silence Jones and The Dragon Mage have been some of my favorite series he has narrated, and I also enjoyed his work on Cunning Devil. What I like most is that Mr. Bennett is not stereotyped into a given character, he is able to transform his voice into nearly anyone and that is what makes listening to his works so much fun. In this audiobook, the narration was done professionally. I do not recall any specific audio artifacts or other issues while listening.
For parents and younger listeners, this series contains elements of graphic violence, sex, drugs, noir style writing, and a few uses of profanity. I would recommend this audiobook, and the series, to be enjoyed by mature listeners who are not easily offended by this type of content. It is by no means over the top or outside the genre, but I do like to make my readers aware of this type of content.
In summary, who does not like a great action thriller? This one has it all, but it also tells a great tale, has dimensional characters, and is told on a big screen scale. The narration is solid, the writing is entertaining, and the stories are overall believable. The series is well worth the listen and I look forward to future audiobooks in the series.
Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided to the reviewer at no charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias review.