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Charlie Jones #2
Cloister
Alternate-cover edition can be found here
Of course, you know it's not going to be just another day at the convent when the Archbishop calls you and starts the conversation with, "Sister Jones, is it true you used to work for the Security Service?"
Pope Michael the First is visiting Sydney, and Charlie Jones gets pulled out of the sanctuary she's been sheltering in for two years, to work on his security.
But God does this stuff all the time, right? Sends an old man out into the desert to kill his only son? Gives a cheeky preacher a taste of life in the belly of a whale, see how he likes that. God's sitting up there going, 'Oh, right. Charlie Jones thinks she can be a nun? We'll see about that. Worldly temptations, check. Insurmountable obstacles big enough to break her spirit forever, yep, check. More worldly temptations, double check. OK girl, show me what you got.'
Of course, you know it's not going to be just another day at the convent when the Archbishop calls you and starts the conversation with, "Sister Jones, is it true you used to work for the Security Service?"
Pope Michael the First is visiting Sydney, and Charlie Jones gets pulled out of the sanctuary she's been sheltering in for two years, to work on his security.
But God does this stuff all the time, right? Sends an old man out into the desert to kill his only son? Gives a cheeky preacher a taste of life in the belly of a whale, see how he likes that. God's sitting up there going, 'Oh, right. Charlie Jones thinks she can be a nun? We'll see about that. Worldly temptations, check. Insurmountable obstacles big enough to break her spirit forever, yep, check. More worldly temptations, double check. OK girl, show me what you got.'
- GenresThriller
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2016
870 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 6, 2017
This second outing for Charlie Jones can be read without reading book 1 'B.U.G.', but it helps if you do read book 1 as it provides useful background information for the central character.
Once again, T.J. Slee excels at putting together a darkly humorous, wild, roller coaster ride of a plot, this time with a timed deadline and lots of antagonists that require some off the wall, outside the box thinking to foil.
If you like maverick detection crime thrillers, with believable threat scenarios and story-lines that are well paced then look no further.
Once again, T.J. Slee excels at putting together a darkly humorous, wild, roller coaster ride of a plot, this time with a timed deadline and lots of antagonists that require some off the wall, outside the box thinking to foil.
If you like maverick detection crime thrillers, with believable threat scenarios and story-lines that are well paced then look no further.
September 19, 2020
Sister Jones got me at "Your Honor", when she first addressed the Cardinal. I was so amused. She was so confused as to what she should call the Cardinal. And I know right there, she has a fiery and non-conforming personality. More like defiant. A Nun who usually breaks the rules and gets away with it. I am starting to like her.
This is the first time I encountered a bad-ass nun. Kick-ass as well. I have worked with both nuns and priests and I would honestly say that I would prefer to be bossed around by priests, rather than nuns. No offense there, I just did not have a really good working experience with nuns. I know, there are really cool and sensible nuns out there. This is just my experience and this should not be taken as a point for argument. So back to Sister Jones, at first, she doesn't seem really impressive. In fact, she almost got killed, that is what prompted the change of vocation. She does have a very big personality though. The person you would like to be what nuns should be like but also makes you question if she is fit to be really one. She has piercings and tattoos but as she said, God doesn't look at the physical aspect of a person he calls to His ministry.
Sister Jones has a push and pull type of personality. She has traits that you would love but there are also things that you wish she was not. Makes you confused if you really like her or not at all. That is what I felt about her. Unlike all heroine and heroes in other novels, you just know that you like them, no doubts. But with Sister Jones, it's like solving a complicated math equation. No simple answer. I do not totally agree to some of her language. She doesn't want to be ordered around and she's causing her counselor a headache and her priest confessor sleepless nights. But she's a good person inside who doesn't want evil to triumph so I admire her. And I silently want to high five her when she gives out very smart answers. That's what I meant by push and pull. What's really impressive is she doesn't rest until she is sure that the problem is solved. That's probably the best thing about her.
I think Sister Jones is a good addition to the existing line up of heroes, especially in crime and espionage. She makes a really good operative. She doesn't have extraordinary abilities and skills just a lot of common sense and logic. If I were to work with a nun again, I would like her to be as bad-ass as Sister Jones. Practical and not self-righteous.
I give the book four crosses. The overused expression, follow the money, does not get old. Most of the time it's always the money that leads you to the source of evil. In this book, it still did it. Just one observation, one character referred to Pope Michael as Pope Francis and she did it twice. I don't know if this was intentionally done by the author to check if the reader was really following, or an error in the printing? I actually had to check myself that it was Pope Michael in this book and not Pope Francis. And I was right, it was the former. I guess, Slee should check this out. This was the scene in the police station.
Full review on http://iamnotabookworm.blogspot.com/2...
This is the first time I encountered a bad-ass nun. Kick-ass as well. I have worked with both nuns and priests and I would honestly say that I would prefer to be bossed around by priests, rather than nuns. No offense there, I just did not have a really good working experience with nuns. I know, there are really cool and sensible nuns out there. This is just my experience and this should not be taken as a point for argument. So back to Sister Jones, at first, she doesn't seem really impressive. In fact, she almost got killed, that is what prompted the change of vocation. She does have a very big personality though. The person you would like to be what nuns should be like but also makes you question if she is fit to be really one. She has piercings and tattoos but as she said, God doesn't look at the physical aspect of a person he calls to His ministry.
Sister Jones has a push and pull type of personality. She has traits that you would love but there are also things that you wish she was not. Makes you confused if you really like her or not at all. That is what I felt about her. Unlike all heroine and heroes in other novels, you just know that you like them, no doubts. But with Sister Jones, it's like solving a complicated math equation. No simple answer. I do not totally agree to some of her language. She doesn't want to be ordered around and she's causing her counselor a headache and her priest confessor sleepless nights. But she's a good person inside who doesn't want evil to triumph so I admire her. And I silently want to high five her when she gives out very smart answers. That's what I meant by push and pull. What's really impressive is she doesn't rest until she is sure that the problem is solved. That's probably the best thing about her.
I think Sister Jones is a good addition to the existing line up of heroes, especially in crime and espionage. She makes a really good operative. She doesn't have extraordinary abilities and skills just a lot of common sense and logic. If I were to work with a nun again, I would like her to be as bad-ass as Sister Jones. Practical and not self-righteous.
I give the book four crosses. The overused expression, follow the money, does not get old. Most of the time it's always the money that leads you to the source of evil. In this book, it still did it. Just one observation, one character referred to Pope Michael as Pope Francis and she did it twice. I don't know if this was intentionally done by the author to check if the reader was really following, or an error in the printing? I actually had to check myself that it was Pope Michael in this book and not Pope Francis. And I was right, it was the former. I guess, Slee should check this out. This was the scene in the police station.
Full review on http://iamnotabookworm.blogspot.com/2...
September 9, 2017
Funny as hell! And yes I can say that about a book based on a Secret Service Agent who is taking leave to be a nun, who then gets caught up in an assassination attempt on the Pope!
What a great read, and I look forward to more books from this author :)
What a great read, and I look forward to more books from this author :)
August 22, 2016
More irreverent Jones
Spy turn's nun. .another great outing of the great Jones. This time more bombs and attitude from this most unusual spy. Kept me engaged throughout and hard to put down
Spy turn's nun. .another great outing of the great Jones. This time more bombs and attitude from this most unusual spy. Kept me engaged throughout and hard to put down
June 4, 2018
A book like "A nun in the Closet" by Dorothy Gillman, but than raw, uncensored and on steroïds. Especially the first part of the book is full of humor, sometimes really hilarious. Apart from that, there is tension from page 1. A visit from the Pope to Australia where an attempt on his life is made. In a race against the clock we get to follow the attack(s) and the countermeasures taken by all kinds of security team. The lead role is for a lesbian ex-secret agent now turned nun, actually novice. Her progress is hampered by all the other security teams including the people from the Vatican, het non-existent sex life and not in the least by interruptions by her mother. During the invstigation she wrestles with her religious calling and sex urges.
T.J. Slee captured the Australian people beautifully, that gives the book certainly a feel of authenticity.
At the end it all gets a bit farfetched, but certainly in the beginning is the slowly unravelling plot completely credible. Characters and environments are lifelike. The behind the scenes view on the Vatican is not far from the truth, the view on life as a nun is "refreshing" to say the least.
T.J. Slee captured the Australian people beautifully, that gives the book certainly a feel of authenticity.
At the end it all gets a bit farfetched, but certainly in the beginning is the slowly unravelling plot completely credible. Characters and environments are lifelike. The behind the scenes view on the Vatican is not far from the truth, the view on life as a nun is "refreshing" to say the least.
July 13, 2016
OK as you will see I don't write long reviews but this one deserves it coz it surprised me. Why five stars?
I usually read fantasy end of the world stuff, but I read a couple books by TJSlee now and I thought, OK, I'll give it a try and it was free when I got it (which is my budget these days...) Now I feel like I should go back and pay for it because I laughed so much, had such a good time reading it.
The story is about a nun who used to be a secret agent but quit to join the Catholic Church (there is an earlier book that tells you why I guess, I havent read it). When the Pope is visiting there is a threat to assassinate him so the nun, Charlie Jones, gets called up by the Archbishop to help him deal with the police and security services and Vatican and pretty soon she is right in the middle of it all.
She does not like dealing with fools, which I loved. After blowing off one very annoying Vatican cop a coworker asks her, "Are you going to treat everyone like this?"
She says "Yeah, everyone who thinks just because I'm a nun I must be an idiot..."
Her friend says "Good, this might be fun after all."
And it is. This is a nun who has tattoos and piercings and rides a motorbike and uses her drug addict buddies to help her hunt down the killer.
But under all that toughness she is kind of fragile, and messed up, which makes you really identify with her because she isn't Jason Bourne with a bra. But she still gets sh!t done.
Actually, the cover says it all.
I usually read fantasy end of the world stuff, but I read a couple books by TJSlee now and I thought, OK, I'll give it a try and it was free when I got it (which is my budget these days...) Now I feel like I should go back and pay for it because I laughed so much, had such a good time reading it.
The story is about a nun who used to be a secret agent but quit to join the Catholic Church (there is an earlier book that tells you why I guess, I havent read it). When the Pope is visiting there is a threat to assassinate him so the nun, Charlie Jones, gets called up by the Archbishop to help him deal with the police and security services and Vatican and pretty soon she is right in the middle of it all.
She does not like dealing with fools, which I loved. After blowing off one very annoying Vatican cop a coworker asks her, "Are you going to treat everyone like this?"
She says "Yeah, everyone who thinks just because I'm a nun I must be an idiot..."
Her friend says "Good, this might be fun after all."
And it is. This is a nun who has tattoos and piercings and rides a motorbike and uses her drug addict buddies to help her hunt down the killer.
But under all that toughness she is kind of fragile, and messed up, which makes you really identify with her because she isn't Jason Bourne with a bra. But she still gets sh!t done.
Actually, the cover says it all.
May 27, 2020
4/5 stars! I read Bug & Cloister back to back & it really was like watching a good thriller on TV. Exciting books, exciting plots, characters you like, the main narrator Charlie is such a great protagonist, & I enjoyed this book so much. I can see a movie franchise coming soon tbh.
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August 31, 2016I was excited to read this book as I won it from a goodreads giveaway. It's something more provocative, and certainly less pious. Just a bit mischievous. I feel like females are often in Christian society just for servitude therefore seeing strong, bold, female archetypes is delighting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews