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CRYPT #2
CRYPT: Traitor's Revenge
'We're coming. The martyrs are awakening. Spirits are gathering. This will be our time...'
In York and London, strange shapes are taking form, emerging from the shadows. And who is the man who lies in a pitch-black room, listening to a voice that seems to speak from the darkness itself?
Jud Lester knows that something evil is afoot. He also knows that it can't be investigated by any normal brand of counter-intelligence...
This is a case for CRYPT: a team of elite teenage agents who use their extra sensory perception and arsenal of high-tech gadgets to investigate crimes that the police can't solve.
In York and London, strange shapes are taking form, emerging from the shadows. And who is the man who lies in a pitch-black room, listening to a voice that seems to speak from the darkness itself?
Jud Lester knows that something evil is afoot. He also knows that it can't be investigated by any normal brand of counter-intelligence...
This is a case for CRYPT: a team of elite teenage agents who use their extra sensory perception and arsenal of high-tech gadgets to investigate crimes that the police can't solve.
Audio
First published March 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Hammond
107 books16 followersAfter some years in the legal profession, Andrew re-trained as a teacher and has been a Deputy Headmaster, Director of Studies, Housemaster, and Head of English and Drama. He now works as an educational consultant and motivational speaker.
Andrew has written over thirty educational titles and has contributed articles to the Times Educational Supplement and other educational periodicals. The CRYPT Series is Andrew's first foray into the world of fiction.
Andrew lives in Suffolk with his wife and four children.
Andrew has written over thirty educational titles and has contributed articles to the Times Educational Supplement and other educational periodicals. The CRYPT Series is Andrew's first foray into the world of fiction.
Andrew lives in Suffolk with his wife and four children.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 9, 2021
3.5/5, but rounding up this time for the GR review.
What surprises me about this re-read is that so far, the books continue to be as fun as they were when I first read them. I'm always excited to see what will happen next, and the writing never feels slow.
While reading The Traitor's Revenge, it felt like Hammond was becoming more comfortable with writing. The plotlines and plot twists were much better executed, and there were some sections that genuinely surprised me . The answer to the mystery takes far longer to unravel then in the first book, and isn't done by a simple realization. There's also much more history involved this time, and although this lead to some (in my opinion) unnecessarily long Google or research scenes, it was a fun ride.
The character development continues to thrive. I really like how Jud and Bex both have a temper (at realistic times) and are never always the "calm cool collected" type, which is usually reserved for Bonati. I like how Jason Goode was more present and we got some more insight into how the whole Jud Lester situation affects him. I like seeing Grace and Luc in the field together. I like how the emphasis on the character's attractiveness was tuned down (at least, mostly during the first half of the book) so I could focus more on the plot and their relationships. I find all the characters compliment each other really well, and I enjoy watching them grow.
The writing style has improved a bit from the first book, but it still feels odd at times. We still have a few random swears (less than 5 in the whole book, and not unrealistic times), the word "OK", and some slang. There were a few large expositions dumps/repeats too - at this point, I just automatically skim over whenever the CRYPT lore or backstory is being repeated. It feels like the editor of the story could have done a better job - there are even a few missing quotation marks (but it's not frequent and obvious where they should be).
Honestly, there was a chance that this book rated 4/5 for me, but it has the worst lines I have ever read:
The trend of switching perspectives in the same paragraph persists, but I've gotten used to it. I still really love how chapters can introduce new characters, and we don't know if they'll be important later or if they're a victim of a haunting. It's suspenseful, and in a (mild) horror novel, I like that.
I continue to believe that this series would look fantastic on television with some polishing. The premise is fascinating, the character relationships are well-developed (a bit on the nose sometimes, but definitely better than some of the ones on TV today) and the visuals would look terrifying with a thrilling Stranger Things-esque style.
Overall, a fun mystery ride. I'll need to find a copy of the next book somewhere to continue...
What surprises me about this re-read is that so far, the books continue to be as fun as they were when I first read them. I'm always excited to see what will happen next, and the writing never feels slow.
While reading The Traitor's Revenge, it felt like Hammond was becoming more comfortable with writing. The plotlines and plot twists were much better executed, and there were some sections that genuinely surprised me . The answer to the mystery takes far longer to unravel then in the first book, and isn't done by a simple realization. There's also much more history involved this time, and although this lead to some (in my opinion) unnecessarily long Google or research scenes, it was a fun ride.
The character development continues to thrive. I really like how Jud and Bex both have a temper (at realistic times) and are never always the "calm cool collected" type, which is usually reserved for Bonati. I like how Jason Goode was more present and we got some more insight into how the whole Jud Lester situation affects him. I like seeing Grace and Luc in the field together. I like how the emphasis on the character's attractiveness was tuned down (at least, mostly during the first half of the book) so I could focus more on the plot and their relationships. I find all the characters compliment each other really well, and I enjoy watching them grow.
The writing style has improved a bit from the first book, but it still feels odd at times. We still have a few random swears (less than 5 in the whole book, and not unrealistic times), the word "OK", and some slang. There were a few large expositions dumps/repeats too - at this point, I just automatically skim over whenever the CRYPT lore or backstory is being repeated. It feels like the editor of the story could have done a better job - there are even a few missing quotation marks (but it's not frequent and obvious where they should be).
Honestly, there was a chance that this book rated 4/5 for me, but it has the worst lines I have ever read:
Besides, there was something charming about the mess. It showed she was kooky - and every guy liked kooky.
The trend of switching perspectives in the same paragraph persists, but I've gotten used to it. I still really love how chapters can introduce new characters, and we don't know if they'll be important later or if they're a victim of a haunting. It's suspenseful, and in a (mild) horror novel, I like that.
I continue to believe that this series would look fantastic on television with some polishing. The premise is fascinating, the character relationships are well-developed (a bit on the nose sometimes, but definitely better than some of the ones on TV today) and the visuals would look terrifying with a thrilling Stranger Things-esque style.
Overall, a fun mystery ride. I'll need to find a copy of the next book somewhere to continue...
June 12, 2017
I absolutely love when all the pieces to the puzzle come together.
It's worth reading through the entire book to see the satisfying result. I found the first book in this series, The Gallows Curse really unique and was excited to pick up the sequel. This book lived up to my standards, with the same unique story-telling of switching between perspectives, along with the same amount of mystery and action.
I loved how we were first introduced to Thacker without being really introduced to Thacker. Finding out his identity from the old lady was really neat, and I must admit my reaction to the news was similar to Bex's. I loved Jude and Bex as characters and how they are able to help each other in dire situations. Yeah they're going to end up together by the end of the series (I'm guessing so anyway), but I approve of that match.
Overall, this was a great second book. I wouldn't recommend it for those who don't like horror, nor would I read it myself late at night, but for a day read this is a definite page turner.
It's worth reading through the entire book to see the satisfying result. I found the first book in this series, The Gallows Curse really unique and was excited to pick up the sequel. This book lived up to my standards, with the same unique story-telling of switching between perspectives, along with the same amount of mystery and action.
I loved how we were first introduced to Thacker without being really introduced to Thacker. Finding out his identity from the old lady was really neat, and I must admit my reaction to the news was similar to Bex's. I loved Jude and Bex as characters and how they are able to help each other in dire situations. Yeah they're going to end up together by the end of the series (I'm guessing so anyway), but I approve of that match.
Overall, this was a great second book. I wouldn't recommend it for those who don't like horror, nor would I read it myself late at night, but for a day read this is a definite page turner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 5, 2025suitable for teens looking for ghosts and history
March 10, 2012
Review originally posted at: Bart's Bookshelf.
The CRYPT books were one of the series I was looking forward most to last year, ever since I first learned about it at the Headline bloggers meet-up. And the first in the series, The Gallows Curse, whilst it wasn’t perfect, did mostly live up to my hopes.
Traitor’s Revenge, is a bit of a mixed bag, on the plus side, the horror and gore are again really well done, as is the building friendship between Jud and Bex. I also really liked the main part of the plot and thought it built quite well towards the climax.
The fact that much of the book is set in York, is a bonus, as it’s the perfect setting of a ghost story, and Andrew Hammond does a wonderful job of depicting the city.
On the minus side, I thought there was a little too much of telling us how rich Jud’s dad is and that is where all the wonderful tech and gadgets comes from, we’re in the second book and shouldn’t need to be ‘told’ this as much as were in the first book.
And whilst once again the story moved towards a massive set-piece ending, I found the actual ‘resolution’ of that ending a bit of a damp-squib compared to the one in Traitor’s revenge.
Even so, the one thing this one shares with the first is that the nearer you get to the end, the quicker you’ll be wanting to turn those pages!
So despite it’s faults, the CRYPT series remains one I’m really enjoying, and I’ll still be wanting to get book 3!
The CRYPT books were one of the series I was looking forward most to last year, ever since I first learned about it at the Headline bloggers meet-up. And the first in the series, The Gallows Curse, whilst it wasn’t perfect, did mostly live up to my hopes.
Traitor’s Revenge, is a bit of a mixed bag, on the plus side, the horror and gore are again really well done, as is the building friendship between Jud and Bex. I also really liked the main part of the plot and thought it built quite well towards the climax.
The fact that much of the book is set in York, is a bonus, as it’s the perfect setting of a ghost story, and Andrew Hammond does a wonderful job of depicting the city.
On the minus side, I thought there was a little too much of telling us how rich Jud’s dad is and that is where all the wonderful tech and gadgets comes from, we’re in the second book and shouldn’t need to be ‘told’ this as much as were in the first book.
And whilst once again the story moved towards a massive set-piece ending, I found the actual ‘resolution’ of that ending a bit of a damp-squib compared to the one in Traitor’s revenge.
Even so, the one thing this one shares with the first is that the nearer you get to the end, the quicker you’ll be wanting to turn those pages!
So despite it’s faults, the CRYPT series remains one I’m really enjoying, and I’ll still be wanting to get book 3!
January 5, 2014
I have to say that I really like this series. There are one or two things that annoyed me a little bit about this book but nothing that takes the enjoyment out of the story. I still love Jud's character and Bex is great as well. I thought it was interesting they way he combined the history of the gunpowder plot into the story and I still love his ghostly descriptions even though they are fairly brutal at times. Because he writes so realistically, it sometimes feels like the events could actually happen and I kept having to remind myself that it was a made up ghost story. I am certainly looking forward to reading the next book!
February 2, 2013
(This review may contain spoilers).
This book was a pretty good second one in the series. Again, it used quite a bit about historical figures - and the writing was quite descriptive (though I wish it hadn't been quite so much in the particularly gory scenes).
I was able to emphasise more with the characters here, though there were still a number of jarring POV switches. Still, I did enjoy the book and I have book three ready to read at some point.
This book was a pretty good second one in the series. Again, it used quite a bit about historical figures - and the writing was quite descriptive (though I wish it hadn't been quite so much in the particularly gory scenes).
I was able to emphasise more with the characters here, though there were still a number of jarring POV switches. Still, I did enjoy the book and I have book three ready to read at some point.
February 17, 2016
Brilliant 2nd installment in this quin-tology of books by a great author who has read as I said a lot of James Herbert and Robert Muchamore and seen many ghost movies obviously I reckon, probably too many to name for the influences that pour out of the pages! Will begin the 3rd book in the next few days, & can't wait!
May 23, 2012
i loved it
Want to read
December 19, 2012I love this series but I CAN'T FIND BOOKS 1 & 2 ONLINE OR IN STORES
February 12, 2014
I was expecting a lot more bone chilling fast paced mystery but that was painfully slow and I couldn't finish it sadly. I liked the first one tho
December 7, 2014
Fabulous book love it, get to learn more about Jud and his friends as you follow his tale
March 16, 2013
LOVED IT
June 25, 2015
although it took me a while to get into it, it was a good balance of history and fiction.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews