The Unknown

Jonathan Quinn #14

by Brett Battles, Scott Brick (Reader)

“The best word I can use to describe Battles's writing is addictive.” (James Rollins, New York Times best-selling author) From USA Today best-selling author Brett Battles comes a new electrifying adventure in his award winning Jonathan Quinn thriller series. A snowy night. A train making its way through the mountains of Austria.  Asleep in one of the private compartments is a very important passenger, a scientist who has created something others desperately want. Precautions have been taken to ensure the man's safe passage, but even with a highly skilled bodyguard onboard, the trip does not go as planned.  When the scientist vanishes, Jonathan Quinn and his team are sent in to locate him before the secrets in the man's head can be extracted. Because if that happens, the world would change forever.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense

Audio CD

First published January 5, 2020

About the author

Brett Battles is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling and Barry Award-winning author of forty novels, including the Jonathan Quinn series and its Excoms spinoff, the Project Eden series, and the time bending Rewinder series. He’s also the coauthor, with Robert Gregory Browne, of the Alexandra Poe series. He is one of the founding members of Killer Year, and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. He lives and writes in Ventura County, California.

Reviews

[Kathi Defranc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author Never Lets me Down!!! And This story is Definitely the Best yet! Action from the start, with real life situations and new technology from the computer world today all mixed into a thrilling adventure that can NOT be closed once you begin!!
Quinn has a new mission, to find a scientist who was kidnapped from a mission to transfer him,when one person in charge takes money to leave his co-safety expert in the dust! Now Quinn must find him, before the amazing secrets he holds are divulged to those intent on using everything for evil! His team is fantastic, per usual, and we begin to see much deeper into Jar, the diminutive computer expert who holds her own against anybody.
A thrilling, suspenseful story that extolled this authors ability to move very quickly, keeping you from closing the book until the explosive ending!! 5 STARS to this book and I highly recommend!!!

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical thriller featuring Johnathan Quinn and his merry band. All of the players from previous novels are there. You know they are going to handle the bad guys and solve the puzzle. And, as usual, Battles gets carried away with details that don't really enhance the story but do add pages to his book.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

14 books in and this series continues to impress. If anything, the supporting cast is so strong that Quinn gets less and less page time. Even so, it's another compelling story that includes old favorite characters and some new and interesting ones. Bring on book #15!

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to thriller writing, Brett Battles is the real deal. In terms of suspense, plotting and tension, in my opinion, he ranks with such luminaries as Vince Flynn, Lee Child, and John Gilstrap, just to mention a few of my favorites. “The Unknown” is the fourteenth book in his Jonathan Quinn series, and it is fabulous. Like everyone I have a lot to do this time of year, but I kept telling myself, “Just one more chapter,” which naturally turned into more.

“The Unknown” starts with a Swiss scientist being escorted to a meeting in Germany by professional couriers. Naturally, there are people after him, and this is a high-stakes journey. I have a horror of spoilers so I will not go into the plot, but Quinn and his team are drawn into it, and we watch them operate. Battles has a gift for showing, not telling, and it moves the pace of the book along at a clip.

If you have never read a book in this series before it will not matter, “The Unknown” makes an excellent standalone. For those of us familiar with them, it is nice to greet the team members again. It is too bad that this book is not going to be published until early January, as it would make a spiffy Christmas gift. Still, whenever you read it, you will be rewarded with hours of sheer pleasure.

Thanks to the author for the ARC. The opinions are my own.

[Robert Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the strongest recent entries in the Quinn series (although I have enjoyed them all). There was little more improvising from the characters; often a Quinn novel seems like an execution of Quinn's plan with little deviation, but there was a little more randomness in the plot and more situations where individuals had to react to events instead of following orders.

The cast of characters continue to be entertaining, and their interactions are enjoyable. Battles' habit of moving the storytelling viewpoint around (even to the bad guys) enhances the characterizations considerably.

Brett Battles is one of the most solid thriller writers around, and this book shows why. Definitely recommended.

[Kevin McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best Quinn yet and that is quite an accomplishment! In a slight diversion from his usual cleaning jobs, Quinn and his team is tasked with getting a kidnapped scientist who is under control of a mysterious group. The usual team is on board with one new addition. Jar is more involved than usual and that was a pleasant surprise. This books holds your attention from start to finish and the action and suspense is top notch. Highly recommended even if you haven’t read Mr. Battles before.

[Tracy T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so good. (audible review)

So fun, entertaining, great characters and full of action, dialogue and intrigue.

I totally binge listened to this series and this is the last book. Well, probably not Last book but the last book released. Now I have to wait. Bummer..

If you haven't started this series I totally recommend it.

As for the narration, it is amazing. Scott Brick is perfect! Love him. He has such a great reading voice, he does the voices so well and reads with emotion.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I am almost up to date with this series and I only need to start the new series about Nate.

[Jim Warrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book from the Jonathan Quinn series by Brett Battles..

This is a good book for both new readers as well as for all of the existing fans of the great Jonathan Quinn thrillers.

Brett Battles has never disappointed me with his writing and his newest book, “The Unknown”, is yet again another gem.

This new tale takes some unusual twists and turns and it showcases the incredible set of tools and connections that have been developed over the years by The Office, including the use of connections at Interpol. From a beginning with scenes that could have come out of "Murder on the Orient Express", progressing thru Jar's first experience with snow, an airplane chase, a strange new character named Danara, lots of unexpected events and a bit of a surprise ending leaving us wondering what will happen in future books. Perfect!

I continue to enjoy the newest character in the Quinn books, Jar. There is really no way to "explain" her...one only can "experience" her. To me, she is by far the most intriguing character in the Quinn thrillers so far.

For new readers, you are given a chance to observe in action Jonathan Quinn, Orlando, Nate, Daeng and Jar at their best with lots of help from Misty at The Office. I found this new book exciting and hard to put down.

I have enjoyed all of Brett’s books, starting with the Jonathan Quinn series, continuing thru the Project Eden series, The Excoms series and many, many others. I can highly recommend every one of his 40+ books.

As a fan of sci-fi in my teens, I was very happy to see Brett create an intriguing series about time travel with his 3-book “Rewinder” series. Great stuff!

You cannot go wrong with any Brett Battles book. Trust me on this…

[Estrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever been as smitten with a character in a novel as I have with Jonathan Quinn. Sounds weird until you read a Quinn novel. I feel like I know him, understand him. I can see him clearly and he is smart, broken, strong and yet he carries a sadness. He’s human and so is everyone in this book. They become people you know.

It’s not a secret that Brett Battles is one of my favorite authors. And my list of faves is short. His ease of storytelling and character development is impressive. He gives the same weight to his female characters as he does to the men, and that’s such a huge plus!

Didn’t want to include any spoilers in this review so I’ll leave it to: 1) This is a fantastic book in a fantastic series but can also be read as a stand alone. All the info is there so you won’t get lost and can still get the impact of the suspenseful story. 2) Battles NEVER disappoints me and I’ve been reading his novels for years! 3) All of his novels are really amazing but Quinn has had my heart from book 1. 4) You will NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. 5) I’m always at the edge of my seat reading a Battles novel.

Enjoy! And thanks again, Brett Battles, for an amazing Quinn novel.

[Dave McGhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Right. Things are getting ridiculous now. In a previous review I mentioned the vastly exaggerated use of technology. Really? Two world class hackers on the same team who can get into NSA's and CIA mainframes. The whole premise of the story is simply ridiculous with seemingly unlimited access to the Internet. Even underground in the middle of the desert. Too many uses of good luck and fortune. What really caught in my craw was some of the dialogue. Would a man made, sentient AI, created in a lab by scientists really use the phrase 'OH MY GOD?' Brett's losing his edge. Kindle unlimited seems to do that to some authors. Going for the quantity instead of quality.

[William Leedom · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was unlike most of the Jonathan Quinn books I have read. It dragged on and on with Quinn a secondary figure behind his crew. Most of it was spent in some very large underground area with an AI program that can see and plan all chasing around the bad guys. A blase normal save the kidnapped person with an unbelievable aside just didn't cut it for me. Go read other Quinn books.

