A Darker Rain
(A Ryan Cole Adventure Book 1)
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: Nov. 17, 2013
ASIN: B00HHF4E8U
Amazon Synopsis:
“It’s definitely not a good time to be going into the woods
of Hawkley Ridge.”
When a red-eyed wildcat threatens ranchers in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan Cole recognizes the danger is far more menacing than the ranchers realize. Cole specializes in tackling unconventional security threats, particularly those with alien origins.
His investigation puts him in the crosshairs of Antoine Drake, an international arms dealer with a penchant for weapons from other worlds. Both men are also in pursuit of powerful alien artifacts known as guardian stones.
Cole and his team of investigators embark on a dangerous quest to recover the guardian
When a red-eyed wildcat threatens ranchers in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan Cole recognizes the danger is far more menacing than the ranchers realize. Cole specializes in tackling unconventional security threats, particularly those with alien origins.
His investigation puts him in the crosshairs of Antoine Drake, an international arms dealer with a penchant for weapons from other worlds. Both men are also in pursuit of powerful alien artifacts known as guardian stones.
Cole and his team of investigators embark on a dangerous quest to recover the guardian
But in the woods of Hawkley Ridge, it’s easy for the hunter to become the prey.
Book Links
Enjoy an Excerpt from A Darker Rain:
“An alien capable of assuming
human form might also be capable of assuming a human form with specific
details, like the retinal pattern of a dead man.”
“How do we fight that?”
“We figure out what makes them
tick, and then we find a way to counter them. Just like we do when we confront
any other type of military threat.”
“I’m glad we have you on board,” said
Beecham. “I trust you’ll make this your top priority.”
“You know we will,” Cole replied.
“So, do you have any plans for this morning?”
“Why do you ask?” queried
Beecham.
“I have a briefing with members
of my team at ten. I thought it might be valuable for us to compare notes.
We’ll even provide the coffee.”
Beecham looked thoughtfully at
Cole, feeling a sense of relief. “Will that rogue Dalton be there?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm … And what do I get out of
it? I can’t see any point paying you guys your exorbitant fees if I have to do
all the work.”
“We’ll see about that,” said
Cole. “Do you like cats?”
“Cats? No, I’m a dog person
myself. Why?
“Because I think you’re going to
find this cat especially interesting.”
“Well, that seems fair,” said
Beecham.
“Why’s that?” asked Cole.
“Because I think you’ll find what
I have in the back of this SUV especially interesting.”
My Thoughts:
Sigma
Scientific a company specializing in handling security threats including
responding to threats not from this world were called in to help some ranchers
in the Pacific Northwest who were having some problems with a predator killing
their herds at night. They discovered that this predator appeared to be like
panther (not indigenous to the region), the killings were brutal and unusual.
Most unusual of all was that the animal seemed to have glowing red eyes! Sigma
thought the animal may have been scientifically engineered and have some alien
genetics.
At
the same time, the Sigma team led by Mark Dalton and Ryan Cole were researching
alien artifacts. They were currently looking for a set of 5 crystals called
guardian stones. They were in possession of one of them already. These stones
were believed to be from a tribe of Rajans, an offshoot of the Aztecs. Ryan and
Cole thought the stones had their true origin in technology. In their work with
Sigma they had encountered increasingly more technology that had alien
influence.
I
found A Darker Rain to be quite fascinating with the whole aspect of
extraterrestrial life being interested in what is going on here on earth. I'm
not saying whether I do or don't believe in life on other planets, just that
the thought that if there are others out there, that they would be interested
in us would be interesting.
The
premise of "how would we know if they were aliens if they could make
themselves look like us?" is also an interesting one - especially if we
don't know if they want to do us harm or not. I thought that the author did a
good job in dealing with this topic.
I
liked the main characters in this book. They were likeable and caring
individuals. I loved how they worked together to help each other develop more
and better skills such as providing Ashcroft, the computer forensics specialist
weapons training so that he could go on the field with the team instead of only
working as office support. I liked their acceptance of everyone for their
skills regardless of what that skill was.
I
think perhaps Cole and Dalton are a little larger-than-life - perhaps almost
seeming indestructible, but they are heroes after all. I particularly liked
Caitlin. For some reason, though I'm not exactly sure what it is, I felt drawn
to her. I'd like to find out more about her. The little glimpse we had into her
and her people was very fascinating.
There
was plenty of action in A Darker Rain. Interaction between the panther
and the humans and the firefights between the different factions were
fast-moving and vivid. The touch of clean romance was a nice touch.
It's
hard to place A Darker Rain in just one genre. It's part thriller, part
suspense and part adventure because there is also the aspect of the treasure
hunt. After all, those stones were really a treasure of a kind. And the Sigma
team certainly had their adventures looking for it.
A
Darker Rain was
an enjoyable read. I think readers of adventure and science fiction will both
enjoy this novel. I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.
Thank
you to the publishers who provided a copy of this book in exchange for a fair
and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
A Darker Rain is Claudine
Kapel’s first novel. She lives in Toronto and enjoys books, music, and travel.
When not working as a consultant, she can be found writing, reading, or
contemplating what else may be out there.
The second book in the Ryan
Cole series is planned for release in 2014.
Claudine loves to hear from
readers. You can reach her at www.claudinekapel.com.
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