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Cliff Knowles #2
Cached Out
Newly retired from the FBI and alone after the tragic death of his wife, Cliff Knowles takes up geocaching. While looking for a cache in the mountains he comes across a human skeleton and reports it to the sheriff's office. Then a second body is found - a fresh corpse this time - right after Cliff found another geocache nearby. When it turns out the first remains are those of a fugitive he was supposed to arrest years earlier, he becomes a suspect in a multiple homicide investigation. He has no choice but to use his sleuthing skills to identify the mysterious cache owner, known only as Enigmal, and free himself from suspicion.
430 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2012
44 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 30, 2012
Geocaching is a pursuit which has gained a lot of popularity since it was first conceived in 2000. It was in that year the US government decided to make ordinary global position satellite (GPS) receivers accurate to a thirty foot radius. A techie who had been playing with commercial GPS receivers posted the location of a bucket he’d buried in the woods and challenged his internet friends to find it. As of today, Geocaching, as the pursuit was soon called, is a global phenomena with over a million registered “caches” covering the planet. The main company promoting this game is Groundspeak, but other conventions, such as Open Caching, are out there.
I think this book is a first: a geocaching mystery novel. With the pursuit of geocaching barely 12 years old, I’m surprised it took so long. It’s a natural fit: hidden clues, mysterious people dropping secret objects in hard to find places. I keep waiting for the first big-budget geocaching movie to hit the screen, or at least Netflix. In the meantime, add this to your list of geocaching books to read.
Cached Out is the latest in the “Cliff Knowles” series by Atkinson. The protagonist is a retired FBI agent who finds that he can’t leave his former profession. Right now there are two books in the series, the other being Held For Ransom. Russell Atkinson, the author, is also a retired FBI agent who enjoys geocaching. Like his protagonist, he lives in California. He’s also a member of the American Cryptogram Association. Truly an accomplished man. He also has a blog, Electricaching.
The book begins with Cliff Knowles geocaching in a Southern California state park. He’s searching for a puzzle cache named “Hail Cesar” hidden by a mysterious cacher known as Enigmal. He finds the cache, but accidentally stumbles over a skeleton. Cliff, who caches under the name “CliffNotes”, finds a park ranger and leads him to the grim find. Soon it turns out the skeleton belongs to a wanted drug dealer named Hector Gutierrez. Curiously, Gutierrez escaped from a drug warehouse raid where Cliff was involved before his retirement. Next, he finds himself being interviewed by Deputy Mike Hsiao and Bureau of Narcotics Special Agent Karen Delgado.
Sure the murder will be handled by the proper authorities, Cliff solves another puzzle cache. He finds it inside an over-turned car, which had crashed through a guard rail years ago. Shortly after logging his find, someone else finds a decomposed body in the car’s trunk: who just happened to be the former drunk driver of the car. The driver had killed both the girl he was with and a California Highway Patrol officer when he went out of control.
And Cliff’s deceased wife had also been killed by a drunk driver…
Then another body turns up near a cache Cliff has found. Also with a vague connection to him. Cliff Knowles finds himself pulled out of retirement to clear his name and find the “Geocache Killer”. Because of his background, he’s considered a suspect.
One thing I did learn from the book is how the Federal Bureau of Investigation is structured. The novel gives you an inside look at the terminology and daily activities of FBI agents. Pretty soon you become used to the acronyms for Special Agent In Charge and every other government agent heading. You learn the FBI has it’s sure of turf fights with other law enforcement agencies. None of this should come as a surprise, but hearing it from someone who has been there gives it a veneer of reality.
The novel soars in its description of the art of geocaching:
He took an alternate route back to the
parking lot in order to get the third cache. This one was a micro
that previous finders had described as having awesome camo. The
difficulty level was 3 out of 5, which usually indicates a tough
find. His GPSr zeroed out at a fork in the trail. The trail he came
from and the two paths formed a Y. One of the new paths led to an
adjacent park, away from the parking lot where he had started. One
led back to that lot by a different route. The tall trees made
satellite reception sketchy and the GPSr had trouble staying
centered. Heavy foliage everywhere made the number of places to
search daunting. He began on the right and attempted to do a
methodical sweep. There were some pines on that side, and he knew
that one camouflage technique was to take a pine cone and hollow
out the inside, insert the log sheet, then wire the cone back onto
a pine tree. He grabbed every low hanging cone to make sure it was
real.
There’s also an extremely graphic attack by a mountain lion. I don’t know how anyone survives an encounter with these beasts. I doubt Atkinson was writing from experience, but there are plenty of people who have survived and their testimony is out there. For a taste, think of the gruesome conclusion to the documentary Grizzly Man.
I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, it is a mystery, but there is also a good scene involving a band of geocachers rescuing someone from a cliff. Anyone who’s been around geocachers will recognize every type imaginable.
If I have any criticism of the book it’s the conclusion. Again, don’t want to give away too much, but I will say Cached Out has one of the most chilling endings of any mystery novel I have ever read. It left me uneasy; read it and you will understand. Whether that was the intention, only the author can say for sure.
I highly recommend this book. You can find it on Atkinson’s own website or order it directly from Amazon.com.
I think this book is a first: a geocaching mystery novel. With the pursuit of geocaching barely 12 years old, I’m surprised it took so long. It’s a natural fit: hidden clues, mysterious people dropping secret objects in hard to find places. I keep waiting for the first big-budget geocaching movie to hit the screen, or at least Netflix. In the meantime, add this to your list of geocaching books to read.
Cached Out is the latest in the “Cliff Knowles” series by Atkinson. The protagonist is a retired FBI agent who finds that he can’t leave his former profession. Right now there are two books in the series, the other being Held For Ransom. Russell Atkinson, the author, is also a retired FBI agent who enjoys geocaching. Like his protagonist, he lives in California. He’s also a member of the American Cryptogram Association. Truly an accomplished man. He also has a blog, Electricaching.
The book begins with Cliff Knowles geocaching in a Southern California state park. He’s searching for a puzzle cache named “Hail Cesar” hidden by a mysterious cacher known as Enigmal. He finds the cache, but accidentally stumbles over a skeleton. Cliff, who caches under the name “CliffNotes”, finds a park ranger and leads him to the grim find. Soon it turns out the skeleton belongs to a wanted drug dealer named Hector Gutierrez. Curiously, Gutierrez escaped from a drug warehouse raid where Cliff was involved before his retirement. Next, he finds himself being interviewed by Deputy Mike Hsiao and Bureau of Narcotics Special Agent Karen Delgado.
Sure the murder will be handled by the proper authorities, Cliff solves another puzzle cache. He finds it inside an over-turned car, which had crashed through a guard rail years ago. Shortly after logging his find, someone else finds a decomposed body in the car’s trunk: who just happened to be the former drunk driver of the car. The driver had killed both the girl he was with and a California Highway Patrol officer when he went out of control.
And Cliff’s deceased wife had also been killed by a drunk driver…
Then another body turns up near a cache Cliff has found. Also with a vague connection to him. Cliff Knowles finds himself pulled out of retirement to clear his name and find the “Geocache Killer”. Because of his background, he’s considered a suspect.
One thing I did learn from the book is how the Federal Bureau of Investigation is structured. The novel gives you an inside look at the terminology and daily activities of FBI agents. Pretty soon you become used to the acronyms for Special Agent In Charge and every other government agent heading. You learn the FBI has it’s sure of turf fights with other law enforcement agencies. None of this should come as a surprise, but hearing it from someone who has been there gives it a veneer of reality.
The novel soars in its description of the art of geocaching:
He took an alternate route back to the
parking lot in order to get the third cache. This one was a micro
that previous finders had described as having awesome camo. The
difficulty level was 3 out of 5, which usually indicates a tough
find. His GPSr zeroed out at a fork in the trail. The trail he came
from and the two paths formed a Y. One of the new paths led to an
adjacent park, away from the parking lot where he had started. One
led back to that lot by a different route. The tall trees made
satellite reception sketchy and the GPSr had trouble staying
centered. Heavy foliage everywhere made the number of places to
search daunting. He began on the right and attempted to do a
methodical sweep. There were some pines on that side, and he knew
that one camouflage technique was to take a pine cone and hollow
out the inside, insert the log sheet, then wire the cone back onto
a pine tree. He grabbed every low hanging cone to make sure it was
real.
There’s also an extremely graphic attack by a mountain lion. I don’t know how anyone survives an encounter with these beasts. I doubt Atkinson was writing from experience, but there are plenty of people who have survived and their testimony is out there. For a taste, think of the gruesome conclusion to the documentary Grizzly Man.
I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, it is a mystery, but there is also a good scene involving a band of geocachers rescuing someone from a cliff. Anyone who’s been around geocachers will recognize every type imaginable.
If I have any criticism of the book it’s the conclusion. Again, don’t want to give away too much, but I will say Cached Out has one of the most chilling endings of any mystery novel I have ever read. It left me uneasy; read it and you will understand. Whether that was the intention, only the author can say for sure.
I highly recommend this book. You can find it on Atkinson’s own website or order it directly from Amazon.com.
April 4, 2016
I enjoyed the geocaching aspect of this story. Who knew geocaching could make you a murder suspect? Being accused of murder and possibly faking his geocaching stats makes Cliff the prime suspect in multiple murders. In order to solve the murders and clear his name Cliff needs to use both his FBI training, cipher puzzle solving chops, and his geocaching experience.
I came across Russell Atkinsons' Cliff Knowles novels last year. The author made one of his books free or $.99 for a day. So I scooped the deal while I could. I heard about it through Facebook because I'm a geocacher and have lots of friends who do it too.
As a result I've been reading the books out of order. Thankfully this doesn't seem to matter much. Most of the background info is covered by the author description.
I must say that I'm starting to develop a love/hate relationship with the Cliff Knowles character. On one side, I feel for the guy. I mean, he loses his wife to a drunk driver, keeps finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time (often fighting for his life), and he comes across as being a genuinely kind hearted guy. On the other side, his opinions are very set, many times they are insensitive (borderline prejudicial at others), and comes across as a snobby know-it-all a lot of times.
The good news is that this makes for some great adventures.
I came across Russell Atkinsons' Cliff Knowles novels last year. The author made one of his books free or $.99 for a day. So I scooped the deal while I could. I heard about it through Facebook because I'm a geocacher and have lots of friends who do it too.
As a result I've been reading the books out of order. Thankfully this doesn't seem to matter much. Most of the background info is covered by the author description.
I must say that I'm starting to develop a love/hate relationship with the Cliff Knowles character. On one side, I feel for the guy. I mean, he loses his wife to a drunk driver, keeps finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time (often fighting for his life), and he comes across as being a genuinely kind hearted guy. On the other side, his opinions are very set, many times they are insensitive (borderline prejudicial at others), and comes across as a snobby know-it-all a lot of times.
The good news is that this makes for some great adventures.
January 17, 2017
Joe Hempels narration was awesome for this book!I had never heard of Geo Caching before this book.I don't 'get it' but the book was well written.An ex FBI agent and geo cacher finds a body at a cache site,then another.This leads the police to think he could be the murderer.He seems to be the only one interested in the truth and will go to any length to prove his innocence.I was given this book free by the author,narrator or publisher.
October 3, 2013
Cached Out starts off at a fast clip with several bodies turning up at frequented geocaching locations and the prime suspect happens to be the best investigator who’s unofficially on the case. The story is a good mix of murder mystery suspense, law enforcement procedures and lingo, geocaching details and in depth descriptions of Northern California parks and recreation areas. It’s an interesting book that hooks you in the beginning and keeps you turning pages to the end to find out “whodunnit,” which isn’t easy to figure out. Good plot, characters and detail.
May 24, 2022
As a geocacher, I very much looked forward to this book. I’d say I was wavering between 3-4 stars until the end. Wow, endorsing a “final solution” as a way to solve the drug problem. Just, wow
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
July 11, 2022
3 3/4 stars
The writing is really good and the story is very captivating. I enjoyed the geocaching aspects of the story. The characters, including many of the secondary and background characters, felt real. It was interesting to see some of the inside workings of the FBI.
The reason for the lower rating has to do with the ending, which takes place several months after the main story. I know that there are people who see this type of solution to a serious problem as appropriate. Since, I don't want to provide any spoilers, I will say no more.
The writing is really good and the story is very captivating. I enjoyed the geocaching aspects of the story. The characters, including many of the secondary and background characters, felt real. It was interesting to see some of the inside workings of the FBI.
The reason for the lower rating has to do with the ending, which takes place several months after the main story. I know that there are people who see this type of solution to a serious problem as appropriate. Since, I don't want to provide any spoilers, I will say no more.
March 5, 2013
CLIFF KNOWLES IS BACK, BUT WILL HE SURVIVE?
Like the author's first book, I thought this one starts in a deliberate fashion, as the scenario develops, facts are discovered, and all the players are introduced. In this sense, it seems a lot like a police procedural--just like the author's first novel. In Cached Out, however, the storyline is completely different, the cast is far fewer, and the reader doesn't need a "look-up" table to see who is who. Cliff has retired from the FBI, but that doesn't mean his investigatory skills are retired--they are as sharp as ever.
The story unfolds in a logical fashion, as Cliff Knowles, main character (but also main suspect) gathers evidence to help the investigating team (and get them off his back!) Along the way, we meet with some bunglers, but also some capable agents and rangers. This book seems to have fewer bunglers.
Readers who are geocachers will especially like the various caching puzzles that are introduced, as well as the hiking locales on the San Francisco peninsula. This was especially interesting for me, since I am a regular hiker/geocacher in the Open Space Preserves, near where the crimes take place. On several occasions, I opened up a satellite view of the area to spot the various trails and roads mentioned in the book. (What the heck is "Saratoga Toll Road Trail?" Do they charge hikers a toll?)
The last 100 pages are really excellent. I deliberately slowed down my reading, so as to fully appreciate the story.
As with the first novel, the writing style is excellent. The author has obviously spent a large amount of time perfecting the writing craft--especially the dialogue, which is no mean feat. f you've ever read an early novel, where the author struggles with dialogue, you will know what I mean. There's none of this, "He said," then "She said," then "Bob replied," etc. The author smoothly blends the conversation so that you know who is talking. I suspect readers don't realize how difficult a task that is for a writer. This cannot possibly be only the author's second book. I am willing to bet there are a ton of short stories out there, in which he perfected the writer's craft. (Or some outstanding editor.)
On a minor note, I appreciate the wide-margin formatting, so that the reader doesn't have to yank the book wide open to see the words near the inside margins.
Atkinson's descriptions are often very witty. Here's my favorite line in the book: "She took a leap of faith--and a corporeal one also." (Is this the lawyer in Atkinson coming out?)
A really excellent read. I look forward to reading Cliff's next adventure. Back with the FBI, or maybe a P.I.? The author isn't saying, but I have my suspicions.
Like the author's first book, I thought this one starts in a deliberate fashion, as the scenario develops, facts are discovered, and all the players are introduced. In this sense, it seems a lot like a police procedural--just like the author's first novel. In Cached Out, however, the storyline is completely different, the cast is far fewer, and the reader doesn't need a "look-up" table to see who is who. Cliff has retired from the FBI, but that doesn't mean his investigatory skills are retired--they are as sharp as ever.
The story unfolds in a logical fashion, as Cliff Knowles, main character (but also main suspect) gathers evidence to help the investigating team (and get them off his back!) Along the way, we meet with some bunglers, but also some capable agents and rangers. This book seems to have fewer bunglers.
Readers who are geocachers will especially like the various caching puzzles that are introduced, as well as the hiking locales on the San Francisco peninsula. This was especially interesting for me, since I am a regular hiker/geocacher in the Open Space Preserves, near where the crimes take place. On several occasions, I opened up a satellite view of the area to spot the various trails and roads mentioned in the book. (What the heck is "Saratoga Toll Road Trail?" Do they charge hikers a toll?)
The last 100 pages are really excellent. I deliberately slowed down my reading, so as to fully appreciate the story.
As with the first novel, the writing style is excellent. The author has obviously spent a large amount of time perfecting the writing craft--especially the dialogue, which is no mean feat. f you've ever read an early novel, where the author struggles with dialogue, you will know what I mean. There's none of this, "He said," then "She said," then "Bob replied," etc. The author smoothly blends the conversation so that you know who is talking. I suspect readers don't realize how difficult a task that is for a writer. This cannot possibly be only the author's second book. I am willing to bet there are a ton of short stories out there, in which he perfected the writer's craft. (Or some outstanding editor.)
On a minor note, I appreciate the wide-margin formatting, so that the reader doesn't have to yank the book wide open to see the words near the inside margins.
Atkinson's descriptions are often very witty. Here's my favorite line in the book: "She took a leap of faith--and a corporeal one also." (Is this the lawyer in Atkinson coming out?)
A really excellent read. I look forward to reading Cliff's next adventure. Back with the FBI, or maybe a P.I.? The author isn't saying, but I have my suspicions.
February 8, 2017
Outstanding! Suspenseful with great characters. Geocaching lends a modern, technical backdrop to this well-plotted and realistic mystery.
Joe Hempel performs well, giving distinctive voices to the characters. His performance borders on over-dramatic in a couple of instances, but overall,
it's quite acceptable.
This is my kind of story and I look forward to more from this series.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.
Joe Hempel performs well, giving distinctive voices to the characters. His performance borders on over-dramatic in a couple of instances, but overall,
it's quite acceptable.
This is my kind of story and I look forward to more from this series.
NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.
November 18, 2012
I picked up this book on the Kindle as a promotional free borrowing item. I heard about it previously from podcacher.com so it seemed to be a perfect fit. It was. It handled geocaching extremely well, especially the puzzle parts, followed by the terminology, and action of finding a cache. It was quite apparent the author was an avid cacher. The book was not without its issues, e,g, a time lag for healing multiple broken bones on a 50 year old seemed almost inconsequential, yet reality would have 8 weeks of healing and 6-8 weeks of rehab. Putting that aside, the book seemed well written, tried to pick up a few other crime fighting activities on the side, and was a treat to read. TFTC...
June 6, 2013
I loved this book for a few reasons. First, it is a crime novel with geocaching at the core. Second, it is well written and a truly enjoyable story. Lastly, it takes place on my "home turf". These are trails that I hike and cache on! I loved visualizing the action in all those familiar places. My only wish is that the caches were real (if not so hard) and that there will be a follow up with more caching adventure!
June 11, 2015
Great read
I like mysteries and crime thrillers, "Cached Out" was fun to read and kept my attention from beginning to end.. The characters were well developed, the plot held together, the ending was, indeed, a surprise.
I like mysteries and crime thrillers, "Cached Out" was fun to read and kept my attention from beginning to end.. The characters were well developed, the plot held together, the ending was, indeed, a surprise.
February 25, 2017
Cached Out is my first book by Russell Atkinson. I should note that I listened to the Audio version of this narrated by Joe Hempel, who I also enjoyed listening to narrate Heart of Gold.
Synopsis:
While out Geocaching, Ex-FBI agent Cliff Knowles comes across skeletal remains of a human body and reports it. When it turns out the body belongs to a criminal leader of a drug cartel previously involved in a major drug bust that Cliff had been a part of, but was never arrested. When more bodies start turning up near geocache sites that Cliff had visited, the investigation turns on him as a suspect. To clear his name he has to do some investigating of his own to find the only other person who has also visited the geocaching sites, the owner only known as Enigmal.
Review:
Overall, I found this book enjoyable. Throughout the story, there was enough mystery and suspense to keep me engaged. The cast of characters are all distinct and well done. The story is told from the third person perspective, and while it mainly follows Cliff it does also give the other characters quite a bit of spotlight.
If you are a geocacher, then you may enjoy this book but be forewarned: as with any book about a hobby it goes out of its way to explain practically every aspect of geocaching so that someone who had no knowledge of it would be able to understand and follow along. I can see how this would get old to someone who is very familiar to geocaching. If you do not know what geocaching is, you should check out https://www.geocaching.com/guide/.
OK, now it's time for the nit-picking. While none of these things were huge negatives they are worth mentioning. The biggest problem I had is there are a few parts where it seems some editing was missed. Through most of the book when it comes to the crime drama, it discusses the details about things like investigative procedures and how law enforcement works together it is fairly well done. Once in a while however, there are parts that seem to be lazy or overlooked in editing. While investigating multiple murders connected together, multiple agencies supposedly cannot get a warrant to obtain identity information from a geocaching website because there is no official case?!?! And discussing how to proceed one of the FBI / DEA agents literally says something to the effect of "Yeah, to heck with all the procedures..." (while I cannot find the exact quote this is very close). It made aparent that the Author wanted to drag out discovering the identity of this person, however it could have been more realistically done other ways such as having that person always post from internet cafe's or hotspots making his identity hard to know. At Another point, the FBI agent says to another Investigator "I have some FBI stuff to do". There are a few times like these that feel like it breaks away from a serious approach at crime drama.
Narration: Joe Hempel does an excellent job narrating in this book. All of the voices are disticnt, have character and none feel cringy, which can happen especially often when trying to depict the opposite sex. Such a good job was done with this novel, I have bookmarked other Audiobooks narrated by Joe to listen to in the future.
Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
Synopsis:
While out Geocaching, Ex-FBI agent Cliff Knowles comes across skeletal remains of a human body and reports it. When it turns out the body belongs to a criminal leader of a drug cartel previously involved in a major drug bust that Cliff had been a part of, but was never arrested. When more bodies start turning up near geocache sites that Cliff had visited, the investigation turns on him as a suspect. To clear his name he has to do some investigating of his own to find the only other person who has also visited the geocaching sites, the owner only known as Enigmal.
Review:
Overall, I found this book enjoyable. Throughout the story, there was enough mystery and suspense to keep me engaged. The cast of characters are all distinct and well done. The story is told from the third person perspective, and while it mainly follows Cliff it does also give the other characters quite a bit of spotlight.
