Author: C.G. Harris

Performed by MacLeod Andrews

Category: Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Book Review

Released on Audible: September 2019

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Gabe is recruited to join the most dangerous organization the world has never heard about. As a double agent he has to fight within their ranks to stop them, all with no training, no experience and no support. If he’s caught, they will tear him apart. But that’s not the real twist. 

Gabe is dead, he lives in Hell and Judas Iscariot just became his new boss. 

For his sins Gabriel Gantry is condemned to life in The Nine, the lowest level of Hell which contains the worst humanity has to offer. He runs a successful black market shop in Scrapyard City ‘a dry, frigid maze of high-rise shanties, catwalks, and junk metal barely fit to stand, much less protect the Woebegone souls who inhabit them.’ Gabe trades items he acquires from Topside to Hellions, in return for information and secrets. 

During a firestorm Gabe notices a disorientated Woebegone girl, who has temporary amnesia and nowhere else to go. She reminds him of someone from his past life and after a brief internal struggle he risks the firestorm to rescue her and gets a slap across the face for his trouble. Then a Hellion knocks at the door, with a summons to the Judas Agency—and it’s a summons he can’t refuse. It doesn’t appear to be Gabe’s day. 

Gabe risks indescribable torture when he’s unwilling to accept Judas Iscariot’s request to join the agency, believing it to bring harm and suffering to people Topside. He does his best to atone for his earthly sins and refuses to go back to the person he was, whatever the cost. What he never expected was to be recruited as a double agent tasked with infiltrating the agency and neutralising or disrupting threats when necessary. 

Judas stood and paced back and forth in front of the desk. “I would not be in charge very long if I halted every operation I was ordered to carry out. I run the Judas Agency, but I do not rule the underworld…

…which is why I need you. I need agents to infiltrate, discover, and disrupt operations where I cannot”

Gabe finds himself attached permanently to a silver denarius and, for one who always works alone, he’s not at all sure about his new partner. Alex is fierce, beautiful, blue-haired and tattooed from the shoulders down. All he has to do is gather information without arousing suspicion and report back to Judas. Nothing to it!

C.G. Harris has created a fun story with a cast of mostly likeable and well drawn characters (apart from the gruesome and grotesque) particularly anti hero Gabe who has more or less made peace with his life in The Nine. He’s resilient, making the most of what little he has. Everything was running as smoothly as it could, given his situation, until he was sent for by Judas Iscariot. But now he has an opportunity to do some real good for the people Topside…not that it’ll get him out of The Nine but might earn him some boy scout points.

The (under)world building is imaginative and vividly detailed, the plot well executed with humorous dialogue and characters that develop throughout. Needless to say, MacLeod Andrews’ performance is first class, giving a distinct voice to each character and a perfect representation of Gabe. Look forward to more of Gabriel’s adventures.

I chose to listen to and review The Nine based on a gifted copy of the audiobook. My thanks to C.G. Harris and MacLeod Andrews.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

About the Author

C.G. Harris is an award winning science-fiction and fantasy author from Colorado who draws inspiration from favorites, Jim Butcher, Richard Kadrey and Brandon Sanderson. For nearly a decade, Harris has escaped the humdrum of the real world by creating fictional characters and made-up realities. When not writing, Harris enjoys sipping scotch to the twisted humor of the television show, Happy! and the quirky characters in Arrested Development.

Author links ~ Website | Facebook