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Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller
In Southern California, three terrorists of unknown allegiances slaughter dozens of men at a shopping mall. In Denver, the eccentric CEO of Denver Communications, or DenCom, has a target on his head. In the wilds of Greenland, a long forgotten enemy is reaching out for recognition and revenge. At the center of it all, a special investigator for the "communications" company is dragged into a diabolical plot he can't begin to understand.
- GenresThriller
308 pages, Paperback
Published June 23, 2017
About the author
S.T. Hoover
16 books18 followersS.T. Hoover was born and raised in Southern California. He enjoys writing books packed with variety and genre-bending plots. When not writing, he relocates nuisance rattlesnakes. He enjoys reading, traveling, and researching the next book. He currently lives in Wonder Valley, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 5, 2019
It’s still one big mystery. Even tho this is Book 1 in the series, it really does feel like a lead in. The tale ends with lots and lots of questions unanswered. Still, it is intriguing.
Our main character, Michael Ridding, was approached by DenCom owner Benedict to do odd research jobs for the company. Now Michael and his best friend Aron have been doing so for a few years. It’s allowed Michael to keep his aquarium store alive and well, while also giving him some fun adventures. I still want to know what that Antarctica trip was all about!
The story teases and teases! At first, I liked it. It kept me invested in the story. But eventually it became apparent that I wasn’t going to get the whole show, at least not in this book. I love stories that feature cryptozoology and there’s lots of hints about that here. Yet we never really get any Bigfoot stories or Mothman horror tales or moonlit sightings of the Lochness Monster. The closest we get is Granger, a large cat (not the domesticated variety) who is too intelligent for it’s own good. So, the story talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk yet. I wanted more, especially after all the teasing.
Andrea is our token female character in a cast of male characters. And, unfortunately, she falls into the cliched trap of romantic interest. I would like to see more ladies in this world-traipsing adventure because women are literally everywhere.
There’s more mystery – what is this crazy psychic communication from our evil master villain!?! I love it but I also want answers. Our main villain is a worthy opponent and super creepy. Then there’s also the three brothers who are each some kind of super human – super strength, super healing, etc. More mystery!
The action jumps out unexpectedly. Boom! Surprise shooting! But then there’s long periods of lots of chatting. Then Boom! In flight emergency! So I would have liked more action, less talk – unless the talk explained some of the mystery. Benedict never does explain just what DenCom’s main goals are, even when threatened by his trusted employees. All together, it was fun and perhaps will turn out to be a good start to a new action series. But for name, the story just left me a little frustrated. 3.5/5 stars.
The Narration: Chris Abell gave a really good performance. I liked his straight forward, average, every day guy voice for Michael. Abell’s voice for the villain was threatening and creepy – just as it should be. His voice for Andrea was decent. Abell did a great job making Benedict sound like a nervous guy (as he was for most of the book). There were no technical issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by S.T. Hoover. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Our main character, Michael Ridding, was approached by DenCom owner Benedict to do odd research jobs for the company. Now Michael and his best friend Aron have been doing so for a few years. It’s allowed Michael to keep his aquarium store alive and well, while also giving him some fun adventures. I still want to know what that Antarctica trip was all about!
The story teases and teases! At first, I liked it. It kept me invested in the story. But eventually it became apparent that I wasn’t going to get the whole show, at least not in this book. I love stories that feature cryptozoology and there’s lots of hints about that here. Yet we never really get any Bigfoot stories or Mothman horror tales or moonlit sightings of the Lochness Monster. The closest we get is Granger, a large cat (not the domesticated variety) who is too intelligent for it’s own good. So, the story talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk yet. I wanted more, especially after all the teasing.
Andrea is our token female character in a cast of male characters. And, unfortunately, she falls into the cliched trap of romantic interest. I would like to see more ladies in this world-traipsing adventure because women are literally everywhere.
There’s more mystery – what is this crazy psychic communication from our evil master villain!?! I love it but I also want answers. Our main villain is a worthy opponent and super creepy. Then there’s also the three brothers who are each some kind of super human – super strength, super healing, etc. More mystery!
The action jumps out unexpectedly. Boom! Surprise shooting! But then there’s long periods of lots of chatting. Then Boom! In flight emergency! So I would have liked more action, less talk – unless the talk explained some of the mystery. Benedict never does explain just what DenCom’s main goals are, even when threatened by his trusted employees. All together, it was fun and perhaps will turn out to be a good start to a new action series. But for name, the story just left me a little frustrated. 3.5/5 stars.
The Narration: Chris Abell gave a really good performance. I liked his straight forward, average, every day guy voice for Michael. Abell’s voice for the villain was threatening and creepy – just as it should be. His voice for Andrea was decent. Abell did a great job making Benedict sound like a nervous guy (as he was for most of the book). There were no technical issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by S.T. Hoover. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
April 26, 2018
Action-Adventure, Terrorist, Thriller (I think I got all the genres)
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into at first glance. The cover doesn’t give too much away – but it does set the tone for confusion among the main characters of the book. And I think that Hoover did a nice job going back and forth trying to create this feeling of confusion and disorientation throughout Michael Ridding.
I can’t tell you too much about the plot without ruining anything (hence the short one that the author provides too), but the story is everything I listed above. Action-Adventure, Terrorist plots, and a Thriller too. Hoover jumps around from genre to genre and I wasn’t even sure what I was going to get when the book finished.
I do wish that there was a little more (and I have no idea what Hoover plans for the future) in the action-adventure part of it. I would love to follow along with the exploits and adventures that they have when searching for these artifacts and old world… things. Hoover mentioned Antarctica but it was also mentioned that he went on numerous other excursions.
I thought that the best part of Michael Ridding was the pacing. There were times that it felt like it wasn’t going to let up – but then it would and things would settle down a bit, only to get ratcheted back up to 10. The back and forth was mentally exhausting (in a good way). Hoover was able to write a story that felt much longer than 6 hours.
Overall, Michael Ridding was a good introduction to the characters, enemies, and what DenCom is. I want to see a lot more from this series and I hope that Hoover is able to provide the same pacing and character building in the next stories.
I wasn’t sure what I was getting into at first glance. The cover doesn’t give too much away – but it does set the tone for confusion among the main characters of the book. And I think that Hoover did a nice job going back and forth trying to create this feeling of confusion and disorientation throughout Michael Ridding.
I can’t tell you too much about the plot without ruining anything (hence the short one that the author provides too), but the story is everything I listed above. Action-Adventure, Terrorist plots, and a Thriller too. Hoover jumps around from genre to genre and I wasn’t even sure what I was going to get when the book finished.
I do wish that there was a little more (and I have no idea what Hoover plans for the future) in the action-adventure part of it. I would love to follow along with the exploits and adventures that they have when searching for these artifacts and old world… things. Hoover mentioned Antarctica but it was also mentioned that he went on numerous other excursions.
I thought that the best part of Michael Ridding was the pacing. There were times that it felt like it wasn’t going to let up – but then it would and things would settle down a bit, only to get ratcheted back up to 10. The back and forth was mentally exhausting (in a good way). Hoover was able to write a story that felt much longer than 6 hours.
Overall, Michael Ridding was a good introduction to the characters, enemies, and what DenCom is. I want to see a lot more from this series and I hope that Hoover is able to provide the same pacing and character building in the next stories.
September 8, 2022
This book was a fun romp, though with a somewhat unsatisfying ending. A supernatural thriller that follows an aquarium owner who's offered the chance in a lifetime by an eccentric billionaire-- to research the unexplained-- from bigfoot to the Loch Ness monster. But someone wants the secrets his new boss has kept within Dencom, his company, and is willing to kill to get them.
I was warned that the supernatural elements are a slow burn and don't fully reveal themselves until the sequel, but what the reader gets is loads of spy thriller hijinks and action, but NO supernatural elements apart from a few passing mentions of them. It's like watching an X-Files episode in which Agent Mulder explains that his job is to investigate monsters of the week and aliens and then spend the entire season hunting murderers, solving kidnappings, and engaging in counter-terrorism operations, but finding zero aliens.
It's a very tasty appetizer to hopefully a much better meal, but like most appetizers, it isn't very filling. Still, if you relax a bit on extraterrestrial expectations, it's also a fun ride.
I was warned that the supernatural elements are a slow burn and don't fully reveal themselves until the sequel, but what the reader gets is loads of spy thriller hijinks and action, but NO supernatural elements apart from a few passing mentions of them. It's like watching an X-Files episode in which Agent Mulder explains that his job is to investigate monsters of the week and aliens and then spend the entire season hunting murderers, solving kidnappings, and engaging in counter-terrorism operations, but finding zero aliens.
It's a very tasty appetizer to hopefully a much better meal, but like most appetizers, it isn't very filling. Still, if you relax a bit on extraterrestrial expectations, it's also a fun ride.
November 20, 2022
Michael Ridding is all chills and thrills from the first page to the last page. It’s a page burner that has the reader riding an adrenaline rollercoaster. S. T. Hoover has created wonderful characters that will live on in our hearts and minds long after this expertly crafted tale ends. It’s a cliffhanger in a way because we know that the adventure hasn’t ended yet for Michael Ridding and for his friends and we can’t wait to find out what happens to them next.
This story hooked me from the very first page. The plot fascinated me and by the characters, yet I do not know what kind of story I read. What was this story supposed to be? A thriller? Fantasy? Science fiction? Or Speculative? If I had to pick a genre, I would have to go with speculative. I think that Hoover writes cross-genre tales. Parts of Michael Ridding reads like a thriller, parts read like science fiction, with maybe a brief fantasy thrown in for good measure. But does genre matter? I think not! All that matters is that this is an awesome read. If you are an adrenaline junky like I am, you’ll love this book just as much as I did,
This story hooked me from the very first page. The plot fascinated me and by the characters, yet I do not know what kind of story I read. What was this story supposed to be? A thriller? Fantasy? Science fiction? Or Speculative? If I had to pick a genre, I would have to go with speculative. I think that Hoover writes cross-genre tales. Parts of Michael Ridding reads like a thriller, parts read like science fiction, with maybe a brief fantasy thrown in for good measure. But does genre matter? I think not! All that matters is that this is an awesome read. If you are an adrenaline junky like I am, you’ll love this book just as much as I did,
January 13, 2023
A book filled with action, travel, intrigue, international rivalry and a touch of the supernatural that ripe for adrenalin junkies. It has an enjoyable plot to get lost in that makes solving a rubik's cube easy and I have to admit that I haven't a clue where the next book is going. Enjoyable characters with hidden depths and I'm certain that all has not been revealed about how they all link together and their abilities.
This is the first of this author's full length works that I've read and I'm impressed. Worth the money and all this is my own viewpoint without being deluged with free novels!
This is the first of this author's full length works that I've read and I'm impressed. Worth the money and all this is my own viewpoint without being deluged with free novels!
June 12, 2024
Michael owns a fish emporium when Dominic walks in and offers him $1million a year.
Michael, Aron and Andrea are friends who have all been offered the same deal. Investigate for Dominic, owner of DenCom a company he was given after he was asked by its owner to do something that nearly drove him insane. Everything's been going great until one day terrorists attack or that's the story told by the government but why? And from then on Michael wants to know who, what and why they came under fire. As the story unfolds it becomes a real action thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed especially with the twist at the end. I look forward to reading book two.
Michael, Aron and Andrea are friends who have all been offered the same deal. Investigate for Dominic, owner of DenCom a company he was given after he was asked by its owner to do something that nearly drove him insane. Everything's been going great until one day terrorists attack or that's the story told by the government but why? And from then on Michael wants to know who, what and why they came under fire. As the story unfolds it becomes a real action thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed especially with the twist at the end. I look forward to reading book two.
August 29, 2019
The biggest mystery - what is DenCom? Investigators earn one million dollars a year without knowing what they're investigating. Their boss, Benedict, talks in riddles. This is an addictive story with a touch of the paranormal and hints of religion. Hi-tech monitoring, private planes, and terrorists that seem to rise from the dead round out the madness. I was gifted this from Audiobookworm for an honest review.
August 31, 2019
An interesting story full of action and fast paced. Michael Ridding just waned an easy life with his aqarium shop but then he had a nystery visitor who offered him a Job he could not refuse and then things got interesting. A good read.
September 15, 2022
This story was good, but, the hints of supernatural elements were just skimmed over and didn't explain anything. Perhaps there is a sequel that does that, I will look for it in the hopes that the second book reveals more.
April 18, 2024
I thought that this was an ordinary read. Meh! Intermittent pace, incredulous plot featuring conspiracies and occultism.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews