Penumbra: The Spook Squad 3

I ordered Penumbra along with Memory Zero on May 5th. On May 6th I got an e-mail stating the books were on their way. They arrived in excellent condition on May 13th. I will and have ordered again from bookrackrh.

While the editing of the book is quite bad...many misspelled words & bad grammar, but the story was really good. I have already read it & wish there were more stories in the series, but it seems this is the end.

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.

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.

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.