Division Zero

By: Matthew S. Cox

Narrated by: Elisabeth Lagelee

Most cops get to deal with living criminals, but Agent Kirsten Wren isn’t most cops.

A gifted psionic with a troubled past, she possesses a rare combination of abilities that makes her a powerful weapon against paranormal threats. Adrift in a society that fears people like her, she feels alone in a city of millions.

In 2418, rampant violence and corporate warfare have left no shortage of angry wraiths. Most are little more than fleeting shadows or eerie whispers in the darkness, but every so often, one gathers enough strength to threaten the living.

A series of attacks by androids known as dolls leave the normal police baffled. Unable to explain what made the machines malfunction, they punt the case to Division Zero. Kirsten’s investigation into who - or what - is behind the random murders soon makes her a target for corporate assassins.

Despite her past and the cynical city around her, she clings to the belief that no one is beyond redemption. Alas, the killer is desperate to claim as many innocent souls as possible, and one might just be hers.

©2018 Matthew S. Cox (P)2019 Matthew S. Cox

Really liked this one

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a great blend of science fiction and paranormal fantasy. The world building is done well and the characters are very interesting. The narration is done well. All in all, this was a great book and I would highly recommend it for anyone who likes sci fi.

GOOD READ!

I liked it! The narration was great and kept me entertained. This author does a good job with the characters and plot. This book was full of action. This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Psionic Cop Adventure

This story takes place in a future that has an amazing level of technology and a mix of paranormal activity. The concept and world building is amazing and put you in the action. Kirsten is a cop of Division Zero and is able to see the dead and use telepathic abilities. You get put into the action and follow her on perilous ride. I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to what comes next.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A great Scifi mystery filled with ghosts!

I received an Audible code from the author via Audiobook Boom for an honest review. What follows is my honest opinion of the work. I have not been compensated for this review.This is not my first Cox book nor is it my first book in this scifi/post-apocalyptic world. But I wish it was. The books set in the same world weren't bad and I still highly recommend, but this one helps set the world better. You get a feel of who psionics are and what the government is like. You get a feel of the underbelly of the West City and the beginnings of a larger mythos. In all, I suggest starting with this book and then branching into the others set in the same world.This book is a mix of scifi, post-apocalyptic, and paranormal. It pulls you in every direction and opens you to an interesting world. Most of all though, is Kirsten Wren. I love how Cox writes his female leads. I can gush forever about how they are portrayed. Agent Wren has PTSD from the broken and horrible childhood she lived with. But she doesn't let that stop her from saving lives and helping the dead cross over. She's probably my favorite lead from Cox. Next to Emma and Kit (from two different books).The narrator for the audiobook is a good choice. I feel she did a good job. That said, when you listen to it on Audible at 1.0x, it can feel like she's very slow when she's ready. I found 1.25x being the best listen speed.All in all, I'm definitely going to want to listen to the rest of the series if they get to be audiobooks.Final Rating: 4/5

wonderful story

a very good and well written story it was very enjoyable and very very interesting I also liked it a lot the world built was very good and the author did very very interesting things with the book The narrator was wonderful as well and overall it was a wonderful and great listen

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Brilliantly imagined paranormal Sci-fi world!

Let's talk about the narrator first.
I'm not sure what it is, but something about her neutral voice just grates on my nerves.

That said, most of her voices in the book are very good. There's a boy who I think sounds far younger than he should, but then, he acts younger too, so I suppose it fits.

Her tempo is very even throughout the book, and while the other characters are well voiced, the main character's dialogue is surprisingly devoid of inflections.

The quality of the story and characters largely mitigate the narration problems, however.

Here we are introduced to a far future Sci-fi universe that feels near future. We have flying cars, total body modifications, an overworld and underworld on Earth, laser guns, trips to Mars and "farther off" colony worlds.

Yet the whole story happens very close to home. There's no space travel in the book, there's no crazy focus on the tech and the exact mechanics of how it works. It all feels real and plausible.

In short, we get to skip all the "hard" Sci-fi details that typically keep me away from the genre.

We also have telepathy, telekinesis, Astral Projecting, ghosts, and the hint of demons, heaven, and possibly even God.

Kirsten, the story's heroine, intrigues me. Between her troubled past (reminiscent of Carrie White), unabashed altruism, and assortment of psionic powers, she makes for a fascinating character.

The story opens with an awesome display that quite effectively showcases her abilities and sets the stage for the type of world we're dealing with.

Allow me to break for a moment for the two mild criticisms I have for this book.

First, there are a number of passages that are a little clunky. Not enough to distract from the story, but enough to be noticeable.

And second, the wrap-up. After the climax there is a rather large epilogue that includes a whole new subplot which feels as though it should have been either earlier in the book or in the second book.

Now, there are several awesome twists, especially toward the end, though there is one (that I won't go into, as I never give spoilers in reviews) involving a major supporting character that I'm pretty sure was meant to come as a shock but I saw coming the first time the character was introduced.

Finally, the ending.
I had some definite concerns as we headed toward the end, but I'm happy to say that the author absolutely nailed the climactic ending! We had several plot threads tied together, characters went beyond what I expected, which resulted in some awesome surprises and a fantastically satisfying ending that does leave me wanting to move on to the next book!

Paranormal Buddy Cop

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Overall I enjoyed this, It has a great buddy cop, drama thing going, and enough world building and paranormal activity to keep things fun. I'll say the pacing was much, things didn't jump around so much as seem to fly around. This was great during the action scenes but hampered the character development a bit, not awful, but a bit much. That said the main character was great to follow, and I loved the dynamics between her and other characters. There's a good basis for the paranormal system, a bit out of sync with the reality the book presents, people are too often surprised by telepathy and telekinesis for a world where there are ghosts flying around.

The narrator does a solid job and does the characters justice. No complaints there.

There's a bit of an SVU vibe throughout the book, one of the episodes that leaves you feeling exhausted by the end, both from the crime and laughing at the banter between characters. I'm a big fan of that sort of thing and if you are to you'll enjoy this.