Note: This is Book 4 in the series and really needs to be read as part of that series, not as a stand alone.

The Spaniard really shines in this book. His acerbic wit and gruff personality provide the perfect counterpoint to Cisco’s snark. In this book, a really important point about the Spaniard is revealed and this made some touching moments between Cisco and him.

As with the other books in this series, there’s plenty of action. In fact, one of my favorite scenes is the big opening. It’s a car chase and pretty soon there’s plenty of cocaine snowing down. Cisco thinks rolling around in it makes for fine crime fighting… or rather, stealing from other criminals. Ha!

The Horn of Subjugation, which the Spaniard is attached to, continues to be an object of desire. Everyone wants it and Cisco has to keep it safe. It’s a full time job and the grumpy Spaniard doesn’t always make it an enjoyable one.

Cisco does spend some serious page time feeling sorry for himself. To be fair, it’s only been weeks since he awoke from his mindless zombie status, but it’s been just over 10 years for everyone else. His ex-girlfriend Emily has moved on… with his best friend Evan. So that hurts, but Cisco figured this out a book or 2 ago so I’m ready for him to be able to put that on the back burner while he deals with more important matters. Alas, his self-centered nature alienates him from his few remaining friends, like Milena (Cisco’s sister’s best friend from high school). He makes plenty of dumb mistakes in this book, some of which he’s already made earlier in the series. Cisco may well be a slow learner and that is a little boring for me.

There are some great villains in this story. Connor Hatch is a chilling, ruthless antagonist that will be hard to take down! Erg! I love hating him but I also look forward to Cisco taking him out. Then there’s a jinn with a screw loose and a headless zombie. And how exactly does one take out a headless zombie? Well, I’ll hold Cisco’s beer while he shows you. Ha!

The ending left me conflicted. Cisco makes a big decision and he’s driven by good reasons, but it also makes it easier for Connor Hatch to destroy so many other people. Big things are revealed and Cisco learns some keys things about those in his life. So I liked all the big stuff going on as it sets us up perfectly for Book 5. Yet I also wonder if Cisco may have made one too many mistakes to survive this series. Guess I’ll have to find out! 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Neil Hellegers is just really great with this series. His performance as Cisco is spot on, complete with light accent and machismo. I love his voice as the Spaniard! His female voices are believably feminine and all his character voices are distinct. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars. ( )

There is not much that can be said since it is the 4th book in the series. However, I found the characters and story continue to grow and develop. I loved the interaction and action between Cisco, the Spanaird, Connor, Evan, Emily and Melina. I really liked the action scenes and how Cisco dealt what was happening to him and those around him. Another good ending leaving me wanting to know what is going to happen next. ( )