susanvoss18

Note: Even though this is Book 6 in the series, it works just fine as a standalone.

Anne Manx is a kick ass PI. But she is finally out of lives and is dying. Might be due to the drinking. After consulting a family member, she heads to her ancestral home of Balduria tracking a myth. She hopes to create a blood cocktail that will restore her 9 lives. However, when she arrives, there is plenty of grief and consternation to contend with. Apparently, if you are of ancient Balduria stock, you are hunted by the current government. If caught, the Ancient will be summarily executed and their blood drained and set aside to power the fanatics who currently run the planet. To top that off, Anne’s nemesis Jean Richmond (from Richmond Smokes a Joint which I enjoyed very much) is hot on her tail in the hopes of snagging the live-giving blood cocktail for herself.

I found this production even more enjoyable than Richmond Smokes a Joint. In essence, it is a campy space opera with plenty of action and snappy dialogue. I was often chuckling to myself while I listened to this book. I really enjoyed the humor, which is at times a little cutting and just touch punny.

The plot itself is fairly straight forward. There’s plenty of action. I was caught up hoping that Anne Manx would live to fight another day. Since I was introduced to this world through Jean Richmond in Richmond Smokes a Joint, I also wanted her to make it, though I was OK with her ending up with a black eye or a squashed nose. You can see from the list of cast members that there are many characters in this book and I was glad to see that the women take center stage. We need more gender balanced SFF and I quite enjoy what RRCA is doing.

If you’re looking for something light, funny, action packed, and with a touch of adult humor, then this should fulfill your needs. It’s a large galaxy with plenty more Anne Manx adventures awaiting!

The Narration: As you can see by the list of narrators above, this was a full cast! The performance was complete with accents and plenty of immersive sounds. Don’t worry, the sound effects and occasional music background did not over ride the narrators; their performance was clear, being enhanced by the effects.