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Into the Ashes
(Taine McKenna Adventures #3)
by
No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is; until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his sec
...more
ebook
Published
February 2019
by Severed Press
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Start your review of Into the Ashes (A Taine McKenna Adventure #3)

This is the third book in the series and it took off and steam rolled all the way to the end. I really enjoyed the first two books and was pretty sure Lee Murray would make me happy again. She did that, for sure.
There is so much I loved that I wish I could tell you. There’s the time when…, and those guys were…., and Taine drew a bead on….. The whole book was jammed with action and suspense, along with some scenes where I was really worried about some of my friends. The bad kept on coming and I d ...more
There is so much I loved that I wish I could tell you. There’s the time when…, and those guys were…., and Taine drew a bead on….. The whole book was jammed with action and suspense, along with some scenes where I was really worried about some of my friends. The bad kept on coming and I d ...more

Lee Murray is back at it with her next installment of famed New Zealand warrior soldier, Taine McKenna. A one way ticket to hell is the best way to describe this action packed, roller coasting, runaway train! With danger lurking in every moment, in every fiber of existence, the reader is catapaulted into a nightmare chain of events, each with its own possibility of death at the forefront. It’s no surprise Murray subjects her characters (victims) to the refinery of raw nature (that is New Zealand
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In the decade or so I've been following her work, Lee Murray has demonstrated an admirable talent for harnessing her vivid imagination to the demands of good story telling. I was recently gifted a copy of her latest work, INTO THE ASHES. It is perhaps her most compelling tale.
Kudos to her for fashioning an entertaining story.
Kudos to her for molding it from the people, land, and legends of her New Zealand homeland.
Kudos to her for setting the story in modern times with believable characters, b ...more
Kudos to her for fashioning an entertaining story.
Kudos to her for molding it from the people, land, and legends of her New Zealand homeland.
Kudos to her for setting the story in modern times with believable characters, b ...more

This is the third in the series and it’s another great Taine McKenna adventure - this time there’s earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, escaped prisoners and fire demons - and of course more of New Zealand’s fantastic landscapes and legends.
Yet again the plot is fast-paced, full of action, and tensely atmospheric.
We are meeting some old friends, and have to say goodbye to others - I’m desperately hoping for more adventures in this series, but this one feels like a nice round ending if it were the l ...more
Yet again the plot is fast-paced, full of action, and tensely atmospheric.
We are meeting some old friends, and have to say goodbye to others - I’m desperately hoping for more adventures in this series, but this one feels like a nice round ending if it were the l ...more

As adventurous and fast paced as the previous two, this adventure of Taine didn't disappoint.
I don't like horror but I do like thrillers and while this is action oriented it is something I can understand.
So I found it an interesting read and quite liked it. ...more
I don't like horror but I do like thrillers and while this is action oriented it is something I can understand.
So I found it an interesting read and quite liked it. ...more

Into the ashes by Lee Murray.
No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is; until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his section tasked with evacuating civilians and tourists from Tongariro National Park. It is too litt ...more
No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is; until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his section tasked with evacuating civilians and tourists from Tongariro National Park. It is too litt ...more

Into the Ashes is the third book in the series by New Zealand author, Lee Murray. This reads well as a standalone, but I read the first two and I would absolutely recommend doing that (because, let’s face it, those two books are also terrific reads and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out but also because it gently rounds out the backstory of the characters).
This time around, there is significant volcanic activity which necessitates Taine McKenna and his mates helping to evacuate civilians from th ...more
This time around, there is significant volcanic activity which necessitates Taine McKenna and his mates helping to evacuate civilians from th ...more

Another great Taine McKenna novel, reintroducing some cool characters and continuing with the same gruesome, fast pace of the other novels.
I love learning more about the Maori folklore and traditions, this book is full of them along with a interesting story revolving around the rage of the volcanoes and some nasty abandoned inmates from the local prison.
Can’t wait for the next story.
I love learning more about the Maori folklore and traditions, this book is full of them along with a interesting story revolving around the rage of the volcanoes and some nasty abandoned inmates from the local prison.
Can’t wait for the next story.