If you are a geocacher, then you may enjoy this book but be forewarned: as with any book about a hobby it goes out of its way to explain practically every aspect of geocaching so that someone who had no knowledge of it would be able to understand and follow along. I can see how this would get old to someone who is very familiar to geocaching. If you do not know what geocaching is, you should check out https://www.geocaching.com/guide/.
OK, now it's time for the nit-picking. While none of these things were huge negatives they are worth mentioning. The biggest problem I had is there are a few parts where it seems some editing was missed. Through most of the book when it comes to the crime drama, it discusses the details about things like investigative procedures and how law enforcement works together it is fairly well done. Once in a while however, there are parts that seem to be lazy or overlooked in editing. While investigating multiple murders connected together, multiple agencies supposedly cannot get a warrant to obtain identity information from a geocaching website because there is no official case?!?! And discussing how to proceed one of the FBI / DEA agents literally says something to the effect of "Yeah, to heck with all the procedures..." (while I cannot find the exact quote this is very close). It made aparent that the Author wanted to drag out discovering the identity of this person, however it could have been more realistically done other ways such as having that person always post from internet cafe's or hotspots making his identity hard to know. At Another point, the FBI agent says to another Investigator "I have some FBI stuff to do". There are a few times like these that feel like it breaks away from a serious approach at crime drama.
Narration: Joe Hempel does an excellent job narrating in this book. All of the voices are disticnt, have character and none feel cringy, which can happen especially often when trying to depict the opposite sex. Such a good job was done with this novel, I have bookmarked other Audiobooks narrated by Joe to listen to in the future.
Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
March 23, 2017
** Review of Audio Format **
Cached In...
Is more like it. A retired FBI agent, forced into retirement and who lost his wife to a drunk driver takes up geocashing to fill his time. While out finding a cache, Cliff stumbles across a dead body who just happens to be someone he was supposed to pick up in a drug bust years earlier but didn’t quite manage to catch. While he is being investigated for this likely murder, Cliff stumbles upon another dead body at a different cache. The bodies start piling up and Cliff becomes a more likely suspect with each one. He helps the investigators out at times and at times does his own investigating because it becomes increasingly clear with each body that the local police, state police, and FBI are not getting the investigation done to the point of clearing his name. Add to this other police officers that could be suspects and you have the makings of a fun mystery on your hands.
This listen was just OK for me, though. I enjoyed getting to know certain characters and learning about geocaching and different investigation procedures from a real life ex-FBI agent. I didn’t feel like the author had quite decided whether Cliff is a stand up guy or if he can be a jerk. At times, he seemed brilliant, and other times he seemed a little incompetent. If you are looking for action this isn’t your listen. There are no car chases, shootouts, or even James Bondian duplicity. If you are interested in how real life investigating happens and some of the insider politics between agencies and within those agencies, there is a lot to learn from this audiobook. Another area heavily detailed is geocaching. From how to do it, what goes into solving a puzzle cache, the equipment, and the culture of the geocaching crowd, there is a lot to learn and if you were interested to know what it is and how to do it, there is a lot packed into this listen.
Joel Hempel gives another great performance and is able to keep this rather large cast of characters distinct so you always know who is speaking. His narration is nice, too, and he rarely does anything to take you out of the listen. I usually listen on 1.5 speed and this audiobook was no exception. It seemed the perfect speed for my ears.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
Cached In...
Is more like it. A retired FBI agent, forced into retirement and who lost his wife to a drunk driver takes up geocashing to fill his time. While out finding a cache, Cliff stumbles across a dead body who just happens to be someone he was supposed to pick up in a drug bust years earlier but didn’t quite manage to catch. While he is being investigated for this likely murder, Cliff stumbles upon another dead body at a different cache. The bodies start piling up and Cliff becomes a more likely suspect with each one. He helps the investigators out at times and at times does his own investigating because it becomes increasingly clear with each body that the local police, state police, and FBI are not getting the investigation done to the point of clearing his name. Add to this other police officers that could be suspects and you have the makings of a fun mystery on your hands.
This listen was just OK for me, though. I enjoyed getting to know certain characters and learning about geocaching and different investigation procedures from a real life ex-FBI agent. I didn’t feel like the author had quite decided whether Cliff is a stand up guy or if he can be a jerk. At times, he seemed brilliant, and other times he seemed a little incompetent. If you are looking for action this isn’t your listen. There are no car chases, shootouts, or even James Bondian duplicity. If you are interested in how real life investigating happens and some of the insider politics between agencies and within those agencies, there is a lot to learn from this audiobook. Another area heavily detailed is geocaching. From how to do it, what goes into solving a puzzle cache, the equipment, and the culture of the geocaching crowd, there is a lot to learn and if you were interested to know what it is and how to do it, there is a lot packed into this listen.
Joel Hempel gives another great performance and is able to keep this rather large cast of characters distinct so you always know who is speaking. His narration is nice, too, and he rarely does anything to take you out of the listen. I usually listen on 1.5 speed and this audiobook was no exception. It seemed the perfect speed for my ears.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
December 28, 2020
This book is better than the author's first book. The book deals with various agencies trying to find kidnappers murderers drug dealers drug dealers thieves and So on.
The protagonist in this book gets caught up suspected murderer when he finds multiple geocaches near dead bodies. The geocaching fiction seems pretty accurate. the only exception to this besides the disclaimer in the forward is that too be able to get the FBI involved in the story the author moved the location of Geocaching to Canada. The headquarters of Geocaching is actually in Seattle Washington. If the book makes you more interested in trying geocaching for yourself go to geocaching.com
The protagonist in this book gets caught up suspected murderer when he finds multiple geocaches near dead bodies. The geocaching fiction seems pretty accurate. the only exception to this besides the disclaimer in the forward is that too be able to get the FBI involved in the story the author moved the location of Geocaching to Canada. The headquarters of Geocaching is actually in Seattle Washington. If the book makes you more interested in trying geocaching for yourself go to geocaching.com
November 24, 2019
Loaded with details about the inner working of many state and federal agencies, as well as tons of birds eye descriptions of natural sites, the mystery was enthralling with a real feeling of verisimilitude. I appreciated Cliff's intellect while also liking how the author fleshed out his personality with some flaws and quirks. The ending is unconventional and unexpected. Kudos and I will definitely follow up with the next in the series
June 11, 2017
Must go back and read the first book.
Being an avid geocacher...although not too good with puzzle caches, this caught my attention and piqued my interest.
My only criticism was the continual acronyms used; they may have been necessary, but annoying all the same.
The story line was great as were the characters, some likeable and some not. Can't wait to read the first book.
Being an avid geocacher...although not too good with puzzle caches, this caught my attention and piqued my interest.
My only criticism was the continual acronyms used; they may have been necessary, but annoying all the same.
The story line was great as were the characters, some likeable and some not. Can't wait to read the first book.
June 26, 2017
Deadly Geocaching
Being a geocacher myself certainly made this book intriguing but aside from that it was a fascinating yarn. Lots of suspects and exciting situations. I enjoyed it very much.
Being a geocacher myself certainly made this book intriguing but aside from that it was a fascinating yarn. Lots of suspects and exciting situations. I enjoyed it very much.
November 13, 2017
Interesting but too wordy
Interesting but too wordy...about half way through, I found myself just flipping pages to get to the end. If it had been more condensed, I would have given it 4 stars. I liked the geocaching references and ending.
Interesting but too wordy...about half way through, I found myself just flipping pages to get to the end. If it had been more condensed, I would have given it 4 stars. I liked the geocaching references and ending.
February 17, 2018
A Real Mystery!
Retired FBI agent working hard to prove he was not a serial killer. Police agencies bickering as they try to work together to solve the case. Geocaching info in the mix. An ending written so you simply have to finish in one sitting. Fantastic!
Retired FBI agent working hard to prove he was not a serial killer. Police agencies bickering as they try to work together to solve the case. Geocaching info in the mix. An ending written so you simply have to finish in one sitting. Fantastic!
July 29, 2024
That was actually quite intriguing and intense. Most engaging, I read it in a day’s span. I liked the characters and look forward to continuing this series. But guess I have to get the first book, first,
May 30, 2017
This book is really good. Well written and addictive. I want to read another one. I could not guess who did it until the very end.
February 28, 2020
Good read, love the geocaching involvment
August 22, 2020
Good book, enjoyed and want to read the next one in the series
April 11, 2022
Enjoyed this book. I liked the storyline and really enjoyed the Geocaching aspect of it. Will definitely read some more of his books.
November 2, 2022
Pretty good. A geocaching friend recommended it to me, and it made a nice break from all the non-fiction I've been reading lately.
February 28, 2017
( Format : Audiobook )
Overall
Performance
Story
""Solving mysteries, investigating crimes ...""
Geocaching was something entirely new to me. The reader can enter into the location searches vicariously by trying to decipher the cryptic clues given in full and so match their solutions against the skills of the protagonist.
Retired after 25 successful years with the FBI, Clifford Knowles is in the desert, pursuing a hidden geocach site when he finds a skull, quickly followed by an old skeleton. With no phone signal, he bikes back to the nearest Rangers office to report it to a somewhat hostile officer. Turns out, the ten years old skeleton was that of a known drugs dealer who had disappeared around the time of an FBI raid in which Knowles himself had taken part. He immediately comes under suspicion, even more so when other bodies, also at geocach sites turn up. But these are much more recent. With no other obvious suspects, Knowles needs all of his investigative powers, and the help of a few friends, to prove his innocence.
This is a fairly long book, filled with dramatic twists and turns, adventures including the battle for life against a most unusual aggressor, and the dangers of being in hidden locations without the ability to summon assistance by phone. The characterisations of the numerous protagonists are good, and the detail of the geocaching tracking is both fascinating and full of danger. Long, yes, but never once boring, especially for puzzle solvers.
Throughout it all, Joe Hempel does an outstanding job, really becoming the main protagonist, Knowles, as well as expertly voicing everyone else in a clear and identifiable manner. His easy to listen to narration adds to the tensions as Cliff tries to find an alternative suspect and so prove, if not his innocence, at least another person of interest. He carries the whole story effortlessly to maintain the underlying interest to the very last words.
My profound thanks to the rights holder from whom I received the gift of Cached Out, via Audiobook Boom. As well as thoroughly enjoying the story, I have had a glimpse into a world, that of geocaching, previously unknown to me. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of geocaching. It sounds such fun - Sadly, I am no longer in a position to take part myself but I received such vicarious pleasure in the exploits here presented I will certainly be looking into it further. A great investigative adventure with a twist that I can happily recommend wholeheartedly
Overall
Performance
Story
""Solving mysteries, investigating crimes ...""
Geocaching was something entirely new to me. The reader can enter into the location searches vicariously by trying to decipher the cryptic clues given in full and so match their solutions against the skills of the protagonist.
Retired after 25 successful years with the FBI, Clifford Knowles is in the desert, pursuing a hidden geocach site when he finds a skull, quickly followed by an old skeleton. With no phone signal, he bikes back to the nearest Rangers office to report it to a somewhat hostile officer. Turns out, the ten years old skeleton was that of a known drugs dealer who had disappeared around the time of an FBI raid in which Knowles himself had taken part. He immediately comes under suspicion, even more so when other bodies, also at geocach sites turn up. But these are much more recent. With no other obvious suspects, Knowles needs all of his investigative powers, and the help of a few friends, to prove his innocence.
This is a fairly long book, filled with dramatic twists and turns, adventures including the battle for life against a most unusual aggressor, and the dangers of being in hidden locations without the ability to summon assistance by phone. The characterisations of the numerous protagonists are good, and the detail of the geocaching tracking is both fascinating and full of danger. Long, yes, but never once boring, especially for puzzle solvers.
Throughout it all, Joe Hempel does an outstanding job, really becoming the main protagonist, Knowles, as well as expertly voicing everyone else in a clear and identifiable manner. His easy to listen to narration adds to the tensions as Cliff tries to find an alternative suspect and so prove, if not his innocence, at least another person of interest. He carries the whole story effortlessly to maintain the underlying interest to the very last words.
My profound thanks to the rights holder from whom I received the gift of Cached Out, via Audiobook Boom. As well as thoroughly enjoying the story, I have had a glimpse into a world, that of geocaching, previously unknown to me. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of geocaching. It sounds such fun - Sadly, I am no longer in a position to take part myself but I received such vicarious pleasure in the exploits here presented I will certainly be looking into it further. A great investigative adventure with a twist that I can happily recommend wholeheartedly
February 11, 2017
I am a geocacher in the San Francisco Bay area and I knew the author's name by his geocaching handle of "The Rat". My preferred genre of books is not mysteries, but the series by Russell Atkinson have been excellent reads. I read this book a few years ago and liked it not just because it had geocaching in it, but it is very well written.
This review also includes the "reading" of the audio book that has been recently released. The legalese that we are told to put in our review: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review." I had forgotten some of the parts of the story and hearing the sections impressed them in my mind more.
Cliff Knowles is a retired FBI agent who comes under suspicion of murder just because he finds a body in the leaves near a cache that he was looking for. Gee, it could happen to anybody. Cliff has to use all his resources in assisting informally in the investigation because he is the only one who knows anything about geocaching, but he also does not want himself to be a suspect.
One of the things I enjoyed hearing was the detail and minute observations that Cliff has to pay attention to in his discussions with each person he interacts with. He is always aware of what might be the right or wrong thing to say in any interview or conversation.
Especially interesting is the ending where Cliff learns about what happened to the "bad guy" who had him captive for a time. Interesting viewpoints expressed.
I also enjoyed the analysis of the puzzle caches that are used in the book. Generally, I am not very good at puzzle (or mystery) caches, but I can succeed at the easier ones. Hopefully I'll remember some point revealed in the book to assist in figuring out some future puzzle cache that I see.
The narrator of the audio book is Joe Hempel. He is an excellent reader. His style brings to life the tension and suspense of all the scenes.
An excellent read. I highly recommend the book.
This review also includes the "reading" of the audio book that has been recently released. The legalese that we are told to put in our review: "This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review." I had forgotten some of the parts of the story and hearing the sections impressed them in my mind more.
Cliff Knowles is a retired FBI agent who comes under suspicion of murder just because he finds a body in the leaves near a cache that he was looking for. Gee, it could happen to anybody. Cliff has to use all his resources in assisting informally in the investigation because he is the only one who knows anything about geocaching, but he also does not want himself to be a suspect.
One of the things I enjoyed hearing was the detail and minute observations that Cliff has to pay attention to in his discussions with each person he interacts with. He is always aware of what might be the right or wrong thing to say in any interview or conversation.
Especially interesting is the ending where Cliff learns about what happened to the "bad guy" who had him captive for a time. Interesting viewpoints expressed.
I also enjoyed the analysis of the puzzle caches that are used in the book. Generally, I am not very good at puzzle (or mystery) caches, but I can succeed at the easier ones. Hopefully I'll remember some point revealed in the book to assist in figuring out some future puzzle cache that I see.
The narrator of the audio book is Joe Hempel. He is an excellent reader. His style brings to life the tension and suspense of all the scenes.
An excellent read. I highly recommend the book.
March 9, 2016
Audiobook Edition
http://audiothing.blogspot.com.au
My Review
You haven't heard of geocaching? No, nor had I, but this is how it goes: it's a bit like a treasure hunt for smart people, the clues to the cache are in the form of GPRS co-ordinates. If you read this book you will find out more, much more, so very much more about this, well, how do I describe it, hobby? Pursuit? Obsession? I think you get my drift, the author is an obvious enthusiast, actually, probably an expert, and he likes to let you know, everything, far too much for me, I just lost interest.
I broke my rule for this book by reading a few reviews prior to posting my own, seems all these (to me) endless details go down a treat with some of the readers.
So there! Audiothing, what do I know? The author also happens to be an ex Federal Special Agent, so yes, he knows what he's talking about when it comes to crime and criminals. Now I do love a procedural, I really do, but again I felt overwhelmed by details, just too many details. When I come across these lengthy explanations in a work of fiction, it makes me feel that the author underestimates the readers' ability to understand anything, unless given a lengthy and detailed lesson.
However, apart from these criticisms, the book does contain a cracking good story full of interesting characters, exciting moments, cliffhangers and lots of good old mystery. Now here's the rub! Review sites expect a star rating and I can only go with 3 for the story. A smart editor could knock 4 hours of the length of this listen simply by weeding out extraneous material, then it would be a 5 star for sure, but that's just my opinion.
Narrator
Narrated by Joe Hempel who has been blessed with a pleasant and easy to listen to voice. Character definition is good, I had no trouble in identifying the male characters of the story. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the female characters, it takes a bit more than simply raising the pitch of the voice. I reckon if he worked on that a bit, then he'd be a top notch narrator.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com
http://audiothing.blogspot.com.au
My Review
You haven't heard of geocaching? No, nor had I, but this is how it goes: it's a bit like a treasure hunt for smart people, the clues to the cache are in the form of GPRS co-ordinates. If you read this book you will find out more, much more, so very much more about this, well, how do I describe it, hobby? Pursuit? Obsession? I think you get my drift, the author is an obvious enthusiast, actually, probably an expert, and he likes to let you know, everything, far too much for me, I just lost interest.
I broke my rule for this book by reading a few reviews prior to posting my own, seems all these (to me) endless details go down a treat with some of the readers.
So there! Audiothing, what do I know? The author also happens to be an ex Federal Special Agent, so yes, he knows what he's talking about when it comes to crime and criminals. Now I do love a procedural, I really do, but again I felt overwhelmed by details, just too many details. When I come across these lengthy explanations in a work of fiction, it makes me feel that the author underestimates the readers' ability to understand anything, unless given a lengthy and detailed lesson.
However, apart from these criticisms, the book does contain a cracking good story full of interesting characters, exciting moments, cliffhangers and lots of good old mystery. Now here's the rub! Review sites expect a star rating and I can only go with 3 for the story. A smart editor could knock 4 hours of the length of this listen simply by weeding out extraneous material, then it would be a 5 star for sure, but that's just my opinion.
Narrator
Narrated by Joe Hempel who has been blessed with a pleasant and easy to listen to voice. Character definition is good, I had no trouble in identifying the male characters of the story. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the female characters, it takes a bit more than simply raising the pitch of the voice. I reckon if he worked on that a bit, then he'd be a top notch narrator.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com
December 7, 2015
Cached Out is the story of a retired FBI agent named Cliff.
Cliff is really into a hobby called Geocaching. Geocaching is where one person will create a puzzle that leads to a hidden cache using co-ordinance on a GPRS,and then other people solve the puzzle to get the co-ordinance , then go out using their own GPRS’s and find the cache. When people find the cache, they get to log their initials on it and then they have bragging rights in their online community. A cache sounds like its basically a bunch of random stuff, and knowing what was in the box helps one prove they found it.
For those of you who don’t know (I sure didn’t), the difference between a GPS and a GPRS is that a GPS will give you directions to a place, but nothing else, while a GPRS will do that and also a bunch of other nifty stuff including showing you the latitude M and longitude of your location on earth. While engaging in his hobby, Cliff stumbles into a dead body and becomes a murder suspect.
Due to the abundance of info and enthusiasm about geocaching in this book, I strongly suspect the author has a geocaching hobby. I have to say, it does sound like a lot of fun.
The first half of the book is good but is a little redundant because it lays the groundwork about how the FBI eliminates suspects, and information about how geocaching works. This element was good, but I felt there was a bit too much of it, dragging the story out.
The second half of the book was fantastic, things picked up and all that plot building from the first half payed off. All that talk turned into action, action, action!
The narrator, Joe Hempel, did a good job. He has a good reading voice, clear and engaging, and he had one voice pitched a bit higher for women and another for men.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who thinks they would find a combination of how the FBI goes through the processes of suspect elimination, geocaching, and/or action interesting
Cliff is really into a hobby called Geocaching. Geocaching is where one person will create a puzzle that leads to a hidden cache using co-ordinance on a GPRS,and then other people solve the puzzle to get the co-ordinance , then go out using their own GPRS’s and find the cache. When people find the cache, they get to log their initials on it and then they have bragging rights in their online community. A cache sounds like its basically a bunch of random stuff, and knowing what was in the box helps one prove they found it.
For those of you who don’t know (I sure didn’t), the difference between a GPS and a GPRS is that a GPS will give you directions to a place, but nothing else, while a GPRS will do that and also a bunch of other nifty stuff including showing you the latitude M and longitude of your location on earth. While engaging in his hobby, Cliff stumbles into a dead body and becomes a murder suspect.
Due to the abundance of info and enthusiasm about geocaching in this book, I strongly suspect the author has a geocaching hobby. I have to say, it does sound like a lot of fun.
The first half of the book is good but is a little redundant because it lays the groundwork about how the FBI eliminates suspects, and information about how geocaching works. This element was good, but I felt there was a bit too much of it, dragging the story out.
The second half of the book was fantastic, things picked up and all that plot building from the first half payed off. All that talk turned into action, action, action!
The narrator, Joe Hempel, did a good job. He has a good reading voice, clear and engaging, and he had one voice pitched a bit higher for women and another for men.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who thinks they would find a combination of how the FBI goes through the processes of suspect elimination, geocaching, and/or action interesting
February 14, 2017
This is a fun mystery with just enough twists to keep it interesting without becoming so convoluted as to lose the reader/listener. Cliff Knowles is a likable, relatable guy caught in a bad situation: former FBI now connected to THREE separate murders. He uses his detective skills to aide the task force investigating the crimes to help to clear his own name. I like that the book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, and I look forward to finding more Cliff Knowles audiobooks in the near future, especially if they're narrated by Joe Hempel, since he did an outstanding job of bringing the characters to life.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
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