[Obj · Rating 1 out of 5]

A POS

Written by someone who spent to much time texting and sleeping through
English classes, uses nonexistent words such as sneaked instead of the correct word snuck. The plot comes across.somewhere between the A team and Mcguyver. Worth exactly what I paid for it -- nothing!!

[Murali Raghavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts with a bang but peters out in the end. Average book and nothing specail to mention

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orlando & Jar in a science fiction thriller. Hello, Quinn? Quinn?

I turned off my digital-brain to better suspend disbelief, whilst reading this round-the-world, action adventure. Quinn & team are no longer body removal/disposal experts, but are working for the Office, a secretive agency associated w the CIA. Misty Blake runs the Office, and oddly, her unofficial co-head is Orlando—who is a member of Team Quinn.

The team is tasked, on the usual tight deadline, to find and rescue a mysterious scientist, who was kidnapped from a speeding train. The kidnappers strapped the scientist into a body harness, shoved him out of a Nightjet train window, and hoisted him up into a stealth helicopter. Woooooot!

At first—from chapter one to the end of chapter four—there’s no real presence of Team Quinn. An Office-affiliated “professional courier,” Darious Kincaid, figures heavily in the plot. Overall, Jonathan Quinn is a secondary character and Nate, tertiary. However, I like strong female characters, so I enjoyed reading about the adventures of Orlando, Jar, and a new character named Danara.

I like the storyline’s science fiction elements, but there’s little background about the scientist, research, or the futuristic, sci-fi breakthrough. I expect more info when the author expands to another genre in this usually non-sci-fi series.

3.5 stars

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author at my request and this is my honest opinion. Once again Brett Battles has created a non-stop thriller that forgets how to put on the brakes if there are any. This story begins with an attention-grabbing kidnapping and doesn't stop until the final page is turned. Quinn and his team are back and providing all the excitement Mr. Battles' readers have come to expect from him. And while the team has access to some of the most high-end spy equipment out there, Mr. Battles never ventures into the realm of super-heroes caricatures. All of the action, dialogue, and interpersonal relationships feel based in fact and real possibility-none of that high flying fantasy stuff. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the previous Quinn books that I have read and I was in no way disappointed in this one. If you haven't read them I suggest you start because you are missing out. I can't wait to see what Quinn and the team will be up to next.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinn's world has been revamped in the last couple of books. No longer just a cleaner, he is now the head of a team, working again for The Office, which is now run by Misty and Orlando. On the team are Nate, Daeng, and the hilarious Jar. Misty is contracted to provide an escort for a scientist. When the scientist is kidnapped, Quinn and co are sent after him. Before they can do anything, they need to know who might want him, but no one seems to know what he was working on.

It takes a while for the team, especially Orlando and Jar, to figure out what's going on. Apparently, they haven't read enough James Rollins novels, specifically Crucible. While I applaud character development, I miss Quinn.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you had invented the first sentient AI, odds are high a grasping world would want to get at you and your ideas. A Swiss scientist on his way to a conference in Germany experiences that firsthand. A shadowy group of Russian speakers kidnap him from a train. They clearly plan to torture him to get the secrets of how to build a sentient AI.

But Jonathan Quinns team is there to prevent the scientist from an awful fate. The plot jarred me at one point when the villains put the scientist into a coffin-like box, feeding him oxygen through a tube for hours on end and little else. I can’t even imagine that kind of claustrophobia.

This is an excellent book that enabled me to keep my sanity on another of my horrific sleepless nights. Battles writes well, and the series is one you’ll want to come back to.

[Carol Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unkown is the new book and again the author has excelled. Slightly different to the other Quinn stories as Quinn is what is called a cleaner, but this involved a daring kidnapping which Quinn was not involved in but 2 minders were allocated the task of protecting a Dr. Brunner and was kidnapped and 1 of his minders was shot but not hurt as he was wearing a vest. As this was a very important person the task of getting Dr. Brunner back was given to Quinn and Co. to try and retrieve him safely. Action-packed and fast-paced and the storyline was quite intriguing as nobody knows why this person was kidnapped in the first place. I have always enjoyed Brett Battles books and this one comes out on top. Well done.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've been back in this world and honestly, it did take a bit to get my head in the right place. This one had a very unusual plot, but once it got going, it was full speed ahead.

