A Darker Rain Review

A Darker Rain  

Author: Claudine Kapel

Publisher: BookBaby

American release date: November 17, 2013

Format/Genre/Length: E-book/Sci-Fi Thriller/378 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

(4.5 stars rounded up)

A black leopard with strange red eyes is wreaking havoc among ranchers in the Seattle area—although this is not a known habitat for leopards. Sigma, a firm that specializes in handling security threats, is called in to investigate. At one time a member of the Air Force, Ryan Cole is aware of a great deal of information the general public isn’t privy to—such as the existence of extraterrestrial life. Also, the fact that alien technology is finding its way to Earth, in the form of weapons.

Ryan and his team are also involved in acquiring some unusual artifacts, five guardian stones which hold great power, and when assembled hold great potential. But for good or harm? Ryan’s boss, Theo Warren, is determined not to let the stones fall into the hands of such criminal types as Drake and Barclay. Sigma possesses one of the stones, and the amulet they came from. It seems that the hunt for these stones may intersect with the hunt for the leopard.

Ryan’s long-time friend Mark Dalton, with whom he served in the Air Force, is head of Sigma’s security. He is distrustful of one of the team members—Caitlin. He senses she isn’t all she appears to be. Also, there is their ex-commanding office, Beecham, who is a sometime customer of Sigma and has no problem with collateral damage. They don’t want him to learn what Sigma is doing, afraid he will take control of the potential weapon in the name of the government.

This was an interesting read from beginning to end, fast-paced and intriguing. I came to like the characters, and was glad to learn there will be more books. The writing is good, but don’t look for indepth descriptions, they’re not there. Even action scenes aren’t as detailed as other books. But it works.

I liked the idea of aliens selling weapons to people on earth. If alien life exists, I can see that happening. The guardian stones reminded me of the stones from the Fifth Element, which is certainly not a bad thing.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi thrillers. Not a boring moment, it’s a very entertaining read.