Smoke Rising

The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files #1

by Craig Halloran

A sensational new series from the bestselling creator of The Darkslayer and The Chronicles of Dragon.


The unexpected begins ...


Agent Sidney Shaw is one of the FBI’s finest. Tough as nails with a calculating mind, she thought she was ready for anything.


Enter John Smoke. His spirited arrest methods landed him hard time in prison. The decorated veteran, now branded an ex-con, just wants to serve his time in peace. The powers that be have other plans.


When Sidney is assigned to be Smoke’s handler, both of their lives are turned upside down. She plays by the rules. He trusts his instincts. Fighting to control him, she finds herself chasing him down a secret, dark, supernatural path where a vast criminal network rears its head in the heart of Washington, D.C.

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery, Audiobook, Shapeshifters, Magic

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2015

About the author

Craig Halloran grew up a role playing fiend and dungeon master's nightmare. Since, he's turned his boundless creativity into more than 80 acclaimed novels that span a wide variety of fantasy fiction sub-genres, from epic fantasy, sword-and-sorcery to future world apocalypse. Creator of the bestselling Darkslayer and the Chronicles of the Dragon series, he imagines unique worlds and wonders that are breathtaking in concept, and then brings them to life in stories brimming with excitement, suspense, and surprise. A former military policeman who now labors in the realm of the remarkable, Halloran has a large and loyal following of devoted fans who eagerly devour his page-turning, action-packed tales of fantastic adventure.

For more news and anecdotes you can follow him at:
Facebook: The Darkslayer Report by Craig
Twitter: Craig Halloran
www.craighalloran.com (Website and Blog)
www.thedarkslayer.com
www.dragonwarsbooks.com

Or drop him a line anytime as he loves to hear from readers: craig@thedarkslayer.com

***

#1 Bestseller of Epic Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery & KDP All-Star!

Dragon Wars (20 Books) releasing 2020-21

The Darkslayer Series #1 (6 Books)

The Darkslayer Series #2 (10 books)

The Chronicles of Dragon, Series #1 (10 Books)

The Chronicles of Dragon, Series #2 (10 Books)

The Odyssey of Nath Dragon, Prequel series, (5 Books)

The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files (10 books)

The Henchmen Chronicles (5 Books)

The Red Citadel and the Sorcerer's Power (1 Stand Alone Book)

The Gamma Earth Cycle (2 Books, Work in Progress)

Zombie Impact (3 Books)

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Top 10: Dark Fantasy
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Over 4000 reviews
4-Star+ Average Rating

Reviews

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this.

I don't like stumbling upon a book I dislike. I am trying to improve my average rating. I don't enjoy writing reviews like this one either. Whatever I write in such a review is more of an explanation to my future self than anything else. I might forget (I hope I will) what exactly was it that I disliked so much.

So, on to the book. What starts as a great idea soon spirals down into embarrassing ridiculousness.

Agent Sidney Shaw is one of the most incompetent agents I've come across although everyone is trying to tell you otherwise. She is childish (she doesn't do the smart thing because she wants to show she is in charge). We are constantly told she is a stickler for the rules although she attacks people, shoots whenever she likes it and so on. To tell you the truth I am sick and tired of female characters being rude, not listening to reason used as some kind of a sign she is tough.
Let me give you just one example of how competent she is: she is chasing this guy (bear in mind we are dealing with a real monster) and catches up to him. She sees him through the glass and she freaking knocks on it!
Then you have her thoughts in italics and her weird comments like 'Please don't be some Twilight geek' (because there aren't any monsters in other books).

I liked John Smoke at first. I liked him a lot. His character was great at first but the poor guy lost what little character he got in his dealings with our wonderful agent.

The way government agents act is beyond silly. It's like a kindergarten out there. The villain is not any better either. He is, to put it mildly, hilarious.

One of the most annoying things that isn't Agent Sidney Shaw is the use of blam, ka-blam, pop, takka takka and toomph for different kinds of shooting. It drove me crazy.
To top it all, the book ends in a cliffhanger. If someone doesn't kill Sidney in the next book, I am not interested.

