Listening to the Silence

Responding to an urgent distress call from a remote research sstation in Utah, Painter Crowe and the rest Sigma Force are once again on a mission to save the world. This time they are facing a kidnapped scientist who studies extremeophiles and synthetic biology, a rogue environmentalist, and a para-military group who hunts them all the way to Antarctica. Assisting them is intrepid Park Ranger Jenna Beck and her husky, Niko.

As always, this story is utterly improbable, though it is firmly rooted in real science and history, with information for further research provided in the author's note. While I said when I read the eighth book in the Sigma Force that the format was getting a little tired, I enjoyed this one a bit more. The science really intrigued me, and I will definitely be reading more on those topics. A couple of Sigma Force's team members were either entirely absent, or only peripherally involved, with the introduction of a new computer scientist, Jason Carter (who was actually introduced first in Rollins first novel Subterranean, which is not part of the series) taking their place.

I opted to listen to this one on audio, and wish I hadn't for two reasons. The narrator Christian Baskous was not at all enjoyable to listen to. I didnt like his pacing, how he interjectec emotion, or the voices he gave to any of the characters, especially women and the many Brits. Further, it made it painfully obvious to me that while I enjoy these books for what they are, exciting thrillers, Mr. Rollins is not a highly skilled writer. He does a lot of telling not showing, and some of his phrasing and descriptions are truly cringe-worthy. I have never really noticed it before, so I think it was just brought to my attention because I was listening to this book. In the future, I will stick to the printed word.

Rollins recently released the 11th installment in the Sigma Force series, Bone Labirynth, which I look forward to reading soon.