The Enigma Always (The Enigma #6)

Breakfield and Burkey
Narrator's Name: Derek Shoales
Genre: 
Audiobooks

TECHNO THRILLER:  Dr. Xavier Pekoni is chasing the Fountain of Youth.  He hopes to discover a way to allow people, especially himself, to live for 1,000 years.  He makes a deal with Master Po, a cyber-technology expert that allows her to complete her research on this project.  Something goes wrong when she tests it on herself, and she now has the intelligence of a teen, goes by the name Su Lin, and lives in Georgia.  The R-Group is tasked with discovering if Dr. Pekoni is continuing his illegal research.  There are several diverse storylines to follow in this complex tale, and the story proceeds at a fast clip.  The characters are likable, yet conflicted in places. The R-Group uses an amazing supercomputer named ICABOD to help with their casework, and there is a competing one in Finland, that adds intrigue to the mix. Although the characters are complex, their motivations are clear.  

This recording captures the listener’s interest from the start, although it is the sixth entry in this series. As such, there are several passing references to events from previous stories, yet the listener does not feel shorted if they haven’t heard them.  The pacing is fast enough to keep the listener engaged.  This story is character-driven, and there are multiple personalities involved — mostly likeable, yet very flawed.  There are elements of mystery, technology, medical research, travel, romance, and suspense here, which should appeal to a vast listening audience.

There are characters from various countries represented in "The Enigma Always", and the narrator does a fantastic job with most of the distinct accents, although the Australian one is inconsistent.  The recording quality is excellent, and there aren’t any noticeable background or mouth noises.

Carey Sullivan