Many interesting things in this one - but the MOST interesting IMO was the introduction of Danara. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the end of that plot line. And Nate's new...ummm...not sure what word to use here. Not sure if I'm liking that - I guess we will have to see where this goes, and how it or even IF it develops.

Liked the new character Kincaid - not sure if he will be invited back to the team, but he seems to be just as much of a smart alec as the others. He should fit in just right!

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was your typical Quinn book. Something happens, Quinn and his team are called in to clean up the mess, things escalate, Quinn's team has to change tactics, and the mission get solved. That said, Battles introduced a new character, whether its a new character in the series has yet to be determined, but this new character changes things a bit in Quinn's universe.
There was enough clues sprinkled through the first couple of chapters, that it was immediately obvious who the character was. I immediately thought back to one of Battles other novels, Mine. Curious to see where the Quinn books will go after this one.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quinn series is one of my favorites for its unique cast of characters, the group's teamwork, and the innovative solutions to problems Quinn and his team come up with. The novels are fast-paced with interesting characters and a heart-pulsing sense of suspense. This latest in the series did not disappoint. Unlike his usual "cleaning" jobs, Quinn and his team step in to help save a kidnapped scientist. This novel reads well as a stand-alone novel or as an ever-evolving part of the series. I'm hooked!

[Jonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has progressed from Quinn and Nate being just cleaners to Quinn running operations and tracking down the bad guys. I always enjoyed Quinn as a cleaner since I thought that was a unique role for a protagonist in this genre. Sadly, I suspect we're going to see less of him and Nate as cleaners.

The book is written like the previous books in this series - no surprises, straight forward and well-paced. This book does dabble in AI which is not typical for the Quinn series. It will be interesting to see where things go from here. It's not a memorable book, but it was enjoyable.

[Trish R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, book 14 and I don’t know if there will be more. It was a really good story, too. All about an Artificial Intelligence that took over all of Orlando and Jar’s computers and cell phones and led Quinn and his team through an underground bunker, that was as big as a small town, in order to save the scientist who created the AI, but had been kidnapped by the Russians.

No romance and the F-bomb wasn’t used in this story.

As to the narration: Scott Brick! No one better!!!

[Kodakjack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, it's now clear that Quinn and his band will not return to just "cleaning". As each novel follows their exploits, they are getting deeper and deeper into full blown espionage. Jar proves her worth out in the field and Darma, an artificial intelligence unit is the key to pulling off this hostage rescue out in through Europe and into Kazakhstan. It's hard to say who will stay and who will go off on their own. It's hard to say where this band of talented problem solvers will be taken next.

[Connie Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brett Battles has done it again with The Unknown -- written an exciting thriller with a quirky and fun cast of characters. Each Quinn book reveals more layers of character development and I really love that this novel focuses on Jar, who is fascinating and now, more human. The only thing I don't like about this book is how much sleep it cost me as I "had to read just a little more!"

[Jenny Waterfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sensational start to a fantastic book! The story begins just like a James Bond film but even cooler as it's got Quinn in it. The team are back together with some new additions and it makes for one hell of a read! The baddies are baddies and you just love to hate really bad villains. Absolutely loved it!!

[Vicki Boren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quinn and the team on another adventure.

As hard as I try, every time I start a book by Mr. Battles I can't stop reading until I finish. Another fantastic story and team back together with some very interesting new characters. A must read for all who enjoy well developed characters and stories that pull you in and don't let go. Always sorry to see the end.

[Page Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brett Battles is my favorite author! This book is full of suspense, twists and turns, well developed characters, and intrigue. It is hard to put down and a number of nights I fell asleep while reading and woke up with my iPad in my hands! Addictive! A fast paced page turner and a WOW from start to finish! An excellent read!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just WOW!!

Quinn, Orlando and the motley crew of friends are going to be in trouble as they search for a kidnapped man who is very important to the powers that be in America. They don't know why yet, but they will before this book is done! Can they rescue the man AND get out alive? Read it and see!