Audiobook Review: The Enigma Factor by Charles V. Breakfield, Roxanne E Burkey

 

 

 

About Audiobook #1

Author: Charles V Breakfield, Roxanne E Burkey

Narrator: Steven Jay Cohen

Length: 12 hours 15 minutes

Publisher: Enigma Series LLC⎮2017

Genre: Science Fiction; Technothriller

Series: The Enigma Series, Book 1

Release date: Jun. 9, 2017

 

Synopsis: Rogue cyber-criminals want Jacob Michaels, a brilliant young programmer, to join them. He just doesn’t know it yet. Jacob has the brains, expertise, and programming methods to get them what they want without discovery. With his best friend, Buzz, and a distractingly beautiful encryptionist in tow, Jacob enters the world of the Dark Internet here in the 21st century where the computer is the weapon of choice! With the cyber criminals engaged in international hacking, it’s easy to have your identity slip through your fingers. No one, including Jacob, believes it when he learns he has been targeted. Jacob finds the space between cyber good and cyber evil difficult to navigate as well as highly deadly.

Jacob has settled into a quiet routine of a techno geek after his mother dies. The plans he made are disrupted when he discovers his life is in danger. He sets off on a mission that takes him into new technology views and exposes to him the inner-workings of unknown global technologists. Jacob learns that safeguards for technology are always evolving and being exploited. His challenge becomes how to keep ahead of the criminals and identify who to trust.

Book one of The Enigma Series brings relevant technology elements of programming, encryption, crypto-currency, identity theft, and hacking to highlight the professional excellence of Jacob, more so perhaps due to his sheltered upbringing. Explore the horrific damage cyber criminals can inflict as the award-winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, weave a complex tale of danger, intrigue, and international cyber combat in their debut thriller, The Enigma Factor.

 

Buy Links for Audiobook #1

Buy on Amazon⎮Audible

 

 

 

 

 

This book was quite interesting in its scope of computers, programming and cyber security. I understood some of the technical jargon, but definitely not all of it. However, it did fascinate me as I tried to wrap my head around the overall plot of the book. Jacob, young programmer and his relationship with a mysterious European encryptionist named Petra was one of the highlights. Jacob’s life is turned upside down when he’s caught in the middle of an international game of rogue hackers.

 

 

NARRATOR PERFORMANCE:

• Narrated by:  Steven Jay Cohen

 

• Narrator-Story Connection:  8/10

I give the narrator high marks here. He seems to completely embody the story in his performance.

 

• Voice Creation/Switch Over:  7/10

There were a number of good voice creations in this one. Russian, English (southern), European. I think the voices of Otto, Petra, Andrew, and of course Jacob were my favs. Accents were good.

• Pacing 6/10

I think this was one of the downfalls of the book overall. The tone seemed a bit slow for some reason; almost dull, which makes it hard on the listener.

 

• Emphasis 6/10

This was another weak point in the performance. The Emphasis wasn’t poor, but lacked in a way that took away from the overall impact of the book.

 

• Reader-Story Connection  7/10

Due to the pacing and emphasis issues I rated this a bit lower. It wasn’t terrible, but I did struggle overall.

 

• Sound Quality: 9/10

Publisher:    Enigma Series LLC

 

• Overall Performance: 7/10 

I know that this narrator is skilled based upon the performance. I’d listen to Steven Jay Cohen again in other titles. The voice creation with the various accents, personalities were actually pretty good. I also think the something in the story structure made it more difficult but not impossible to enjoy. Overall The Enigma Rising is a fascinating beginning to the technothriller series. I’m curious to see where the following books will lead.

 

 

About the Author: Charles V. Breakfield & Roxanne E. Burkey

Breakfield is a renowned technology solutions architect with 25+ years of experience in security, hybrid data/telecom environments, and unified communications enjoys leveraging his professional skills in these contemporary TechnoThriller stories. His love of World War II history from multiple viewpoints, extensive world travel, and cultural exchanges are a part of his DNA. Charles’ love of wine tastings, cooking, and Harley riding has found ways into the nine books of The Enigma Series. Being the son of a military father allowed early exposure to various outposts, which has positively contributed to Charles contributions to many characters and the various character perspectives explored.

Burkey is a renowned customer experience professional, she is adept at initiating business solutions optimizing existing technology architecture to positively impact business outcomes. Her 25+ years in technology and business has allowed her to be a featured speaker on customer experience, subject matter expert, interviewer, instructor, and author of technology documents, as well as creator of the award winning stories within The Enigma Series. She recognized a few years ago, after several white papers and non-fictional technology books that writing fiction is a lot more fun, creative, and yet leverages relevant technology. As a child she helped to lead the other kids with exciting new adventures built on make believe characters which she brings to the stories in a grown up manner. Rox enjoys family, listening to people, any kind of travel, sewing, gourmet cooking, and imagining the possibilities.

Breakfield & Burkey – Combining their professional expertise, knowledge of the world from both business and personal travels, many characters whom have crossed their paths and are now a foundation for the 150+ characters which are a part of their series. They find it interesting to use aspects of today’s technology that people are actually incorporate into their daily lives. They will openly claim this experience and knowledge of people is a perfect way to create these adult good guy/bad guy stories. Relevant technology is combined with travel, romance, intrigue, mystery, and humor design for each book to be enjoyed alone or in sequence. Reviewers have positively compared Breakfield and Burkey to the works of Tom Clancy and Clive Custer which are some of their influencers.

The nine books currently in the series include The Enigma Factor, Rising, Ignite, Wraith, Stolen, Always, Gamers, Broker, and Dragon have received awards individually as a series, and audio books. They have also created some award winning short stories including one for The Enigma Chronicles focused on how one of the founding family was fractured due to the greed for information superiority.

 

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