THIRDS Volume One: Books 1-3

The THIRDS Collection, Book 1

By: Charlie Cochet

Narrated by: Mark Westfield

Included in THIRDS Volume One are the following three books:

Hell & High Water

When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley's testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences aren't far behind. Dex fears he'll get transferred from the Human Police Force's Sixth Precinct. Instead, his adoptive father pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent at the THIRDS. Dex is determined to get his life back on track, but his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate several murders, it becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer - and every bit as dangerous.

Blood & Thunder

When a series of bombs go off, injuring members of Destructive Delta, peace seems unattainable. With panic and intolerance spreading, hostility between Humans and Therians grows daily. Destructive Delta is determined to restore peace. But the deeper the team investigates the bombings, the more they believe there's a sinister motive behind the bloodshed and chaos. Discovering the frightful truth forces Sloane to confront secrets from a past he thought he'd left behind for good. Now more than ever, Dex and Sloane need each other. The strength of their bond will mean the difference between justice and all-out war.

Rack & Ruin

New York City's streets are more dangerous than ever with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. The Coalition continues to escape and wreak havoc in the name of vigilante justice. Worse yet, someone inside the THIRDS has been feeding the Coalition information. It's up to Destructive Delta to draw out the mole and put an end to the war. A skirmish with Coalition members leads Agent Dex to a shocking discovery and as the case takes an explosive turn, Dex and Sloane are in danger of losing more than their relationship.

©2014 Charlie Cochet (P)2024 Charlie Cochet

Good listen

Wish there was more voices and not just one person trying to make each person sound slightly different. Otherwise loved it and always love the story!

Kept me on the edge of my seat!!

So much is going on in these first three books. You’re introduced to so many new people, there’s a whole world to build full of humans and shifters and government teams, and there are a few romances playing out while one couple in particular is the focus.

The narrator has a lot of potential. By book 3 I felt like he was finding his groove a little more. He has a great voice, but he does not add much heart into his performances. The feeling, inflection, and tone are all very bland …he’s very monotone. If he’s able to learn from these and maybe study other incredible narrators, he has the raw talent to be a highly rated narrator. I’d suggest he listen to some Greg Boudreaux/Greg Tremblay books and pay attention to the way he gives life to each character. I do love the “com” voice during calls and com conversations. It added something extra to the scenes. Fingers crossed the next sets are a little better in the narration.

Good start to an interesting series.

Law enforcement, shifters, action. Not bad. Although, I've actually heard enough of "down to the root," there are so many descriptions that could be used, but clearly it's is the author's favorite. The narration was just a skosh above virtual voice, but got much better by book 3. I will be listening to the rest of the series because I'm invested in these characters and I can't not know how it all ends.

Fun characters, good plot

Police procedurals aren’t usually my jam, but queer shifters are so I figured I’d give it a shot. Definitely worth it. Dex and Sloane are a classic grumpy/sunshine with a great dynamic. Add in a heavy dose of forbidden romance and an antagonistic best friend and you’ve got a fun ride from beginning to end.

Narration - not so good

Can’t tell if the story would be any better if the narration wasn’t so monotone. Hopefully the author will take this in to account for the following books

I love the found family dynamic, great book :)

It took me a while to read this book but I'm glad I finally started. This volume was great, Dex is lovely and his humor is perfect, kinda reminds me of Day from "Nothing Special". Isaac you d*ckhead, from the moment he was introduced, I knew he would be a menace. It was too coincidental for him to show up helping-lies! MF is delusional. Then you have that 1st Gen doctor, I want him CIA- taken care of. I don't trust that evil man. And Broadie, don't listen to a word he says he gives manipulator/gaslighting vibes. Science can be a dangerous endeavor if not applied properly." #do not harm, do no more harm”.

I *love love love* the relationship between Cael Dex and their father, their bond is so loving and green. Working together, always being there for each other, the funny bickering is perfect. There's a lot of emotional distress in this volume but healthy relationships that the characters have with each other are great for comfort.

Narrator is awful

Who doesn’t know how to pronounce “Houston?” (He pronounced it “House-ton.) So many mispronunciations. Reading words wrong (“walking dead” instead of “waking dead” as written, among many others). How can he get so many words wrong?
All the voices sound the same. He never has any emotion in his voice, or when he does, it’s conveying the wrong emotion.

Charlie needs to get a new narrator and a new audio proofer. This was embarrassingly ridiculous. It’s bad when I ask Alexa to read me the story instead of asking her to play it from my audible library.