This book needed someone to check the inconsistencies too. At one point her boss has a wife and three children and later she says she knew his wife and his two children.

Anyway, these are some of the things I didn't like.

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smoking Great! 💨

Another great book in the series.

The talented and mysterious John Smoke does it again. Being adorable (too bad Sid doesn’t think so), doesn’t prevent him from getting the bad guys.

If you like a bad-ass hero, who’s suave and debonair, you’ll definitely enjoy Craig Halloran’s Smoke thrillers.

And Sid’s a bad-ass, too. 😎

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Thrilling Ride! 🎢

I just read Smoke Rising, the first book in the series, and I’m hooked!

Sid Shaw, an FBI agent, and John Smoke, a former bounty hunter, work together to take down supernatural criminals (for example: werewolves).

The playful banter and strong chemistry between the two helps to make this paranormal thriller a ride to remember.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/9/2020)! 🎁

[Josh Randell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the premise but I'm getting very tired of agent Shaw. She's annoying, and not in a good way. She's just a poorly written character, OR she's meant to be that way which is worse because I don't like her or want to read anymore about her. Smoke is the "main character" but it takes place from her point of view. I'm on the third story and he's barely in it. I'm disappointed in the series so far. Too bad. I love the premise, as I said, and can see this being great...maybe in another writers hands....?

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading

Ok, so supernatural, werewolves, vampires etc, are so common these days that it's hard to find much difference between them, but this author has managed to do just that. And what it who is Smoke?? He is an unknown still.......

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a poorly written book. The main female character is clearly written to entice the male audience, and scenes within the book are incredibly ick. If a book is going to romanticise sexual assault, I don't want to read it. It wasn't even necessary for the plot.

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I bought all 10 books b/c Audible offered all 1o for 1 credit. I should have known better.
It's hard to enjoy the story with the main female character, Sidney. I mentioned after reading book 1 that Sidney reminded me of myself as a teenager;huge chip on her shoulder and unnecessarily defensive about EVERYTHING. I find it hard to believe with her overly confrontational attitude that she would have been accepted in to the armed services or the FBI. She is constantly letting someone have it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good dressing down but when it happens every other paragraph it is NOT impressive.
She acts like a pre-teen girl that likes a boy around Smoke. She is rude to him and then her thoughts are "OMG , he is sooo hot". She is more annoying than Bella Swan in New Moon. The bar to impress me is pretty low and so far these books can't even meet that bar. Most of the characters are just stereotypes from 80's movies.
I would comment on the story I finished reading yesterday but, I don't remember much about it. I will keep listening/reading since I wasted a credit on this. Hopefully it gets better.

[Pygment · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad I got this for free

In the first third of the book you have serious blatant misogyny of a guy asking a woman personal questions despite her saying no. You have child neglect, substance abuse, abuse of authority by your protagonist, child endangerment, and it all seems only to give you a background for the female protagonist. We know little of the male protagonist even by the end of the first book.

Also, magic attraction to a werewolf cause of, well magic, and then saliva? Oh please. Can we not do that to our women characters. Also, her growing to like the male protagonist while he overruns her boundaries at every turn? No. Not reading any more.

[Dahrose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, isn't this the exact same storyline from book one? Just swap out the werewolf and replace it with a harpy, and yeah, it kind of is. Our duo reform, are given very little info, go after a bad gal this time, capture her, hand her over and like book one a whole heap of FBI agents are killed, our duo go after her again and take her out relatively easily.
Morning Glory (the closest you will find to swearing in this book) the plot could have used some twists and turns.
It was an okay read, but felt like I had been there done it all before. Still don't know Smoke. His lack of layers is now a glaring issue.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Concept

This was an interesting read. Zombies, werewolves and who knows what else. The concept of the story was good and most of the characters were likeable. I'm curious as to what Smoke is though there's lots of mystery behind him. I wasn't too big on the whole comic wham and boom phrases as it made me feel as if I'm reading a kids comic rather than a novel. If you like action, mystery, and suspense novels with a touch of comic style behind it then you would enjoy this book.

[Jamie Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps you guessing till the last page.

It's fast pace keeps you intrigued until the last page. Read the whole thing in two days . The author has a fantastic writing style.

[Sunshine✰✰✰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very noisy book.

Ka-Blam! Whack, Wham, Oof. Crack. Buzz-Buzz, Takka-Takka. Blam, Blam, Blam!

[Judi Easley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Disclaimer:

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.

~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review

What it’s about…

Agent Sidney Shaw is the best the FBI has and she’s been assigned to handle a prisoner on her new assignment.

John Smoke is a Bounty Hunter whose practices get him in trouble. And he’s no ordinary prisoner.

Together they go after the criminals off the government’s list of uber criminals. The ones they really don’t expect to catch. But Shaw and Smoke bring in the bad guys against all odds. Really bad odds. Odds Shaw’s never seen before. Creatures that Shaw didn’t think existed. Creatures that even Smoke hadn’t come up against before.

They’re keeping their eye on Sid Shaw after the 15-page report she wrote. And Smoke goes back to jail.

Technical Tidbits…

The cover is great. The gal looks a little young for the role, but overall the art relates to the book and it’s really good looking. A good-looking woman and a rough, hunky guy, both armed. The symbol is there front and center and the background pulls it all together. Plus, it uses that blue that really pulls the eye.

The storyline is pretty good. It introduces the overarching storyline for the series as well as introducing the two main characters. This is not a stand-alone, by any means, but it could be considered a complete story if you squint. There is no cliff-hanger here.

The characters are quite well developed. Though there is obviously more to learn about both of them and more to their relationship. With a series of ten books, I’m sure there’s time for us to get to know them both very well.

The pace was pretty fast. They’re pursuing the bad guys and the bad guys aren’t hesitant about fighting back or coming after them.

The tension starts when Sid walks into the prison and doesn’t stop until the last page. Even if there isn’t anything going on, there is always the tension between the two of them in their attempt to work together or at least tolerate each other. Yeah, it’s one of those relationships at this point.

This is where I went to Amazon and bought the second book, I Smell Smoke.

And this is where you STOP if you don’t want to see any SPOILERS…

The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰✰✰

In this first book, they are still dancing around each other. Considering what they’ve seen with Adam Vaughn and his shifty ways, you’d think that they might be getting a little closer in their ways. But no. He’s barely even speaking to her for crying out loud! She’s still very defensive and closed off. He’s all for doing it on his own. It makes you wonder which one of them is going to make the first move to try to work together to actually get something done. Who will make the move to become partners? And who will make the move to become more?

Who and how high is the higher up that’s monitoring Smoke? And are they the good guy or the bad guy eventually? When will we get to meet Smoke’s crew, Fat Sam and Guppy?

Who is behind the shifters and deaders? Is a deader a zombie or something else? Are there more werewolves? We’re given no idea just how big this organization is behind Adam Vaughn and Ray Cline. Now that Ray Cline is in jail and Adam Vaughn is dead, who will be the front man? And will Sid Shaw respond to all werewolves the way she responded to AV?

Highly Recommended.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Smoke is a convicted bounty hunter with a shady and mysterious past who is given a leave from prison to assist an FBI agent, Sydney Shaw, track down an equally mysterious target on an even more equally mysterious black list. Tension arises between the two from the beginning as they uncover a paranormal world they never expected. The story is fast paced and interesting with lots of humor. That said......

So I love paranormal urban fantasy stories and this one caught my attention. I mean John Smoke...shades of John Wick with the paranormal mixed in. Let me say first off, I liked this story and will look to read additional books in the series, however, there are a few things that detracted from the experience.

First off, the titles of the book are all Smoke something...this leads one to believe that John Smoke is the character of primary focus, but the story is from the perspective of his female FBI partner, Sydney. I was rather expecting a male narrator so it was a bit disconcerting from the start for it to be woman.

The writing style is a bit choppy and paragraphs are often very short. This format keeps the action moving but there was often a lack of description of the world as a result. With 10 books in the series it may be that the more in depth world building will come over time.

These were minor points and really stylistic characteristics of the book. The primary issue I had with the audiobook was the narrator. The narrator nearly made me stop the book altogether after the first half hour. The character of Sydney is a brusk, snappy chick with an attitude, however, the narrator came off continually as almost nasty and very snotty. Every word Sydney said was conveyed with this obnoxious attitude and the tone did not change when the narration shifted to other characters or just regular narration. Her voice was so high pitched and snotty I just wanted to slap her. She was nothing like what I would have expected. John Smoke is a funny character and a real counter point to Sydney, but it barely came through in the audiobook. I seriously considered just abandoning the book altogether. Part of me was trying to enjoy the story so I got a Kindle version of the book and started to read it instead of listening.

In the written format Syndey's snottiness is tempered...you can see her trying to be in control and manage what, to her, is an unmanageable situation. John Smoke becomes a very humorous rather wise-cracking character who is trying to do the job he was let out of prison for while working around this very uptight, overbearing FBI agent. I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading more in the series. I finished listening to the last hour of the audiobook and Sydney's tone was tempered a little by then but not by much. It cemented my decision to read this series but I will not pursue more audiobooks. Unfortunately this was a case where a bad narrator ruined an excellent story.

Pancakes and butterflies!

***I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my own unbiased review.***

[krysley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's say this is more like a 3.5-star book.

There are some great things about Smoke Rising: the premise of teaming up an FBI agent and a criminal to hunt down an even worse criminal, the addition of supernatural elements, and, most importantly, Smoke himself.

I was so down with a series titled the Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files. That was right in my wheelhouse and I actually loved how this book started with Agent Shaw meeting with Smoke in prison to convince him to help her hunt down a really bad guy. In fact, Smoke was my favorite thing about this book. His irreverence, his cockiness, his willingness to do whatever it takes to get the bad guy.

And that's where things started to fall apart for me. The book is titled Smoke Rising - Smoke should be the protagonist, right? But ... everything is told from Agent Sidney Shaw's standpoint ... Okay, weird. But whatever, the author wanted to go an unusual route. Easy enough to make an adjustment of my expectations. Smoke is still a main character, and an entertaining one at that.

Now, about Agent Shaw. I couldn't figure out if she was supposed to be an X-Files, Agent Scully-type or The Heat, Agent Ashburn/Sandra Bullock-type. Either way, both excellent role models to imitate. Instead, it feels as if the author may have gone overboard with Agent Shaw. She was insufferable (the narrator didn't help with this, but more on that in a bit). If it wasn't for Smoke's moments of levity, I don't know how I would have made it through the audiobook. Honestly, I don't know why the author made her so over-the-top antagonistic. Dialing it back just a little bit would have done loads of good for Shaw's character. It just became so exhausting and exasperating to listen to Agent Shaw be so antagonistic towards Smoke ALL. THE. TIME. I would get so fed up with Shaw, her attitude, and how she treated Smoke.

The narrator, Holly Adams, didn't help the matter. Though she was excellent with the audiobook overall (I especially liked her voice for Smoke), how she portrayed Agent Shaw just made everything worse. The tone, the harshness, it was just so aggravating to listen to.

A minor problem with this particular book is that I was expecting a lot more supernatural events and didn't really get that until like the last 25% of the book. I hope that the rest of the series features supernatural elements a lot more.

What was so weird about this audiobook for me is that when I was listening to it I would feel exhausted by Shaw's attitude. But when I wasn't listening to it, I immediately wanted to get back to it. Yes, I had some serious issues with parts of the book, but I really liked other parts. I don't know if I will continue on with this series because I was so conflicted about it. If I do, I may give reading it a chance to see if my opinion of Shaw changes.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audiobook Boom and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bookwyrm Speaks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this previously when I got the paper copy, but I didn't yet have a blog, so I never reviewed it on here. With the recent release of the Audiobook, I thought a listen and review was in order.

Sidney Shaw, an up and comer in the FBI, has just been handed her dream assignment. Known as a troubleshooter, she usually gets cases that are outside the norm from the average agents experience. IN this case, she has been given a case on the Black Slate, the secret most wanted list for criminals who don't officially exist. No one has ever been able to run Sidney's new target to ground. In fact, several agent have disappeared or died trying. To help her, Sidney's superiors have given her a wild card: John Smoke. Ex Navy SEAL, ex cop, bounty hunter and now convicted felon after he maimed one of his bounties, Smoke is looking at his sentence being commuted if they can run this bounty down.

The strong willed Shaw immediately butts heads with the irreverent Smoke, especially since Smoke has no regard for her authority. Running afoul of both internal FBI politics and the corrupt powers of DC, Shaw and Smoke run down their target, only to discover that he is like nothing they have ever encountered before, and that there is so much more below the surface of society than they ever imagined, with repercussions that could rock society if they were ever known.

While there is strong world building and plotting, The characters are where this story really shines. Sidney and Smoke are polar opposites in temperament. She is controlled and calculating, he is brash and reckless. They are both strong, intelligent characters, and that tension between them really moves the story. The secondary characters are well written as well, and the villain, while being fairly typical of the genre, fits into the story well. All in all, there's something in the story for any fan of urban fantasy.

The audio narration is handled by the talented Holly Adams, who I consider to be one of the top five narrators working today. She is excellent creating unique voices for the characters, both male and female, and has an amazing range of tones an pitches to differentiate them. She can also handle any accent, which makes the characterizations even more diverse. Her narrative pacing is fantastic, and you just get right into the flow of her narration. This is definitely one of my favorites of her work. Definitely in my top 10 audiobooks of 2018.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I don't usually read books written by men. Page 183 and 192 are examples of why. Without spoiling anything, at one point, the FMC and MMC get kidnapped by the big bad. He's evil. And gross. And he keeps referring to her as "Pretty." And while he's caressing her (because of course he has to touch her), the author described the scene like this: "He ran his claw [hand] down her face, over her chest, and rested his powerful hand on her thigh and squeezed. She moaned. Dark fires ignited within. She was powerless in the clutch of the uber-man before her." Like... are you fucking kidding me?? We also got: "In a twisted moment of fate, her terror turned to attraction as she felt herself being carried over the threshold of wickedness." Ew???? I hate men seriously why would you write that??? Fucking male ego.

Those lines alone make me want to give this book a 1 star. Fucking ridiculous. The only reason I gave it 2.5 was because I otherwise kind of enjoyed it. The writing style is too choppy for my taste, and the FMC is very much catered to male interests, but the plot itself is interesting. It definitely has X-files vibes. Bummer about the random sexualization of the FMC because I did kind of want to keep reading this series. It just wasn't necessary at all like it didn't contribute to the plot. Why did you make her horny for the bad guy?? (And no, this wasn't like a villain gets the girl instance. This was the bad guy apparently having lust magic or some shit that only affected her, not her male partner).

As curious as I am about what other supernatural shit might happen in this series, I'm not continuing it. I doubt the romanticization of non-con was a one-off in this book, and don't have any desire to learn more about the supposedly overwhelming sexual prowess that this author seems to think men possess. (Also, the FMC's constant monologuing about her control issues was annoying. Like... we get it...).

[Lidia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:

I'm a bit on the fence with this book. On the one hand, I know it's the first in a longer series so probably most of the secrets/mysteries/doubts will be explained in later installments; on the other, there are so many of those gaps that sometimes it's difficult for me to believe in the logic and the psychology of the story...

My doubts? One, why is Smoke so important and what special abilities does he have to be instrumental in pursuing the case with Agent Shaw? Two, why is it Agent Shaw in particular that gets chosen to do the job? Three, with so much action and with all the paranormal thrown into the mix, there isn't enough room for the character development. And no, I don't need complex psychological descriptions, I just need some kind of mental backbone for each of the main characters to understand their motifs and the reasons behind the way they build relationships with others...

But, that said, I also admit I liked a lot in the book. The pace is fast, the plot not so obvious, and characters diversified, even though not fully developed yet. The action scenes are very well done: dynamic, fast, with unexpected twists. There's also a bit of sarcastic humour and so many mysteries to be solved that you want to continue with the series.

As for the narration, I think it's quite OK. Ms Adams manages well both female and male voices, some better than others:) but I'd like her to read a bit faster. She reads action scenes very well, though, with all the "special sound effects" perfectly done:) Overall it's a decent interpretation of the book.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Smoke is an ex-special-forces-soldier turned bounty hunter turned ex-con who has a reputation for being hard to control but extremely capable in tracking down difficult to find targets. Sydney Shaw is a by-the-book FBI agent who is smart, driven, and competent. Together they get roped into trying to track down a suspect on the FBI’s mysterious black slate list. No one seems to know quite where the black slate came from and why people are on it—but Smoke and Shaw are about to find out why no one listed on the slate ever gets brought in for arrest.

This is a great urban fantasy series with a really enjoyable (non-romantic so far) chemistry between Smoke and Shaw as they are forced to come to grips with the idea that supernatural creatures do exist and that they are not only running criminal enterprises in the U.S. but manipulating its politics. That discovery was very well handled, as is the skepticism of the rest of the law enforcement community. There is a ton of action in addition to the basic mystery of what the heck is the bad guy.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

I received this book free from Free Audiobook Codes.com in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[John Tobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not normally a fan of either crime detective novels or supernatural fiction. Recently, however, while reading one of author Craig Halloran's wonderful sword and sorcery fantasy series, I ran into two especially fascinating characters who seemed to have a unique relationship beyond their role in that series. I later discovered that these characters had crossed over from a series of their own, "The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files." I found them so interesting that I had to start reading the first volume in that series, _Smoke Rising_.

As one of my favorite fantasy authors, Halloran has consistently proved to me that he can write well in any genre. He proved this again in _Smoke Rising_. In no time at all, Craig brings his main characters to life and promptly launches them into non-stop action and adventure, punctuated with well-written humor. I really enjoyed following the development of Sid and Smoke's relationship.

I really appreciated that this series introductory volume stood as a complete novel on its own. Craig always gives more than full value to his readers.

A fun read!

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

FBI Agent Sidney Shaw likes the rules and she doesn't like change - good luck with that!
She's teamed up with convict John Smoke, ex Navy Seal, ex cop, one-time bounty hunter, and all round enigma.
They've got two weeks to apprehend AV (Adam Vaughn), a very, very dangerous criminal, and prominent on the FBI's 'Black Slate' list (it's off the books and not fully explained).
It's pretty much action all of the way, a lot of it comic book style ("Blam! Blam! Blam!" Whap! Whap! Whap!"").
Even though the title of the series gives the game away it is quite some time before the reader learns of the supernatural aspect of their target, and even longer before Sidney accepts the inevitable. Smoke, of course, knows all along.
"Smoke Rising" is sometimes outrageous (the diamond dust trick is a particularly good example), has zero depth, and has absolutely no character development - but it fairly zips along and has some nice banter.
Think of it as a mid-length introduction to the series. I'll be reading onwards.
3 Stars

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: audiobook
Narrator: Holly Adams
This is a new to me author the bulb sounded interesting so I thought I give it a try.
I took to Smoke’s character straight away, I feel like there’s something about him that we’ve not yet seen? A bit of mystery which makes him more appealing and makes me want to know more about him.
I have to say I found Agent Sidney Shaw’s whole attitude annoying, she’s too busy trying to show she’s in charge that she won’t listen to common sense, in fact she’ll do the opposite, it’s childish and not the professional FBI agent she’s supposed to be, I hope that she chills a bit as the series continues because I really enjoyed the storyline. I will say though that the punches and weapon firing sounds just sounded silly.
It has a bit of a Mulder & Scully vibe as it ventures into the supernatural.
The narrator has a pleasant voice, easy to listen to and does a good job in the delivery of the story.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This is X-Files but with the supernatural instead of aliens. Smoke is a Navy Seal turned bounty hunter who is in jail. Sidney Shaw is the FBI agent who is tasked to work with him to hunt down a criminal posted on a wanted list on the shadowy side of the agency. It makes as much sense as Breakout Kings did, which isn't to say it couldn't be entertaining, but it isn't really. You keep waiting for the paranormal to creep up and when it does, it's so vague, you're not sure it's really there. Then they've got the bad guy and Smoke goes back to jail.

There's all the cliche she likes Smoke but has to act like she doesn't to get through. We get dragged through a day tracking down her drug-abusing-child-abandoning sister at a Congressman's nephew's house. Smoke is either Jack Reacher or a supernatural himself - a situation our FBI agent is completely ignorant of. The narrator is pretty decent. I have the first 10 books thanks to an audible sale. We'll see how many I get through.

[Lee Stewart-Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sidney Shaw is a by the book, tough and beautiful FBI agent...then she gets assigned to work with Bounty Hunter John Smoke. There are a few problems about working with Smoke, he's in prison for over zealous somewhat illegal arrest methods. Smoke is just someone who has his set ideas on how to handle those who violate the law...usually that means violating the perp in one way or another.
This creates friction between the two as they try to bring in criminals who are on the so called "Black List"...as the 2 work together Shaw finds herself fighting an attraction to Smoke and dealing with things that are lets say on the supernatural side of the street.
If you like the "X-Files", Supernatural then you will love this series of books that take you on a trip following Shaw and Smoke as they deal with an evil conspiracy that pervades the nation's capital.

[Dahrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok read. I liked the pacing. Overall it was short, sharp and not bad. Sidney, has depth and layers. Smoke is still a mystery, but perhaps that is by design, but I could have used some more information in regards to him and his background.
The set up was a little hard to swallow - all these shadowy goings on at the FBI? Some agents in the know, others not. The body count climbed, and agents were used carelessly as cannon fodder, to the point you wonder how our duo ever manages to get the bad guy not once, but twice.
For some reason, despite the werewolves etc this had kind of a goody two shoes air about it that jangled - no swearing, seriously? Not even when you've been shot - Morning Glory! As the lead gal would say. And doesn't that trite saying get tried after a while.
An okay, quick read.

[Martin Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

That's what this book is. It's not some deep metaphysical exploration of the human soul, and the meaning of existence within the vastness of the universe. It's straight up fun. Naysayers will complain about the characters, the dialog, or just something in general. They find the smallest things to nitpick to cover up the fact that this book is like a cupcake, and not a steak dinner.

Smoke is borderline a chaotic good/neutral. He has a sense of justice, and a drive to get bad people off the streets. Sidney is a straight-laced FBI agent who prefers structure, and regiment who gets stuck with him. They have a "Lethal Weapon" vibe going of one being by the books, and the other flying by the seat of his pants.

Don't think about it too much, and take it for what it is: a quick, fun romp in an urban fantasy setting with some fun characters.

[Sarah Leenart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly disappointed here, as I so loved the premise and indeed the first half of the book was really good, however it all felt apart for me rather quickly. Special Agent Sid Shaw started out my sort of woman, strong, intelligent and with a military background. What we actually got was someone who made silly decisions, had a really annoying inner voice (with so many sound effects I started to wonder if I had suddenly switched to a Batman comic) and broke all her own rules. Smoke was probably the star of the show and without Sid and her dodgy values and an FBI agency who didn't know what it was doing, it possibly would have been amazing. I had a lot of issues so never actually finished this, just not my cup of tea.

[Stephanie Herron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different paranormal than usual

This is the first time I've read anything by this author and wasn't sure what to expect. It was much funnier? sarcastic? than I expected which I think is a good thing. The dialog between the two main characters was what made the book. It's not often you see an FBI agent and a criminal team up together to chase bad guys. You do learn a bit about Sidney but not a lot about Storm which I'm guessing comes in the next book in the series. My only complaint is that you never figure out who is the bad guy nor what their plan is. I'm willing to buy the next book in the series and give it a chance. I read this in an afternoon so not a lo g book which is sometimes nice.