Devil’s Churn

Author: Russ Linton

Narrator: Tyler Darby

Kade Black, former FBI special agent, is on the run in the first installment of this series. He’s been set up for murder and theft and is searching for the proof that will exonerate him via a dead drop near the coast in Oregon. In his search for the truth, he comes across a grisly ritual murder and gets deputized (blackmailed) by the local sheriff to help with the investigation after she figures out who he actually is. His involvement in the local scene causes ripples the likes of which no one could have predicted when he showed up in his camper van.

Amidst all of the action and thrills Kade pursues a bit of a romance, which is a tasteful fade-to-black type. The pace of the whole novel is relatively fast, which makes it difficult to put down as there’s always something interesting going on.  Several plot lines all coming together at the end make for a satisfying ending, and now I want to own one of those Russian military shovels he’s always using as a weapon because Kade makes it seem so cool.

Some meta knowledge about the author was helpful when I started listening to the audiobook. Russ is a former agent himself and has been across the country so the locations in the novels he’s written about are real and are described from his actual trips. I’m sure a lot of the FBI stuff is exaggerated but it probably comes from at least a grain of truth. At least, I like to think so.

Narrator Tyler Darby did a phenomenal job with this novel. His smooth baritone voice lends an air of confidence to Kade and the tone and flow to his narration makes for an easy listen. I’m excited to hear more from him as Kade in the upcoming audiobooks!