Penumbra (Spook Squad, Book 3) | Keri Arthur | The series deserves ten stars

Penumbra (Spook Squad, Book 3) | Keri Arthur | Highly recommend this series to urban/dark fantasy fans

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Penumbra (Spook Sq...

	Penumbra (Spook Squad, Book 3) Keri Arthur ImaJinn Books, 2005 - 204 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Agent Sam Ryan has had enough. She wants out, and she wants out now. She's sick of putting up with Gabriel's crappy attitude, sick of seeing nothing but paperwork and the inside off her small office. But most of all, she is sick of feeling lonely. It's time to take control and get a life outside of work. But Stephan, the man in charge of the SIU, isn't about to let her go easily. Offered the choice between guarding a clone and probable enemy of the country, or remaining stuck in her shoe box, Sam reluctantly accepts the former, even though she suspects Stephan is using her as bait to draw out the elusive and dangerous Sethanon. Gabriel is relieved to discover he's finally shaken Sam as a partner, until he learns her new assignment is guarding Wetherton, the clone replacement of a government minister. Both he and Stephan know Wetherton could only have come from one place-Hopeworth. The military base has been involved in DNA experiments for decades and was more than likely the place where Sam was created. But there is a growing likelihood that the military base is also the home of Sethanon himself. Determined to protect her, Gabriel is quickly drawn into the mission. All too soon he discovers the connection between he and Sam is far deeper than anyone could ever have imagined. As the assignment begins to unravel around Sam and her past begins to reveal itself in her dreams, she fights to stay alive because the military wants their creation back. And the only person standing between her and them might well be the enemy of all mankind.

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The series deserves ten stars

This is a great series. Keri Arthur always comes through with an interesting story. The worlds she creates are intricate and complicated (never more so than in the world where Penumbra takes place) but explained and detailed so well that the reader has no problem believing the unbelievable.

This series lacks the overt sensuality of some of her others, but since her books are always about the story, and not just the sex, I don't find anything lacking.

Having no memory before the age of 14, Sam desperately wants a relationship of some kind. Family, friend, lover, partner... any relationship she can get. Having lost people he cared about at a young age, Gabriel doesn't want to have any strong personal ties with anyone, including cutting out his family where he can.

While it's been fun watching their relationship develop over the course of the series, I have oft wanted to smack Gabriel upside the head, and I was just as tempted to introduce Sam to a nice young man and tell her to forget Gabriel and all his hang ups. But that's why I read. If I don't care about a character, I'm not tempted to smack them. And Keri Arthur makes me care.

I know she's got another series coming out soon, but I hope to see more of this one.

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Highly recommend this series to urban/dark fantasy fans

Penumbra,book 3 in the Spook Squad series,explores Sam's emerging talents, provides more information on Gabriel's family, and solves the mystery of Sethanon's identity. This series, as most any other, should be read in order (Memory Zero, Generation 18 and Penumbra). As with all the Keri Arthur series I've read, this one leaves you hanging for the next book. Hope #4 comes out soon.

Still better than others although not KA's best.....

Let me preface my review by saying that I'm a huge fan of Keri Arthur's work and that I order her books as soon as they become available. Having said that, I was disappointed with PENUMBRA. PENUMBRA is the third in a series involving Agent Sam Ryan of the SIU, a specialized unit for paranormal investigations. If you haven't read the first two books, then this one will probably be confusing. This book begins where the previous one ended. Agent Sam Ryan is stuck on desk duty because Gabriel refuses to partner with her or anyone else. Gabriel's brother and the head of the SIU, Stephan, offers Sam the option of providing security for the clone replacement of the government minister, Wetherton. Sam accepts the offer despite reservations as she is tired of feeling useless on desk duty. Gabriel is furious at his brother as he knows Stephan is using Sam for bait to catch Sethanon, the enemy of the SIU. Meanwhile, Sam is having dreams of her past and meets a mysterious man who may be part of that past. As Sam learns more about her past, she must investigate further the DNA experiments that were held at the military institution, Hopeworth, and face some truths about herself. Keri Arthur is a fabulous writer and even one of her weaker novels still surpasses many other authors.

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Pretty Good, But Not Great

This is the third book in Keri Arthur's Spook Squad series. I loved the first two- Memory Zero and Penumbra. I only liked this one. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, but I've rounded up to 4. In this book, Sam and Gabriel have to deal with clones infiltrating the government, and Sam's mysterious past is finally revealed. The writing style was excellent as always with Arthur, but the plot seemed of slightly lower quality than her usual work. Still, I found it pleasant to read, and if you've read the first two in this series, you should certainly read this one as well. I hope Arthur has plans to continue writing in this universe. It's too good to limit to only 3 books.

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Penumbra

Penumbra draws the reader into the story right from the very first chapter. In the first few pages, the reader is introduced to Samantha Ryan from the Special Investigations Unit. The agent and her surrounding seem pretty normal as she is discussing her desire to be transferred to another unit. However when Samantha's boss, Stephan Stern, finally agrees to a special assignment the reader learns that things aren't exactly what they first appeared.

Samantha's assignment is to guard Dan Wetherton. Evidentially, Samantha had met this man's clone in a previous assignment and the agency wants her to uncover the where and why behind some sort of cloning operation. To make matters worse, an evil vampire is trying to kill her charge.

At this point in the story, the reader is completely hooked wondering if the book is going to somehow bring all of these elements together into a really creative story or if the story is just going to be plain bizarre. In this case, the reader is not let down. In fact, Samantha learns a few interesting things about herself that even add to the already peculiar circumstances.

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