Sword of God (Payne & Jones Series) [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

Chris Kuzneski (Author), Dick Hill (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009 | Series: Payne & Jones Series (Book 3)

Off the coast of South Korea, a young boy discovers a cave soaked in human blood. Less than a week later, everyone in his village disappears… In Saudi Arabia, a female archaeologist unearths an artifact that threatens the very foundation of Islam. To some, it is a discovery that must be silenced at all costs… In a secret bunker run by U.S. intelligence, the unthinkable has happened. While interrogating one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, an ex-member of the MANIAC Special Forces squad is brutally executed. Jonathon Payne and D. J. Jones, his former commanders, offer to spearhead the investigation. They quickly realize there is more to this atrocity than terrorist reprisal—there is a plot in motion that will burn the world in the fires of a holy war… “Chris Kuzneski writes as forcefully as his tough characters act.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler “A nonstop locomotive of a thriller...had me burning the midnight oil ’til breakfast.” —New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Retired soldiers Jonathon Payne and D.J. Jones return to action (after last year's Sign of the Cross), investigating a secret bunker off the coast of Korea where a gruesome scene and a missing squad from their former unit, an elite counterinsurgency team, indicate that secret interrogation proceedings have gone terribly wrong. Piecing together the facts of the case lead Payne and Jones to Mecca, where a plot to blow up the Grand Mosque suggests a global conspiracy to align forces against the United States. Soon Payne and Jones have to risk their lives to infiltrate Mecca (where non-Muslims can be summarily executed) to save the city and, ultimately, the world. Kuzneski's novel is taut and largely fast-paced; though occasionally bogged down in historical exposition, it's a fair trade that gives the book a rich sense of authenticity and plausibility. Though characters are short on depth, Kuzneski knows how to maintain a nuanced moral landscape while wresting maximum thrills from contemporary Western fear of terrorism. This globe-crossing action thriller, like its predecessor, evokes the spirit of Dan Brown, with welcome doses of Lee Child's ex-military tough-guy grit. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Chris Kuzneski is the international bestselling author of The Lost Throne, Sword of God, Sign of the Cross, and The Plantation. His thrillers have been published in more than twenty languages and are sold in more than forty countries. Kuzneski, who grew up in Pennsylvania, now lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Product Details

• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD; MP3 Una edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423386655
• ISBN-13: 978-1423386650
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,939,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CHRIS KUZNESKI is the international bestselling author of six novels. His latest thriller, THE SECRET CROWN, will be released in America in January, 2012.

Chris grew up in Indiana, PA, with his parents and three siblings. As a fourth-grader, he wrote his first book, The Monster Cookbook, a work of fiction that detailed the culinary and nutritional needs of a dozen creatures that he'd created. The school's librarian was so impressed that she had it hardbound and placed in the school's library with all the books that his classmates enjoyed. Unbeknownst to her, a career in writing was born.

Chris attended Indiana High School where he was voted Class Clown of his senior class and anchored the offensive line on a team that won back-to-back CENPAC championships. He continued his football career at the University of Pittsburgh ― playing with future NFL stars Tony Siragusa, Jeff Christy, Mark Stepnoski, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, and many others. Unfortunately, a freak foot injury ended his athletic career.

While studying at Pitt, he wrote for The Pitt News, the Indiana Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, eventually earning his B.A. in writing and his M.A. in teaching. From 1992 until 1998, he taught English and coached football in two western Pennsylvania school districts and was selected to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. But in his mind, he still wasn't doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a writer, so he quit his job and took a leap of faith . . .

His first novel, THE PLANTATION, was praised by James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, James Rollins, and several of the top writers in the genre. His next thriller, SIGN OF THE CROSS, was released in 2006 and became an international bestseller. So far, it has been translated into more than fifteen languages. SWORD OF GOD climbed even higher on the charts, hitting the New York Times and London Times bestseller lists. His fourth book, THE LOST THRONE, debuted in the UK Top-5 and stayed on the charts for several weeks. It was also his first American hardcover. His latest book, THE PROPHECY, reached #4 on the UK charts and was released by Putnam in the summer of 2010. The paperback version will be available in July 2011.

Chris currently lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida. When he's not enjoying the sun, surf, and hurricanes, he's working on his next Payne & Jones novel, which will be the seventh in the series.

For more information, please visit his main website: chriskuzneski.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pageturner, October 31, 2007

By 

V. K. Noll "denalinoll" (Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sword of God (Payne & Jones) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sword of God is a pageturner. I picked it up at the airport, and was half way done when my plane landed about 4 hours later. It grabbed my attention right away, and held it until the story was finished.

What you want to know about this book.

1)It isn't a classic - it isn't exquisitely written or terribly detailed. The plot is farfetched.

2)It is a fun adventure with a very creative plot, and elements taken from real-life that contribute to its relevance.

3)The blood and gore make this book adult-only. If you don't have a tolerance for violence, this is not a book you want to read.

4)Without a doubt, I'll read Kuzneski's next book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't leave for just anywhere, February 10, 2010

By 

David Hall (panorama city, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sword of God (Payne & Jones) (Mass Market Paperback)

The author takes the reader thru geography-history-culture and a few things we woulkd all like to forget. The senerios the author develops allows the reader to focus on location,culture, and history in a manner that educates as well as entertains. The villians may become the heroes. One thing the author does well is to allow the reader to feel passion and disgust at the same time. For a first time reader this novel may have to much information to digest. For the experienced reader it is just right. It is not the fault of the author that the print is smaller than desired. Even if the reader uses glasses I suggest they give this work a go. Dave Hall

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lot Of Fun, August 23, 2011

By 

Fred Rayworth (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword of God (Payne & Jones) (Mass Market Paperback)

Compared to the earlier story I just read, this one was a lot more focused. The story centered more around Payne and Jones and their quest to get to the bottom of a plot to cause mayhem in Mecca.

With the usual cast of characters including Nick Dial and their CIA insider (can't remember his name), Chris weaves an interesting thriller that takes the reader from an Island off Korea to Saudi Arabia.

Sure, there are flaws, but I was able to overlook them as I had a great time just enjoying the flow of the story. He writes fairly short chapters, keeps to short paragraphs and has plenty of dialogue. There is plenty of space on each page that makes for an easy read.

The biggest annoyance to me is the inevitable author intrusion at the end of almost every chapter where he tells the reader what is going to happen next. "Little did Payne know how bad so and so would end up..." and so on. As a reader, I'd rather find out when the character does, and not be forewarned. He also likes to head-hop. I'm surprised his editor let him get away with that.

Neither of those flaws were enough to knock this story down a notch. It had a satisfying ending, plenty of humor, and kept me entertained. Can't ask for more. Highly recommended.