Erik Carter and Gary Bennett continue to amaze and provide new action-packed events even with the Silence Jones Action Thriller series reaching book number twelve. It is hard to believe we have come this far, because many authors either run out of material or get tired of a series and move on to something different. Well, I can report that book twelve, “Tell No Tales”, is just as exciting and action filled as the past eleven were. It really says something about the writing and narration that keep people coming back for more. If you have enjoyed any of the previous audiobooks in the series (on Audible), you will be no stranger to what you can expect. However, for the few that have not listened to one, I can say that they are all well written and produced, and being that they are standalone novels, you do not need to have listened to any of the previous one to enjoy this one. I can say that if you have followed the series, there are plenty of references to past events and people that make it just a bit more special. Knowing how Silence has interacted with Baxter (the cat) and Mrs. Enfield, always bring a smile to me while listening. I cannot recommend this series enough to those who like their action fast and their adrenaline meter near pegged. If you have not already, I would say put the pedal to the metal and give this audiobook or the series a listen.
Silence once again gets himself in trouble by delving into a local matter, which the Watchers have always said is a no-no. In the past few series, Silence has been getting into more and more trouble with his handler (Falcon) and I wonder what or when he will see the consequences of his actions. The Watchers is not a group I would like to be on the other side of. In this story we see quite a bit of activity from some tactical mercenaries who are heavily armed with special Blackthorn gear, and Silence will need to put all his skills to work to solve. Additionally, we always seem to have at least one local drug dealing scumbag which Silence needs to leverage for Information. What starts as a small investigation into a junkyard criminal, blossoms in to a much bigger and complex trail of deception and old friends. As with the others in the series, this one is a bit of noir with that gritty backdrop, but it also delivers on the action and thrills I’ve come to expect. What I like is that Silence is as much brain as he is brawn, so his actions are smart and thought out, when given the time. Much of this ability was given to him from his previous girlfriend CeCe. One thing which Silence has not yet seemed to learn is that revenge can eat at a person and destroy them in the long run. But this does not stop him as you will see in this story.
There is no way better to get to know a person that for them to return to their hometown. Here we see our main character engage some older friends and sets out to right a personal wrong. We begin to reveal more about what makes this man tick and what drives him to his actions. I did have to laugh out when I heard that Silence was being forced to perform yoga. Such an activity just does not seem his thing, but as usual, he will sacrifice his needs for those of others. We were given a better peek behind the covers of this relationship with his older girlfriend. Once again, seeing these small things reminds me that Silence is a human and not simply a killing machine. Simply, “focus love”. I also like that Silence is often juggling many goals or objectives at once, just like with a Role-Playing Game, he has many side questions to get thought before getting to the main boss fight. This episode of the series also gives you many car chases, which I do not recall being as pronounced in previous tales.
The writing is fluid and picturesque. Even for a thriller series mostly written for men, the author includes love, affection, emotion, and strong bonds between friends. There is a heavy weight if the mission fails. Silence must push on, no matter the cost. The technology (in the 80s) is realistic, and the actions of the characters are defined. I’m amazed how well does this can be with a prolific as the author seems to be in getting them out on Audible.
About the audiobook’s narration, Mr. Bennett just continues to hit home runs in his skilled ability to narrate any audiobook he wishes. His voice is clean and crisp, the audio is sharp and professional, even with a few editing plugs in this audiobook. He seems to have a great understanding of the characters and their motivations, as he continues to narrate them here in book twelve as he did in the first audiobook of the series. Mr. Bennett’s smoothness in his voice is so contrasting of that of Silence, it just seems right to have him continue to voice him. I’m very glad this duo of author and narrator have kept up the excellent work of this series.
For parents and younger listeners, this audiobook and the series are really geared toward mature audiences. Not that there is overtly sexual material, it is more for the violence and subject matter often covered in the stories. If these are not a concern, I would recommend listeners be old enough to understand fact from fiction.
In summary, even though there are some well defined patterns to many of the audiobooks in the series, the author continues to have a few surprised up his sleeve and each successive audiobook in the series seems to feel special. The narration is right up there with the best, and Mr. Bennett know I’m happy to listen to anything he voices because he is that good at what he does. Overall, the audio is professional and clean. We are also given a few more glimpses into Silence’s past and his insides so we can better know what make this man tick. Well worth the listen!