Title: Hell & High Water
Author: Charlie Cochet
Narrator: Mark Westfield
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 10 hours 6 minutes
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences—and the media frenzy—aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father—a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS—pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.
Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer—and every bit as dangerous.
Review: It’s absolutely no secret to my social media friends that I’m a huge THIRDS fan, and I mean Dex is REAL and I want to be his best girl friend kind of fan. Okay, okay, okay… maybe not that obsessive yet.
I was pretty excited when I saw that they were giving this series the audiobook treatment. So I kind of jumped at the chance to see if the audios live up to the books. Surprise, surprise! The audio reading for Hell & High Water is fantastic, and yes, it’s because the story itself is well written. However, the narrator for this series really makes the audiobooks work well.
Mark Westfield is a new to me narrator, but I am absolutely adding him to my must-listen-to narrators. He is spot on the mark for Dex in so many ways. He’s also done justice to Sloane, Ash, Cael, and the rest of the THIRDS team, including Maddock and Hudson. He’s also able to capture the tone of each scene in the story, along with the characters reaction.
Hell & High Water is a great introduction to a huge cast of characters, along with crafting a strong sense of the world they live in. For those of you who enjoy Urban Fantasy, this series follows that kind of story model. It’s got the typical fantasy world-building elements, the strong main character surrounded by an equally strong ensemble group, and significant movement in the storyline through action based elements. This book also includes the backstory of what made the world into this new society, along with bits and pieces from the characters history.
Hell & High Water also has its own resident adorkably cute Dexter J. Daley, who, I will warn you now, will cause you to laugh so hard your family will think you’re insane. Oh, wait, maybe that’s just me. Dex has a wicked sense of humor, but he’s also a total dork. You know, the Jerry Lewis, Nutty Professor kind of dorkiness. In this series it works because he tempers it with his desire to help others as an officer of the law. Have I mentioned Dex and Sloane yet? Together these two are enough to burn down the house, and as they get closer in the story, you can’t help but cheer them on.
Hell & High Water is highly recommended for those who love sexy shifters, adorkably cute humans, and a lot of humor mixed in with your suspense.
You can buy Hell & High Water here:
