Audio Book Review: Crypt of Bone

Crypt of Bone

By:  J.F. Penn

Publish Date:  December 2011, Audiobook July 29, 2013

Format:  Audiobook - 6 hrs 25 mins
Narrated By:  Veronica Giguere

Genre:  Thriller

Series:  2nd in ARKANE series; 1st Book ~ Stone of Fire, Book 6 ~ Gates of Hell, Book 7 ~ One Day in New York

Impression:  Buried in the bone crypts are the pages of the Devil's Bible and can bring forth a demon in the speaker, to kill.

Synopsis:
The prophecy in Revelation declares that a quarter of the world must die … And now a shadowy organization has the ability to fulfill these words. Can one woman stop the abomination before it’s too late?

ISRAEL. A victim of Jerusalem Syndrome jumps to his death from the top of the Western Wall, his body smashed on the ancient stones. Another disembowels himself under the scrawled figure of the Pale Horse of the Apocalypse with the chilling words, “God told me to do it.”

Dr Morgan Sierra travels to Israel to investigate the deaths and becomes embroiled in an international conspiracy that will use cutting-edge technology to carry an ancient curse to mankind, and threaten those she loves.

Morgan joins agent Jake Timber at ARKANE, a secret government agency investigating the supernatural. Together they must hunt down the Devil’s Bible, pursued all the way by the evil forces of Thanatos.

From the catacombs of Paris to the skeletal ossuaries of Sicily and the Czech Republic, Morgan and Jake must find the Devil’s Bible and stop the curse being released into the world before one in four are destroyed in the coming holocaust. Because in just seven days, the final curse will be spoken and the prophecy will be fulfilled.

Previously published as PROPHECY.

First Sentence:
Blood has seeped into the stones of Jerusalem for millennia.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles

Audible


My Thoughts and Summary:
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.

Morgan jumps on the plane to Jerusalem Israel when her friend, Dr. Dinah Mizrahi calls. Dinah has two suicides at her Institute where she treats Jerusalem Syndrome patients, those who think they are religious people or messengers of God. Morgan wants to help her friend, but she has found she enjoys the rush of adventure. When she gets there, Morgan recognizes the symbol from those that were after her and her sister three months ago. The pale horse. When she starts to ask about the head phones for the audio stimulation's run on the patients, Izra Institute explodes. Morgan knows it's a cover-up to stop questions from being asked. The prophecy has been leaked. A quarter of the world will die... Morgan knows who's behind the events and makes a call, to ARKANE.

Veronica is back voicing Morgan and all the characters again. I do enjoy the different attitudes and feel I get from the characters as Veronica voices them. (I really did grow to dislike Natasha, thanks to Veronica's voice and J.F.'s writing of her.) Some moments of information, about people or places, felt quick in speaking. I repeated a few to catch all the details. But things do move fast with Morgan and there is a lot of information given.

I know J.F. jumps in with a quick hitter at the beginning, but it takes me a few listens to get on page with the beginning and all the details. The first scene is a deadly one, as seems to be the trait of the books and I enjoy this, but I also know there are a lot of details here that set the stage for what's to come. I like to get as much out of this moment as I can.

Morgan returns to the world of ARKANE and accepts their job offer when she sees the pale horse symbol and the destruction they are ready to release on the world. Morgan and Jake are paired as they worked so well together in Stone of Fire. They are both ready to find who is the lead of Thanatos. Their first mission, to find the Devil's Bible and bring it to ARKANE where it can be kept safe. If it's found by anyone, the verses of evil when read can turn the speaker into one in extreme blood lust, killing all in violent ways.

Oh! We get to see the leader of the Thanatos group. And it's not a pleasure to do so. Well, it is, to see him but the things he has the group do and the way they worship... Not good. But we get a feel for the creation of this group and what they are striving for.

We get to see some of the history with a few characters. Ben with Morgan's parents and when he first saw the sign of Thanatos. There is a small glimpse at her parents as they worked before the girls were born. Then the Director of ARKANE is also known to Ben, and has a past. But...can people change and grow from that past?

I found it interesting the way J.F. worked audio stimulation to help stimulate the brain in different areas to help with depression or anxiety into the story. This was an interesting twist with how it's approached and used, and of course the bad guy finds his way to it.

We do spend time in the crypts and see the bones and skulls of those long dead. Even bodies that are preserved by the chemicals of one crypt. So neat. I didn't feel creeped out. The bones and bodies feel as a part of the design of the rooms. They all seem to have stories to tell with their clothing, if they have any, and their bones.

The action adventure is here, but this book doesn't feel as the height of action as later books in the series. Start at the beginning with Morgan as it grows with each adventure. I do enjoy the religious mysteries and unraveling the depth of the artifacts in ways that are magical. I do look forward to many more books with Morgan! Though I'm slightly bummed that someone I've enjoyed may not be around for the next adventure. It's not stopping me though!