Into the Ashes is the third book in the Taine McKenna series, based in New Zealand and serves up another generous helping of thrilling action adventure. This time Sergeant Taine Mckenna is helping evacuate the small towns in the central plateau as a volcano threatens to blow. Thrown into the mix are a desperate band of escaped convicts and a cast of other characters, trying to esape the mountain’s fury, including his ex.
The story is a fabulous blend of disaster movie action and Maori mythology. ...more
The story is a fabulous blend of disaster movie action and Maori mythology. ...more

*I received a free copy of this novel, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Some familiar faces return in Into the Ashes; as well as Taine (obviously) we have Jules, Pringle, Read, Hine, Eriksen, Lefty and Temera, all on different but converging paths that lead them straight into an imminent natural disaster.
As with previous books, Taine and Temera gradually come to the realisation that the disaster they are facing may not be entirely natural after all, b ...more
Some familiar faces return in Into the Ashes; as well as Taine (obviously) we have Jules, Pringle, Read, Hine, Eriksen, Lefty and Temera, all on different but converging paths that lead them straight into an imminent natural disaster.
As with previous books, Taine and Temera gradually come to the realisation that the disaster they are facing may not be entirely natural after all, b ...more

4.5 stars
Disclaimer: I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review.
The third installment of the Taine McKenna adventures follows the format of the two previous books without becoming formulaic or predictable. It's an action-packed adventure featuring human and supernatural dangers, full of both familiar faces and new characters I hope to see again in future books.
This time, the supernatural element is a lot less obvious -- no giant monsters this time. Instead, Murray delves deeper into Ne ...more
Disclaimer: I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review.
The third installment of the Taine McKenna adventures follows the format of the two previous books without becoming formulaic or predictable. It's an action-packed adventure featuring human and supernatural dangers, full of both familiar faces and new characters I hope to see again in future books.
This time, the supernatural element is a lot less obvious -- no giant monsters this time. Instead, Murray delves deeper into Ne ...more

3rd in the series featuring Sergeant Taine Mckenna and things are getting worse on the central plateau in New Zealand. With his task force, he is responsible for evacuating any residents that have not made it out in time. Unbeknown to him, his ex-girlfriend Jules is on the hunt for a reptile, that is near extinction and a group of prisoners have been left to escape. With their lives in danger from Mother Nature, can they all survive?
Whilst this follows on from Into the Sound, it can be read as a ...more
Whilst this follows on from Into the Sound, it can be read as a ...more

Lee Murray is becoming one of my new favorite authors on any continent. She has a skill of blending the supernatural and natural in this absolute joyride of a book. It follows several characters who have been featured in her previous books, Into the Sound and Into the Void. It is these characters, and Lee's ability to make you fall in love with them, that cements the book. As a fan of local legends and indigenous backgrounds, I really liked that this book steeps itself in Maori mythology.
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Another fast paced action thriller featuring Taine Mckenna an SAS officer. This time the action is set in the central plateau of New Zealand in the middle of a volcanic eruption. The army is involved in evacuations, at the same time prisoners are running amok while evacuating. Similar mystical events are running through this book as in the previous books. Lots of action and fast thinking make this a real page turner, hoping there is more to come.

Another adventure with Taine McKenna from the New Zealand Defense Force. This time he is rescuing people from the volcanic eruptions of the central plateau, and as always there are plenty of distractions to make his mission more hazardous.
In the middle of the book there is a single line that sums up the whole story, ‘Taine was a pathological hero.’ He is always trying to save the situation and everyone involved, while at the same time having no problem dispatching some of the bad guys along the ...more
In the middle of the book there is a single line that sums up the whole story, ‘Taine was a pathological hero.’ He is always trying to save the situation and everyone involved, while at the same time having no problem dispatching some of the bad guys along the ...more

It's not a terrible book, the writing isn't too bad, but in the end I just did not like it. Partly this is because this sort of gunbunny action-adventure is not my preferred genre. And partly its because while its kiwi-as in its depictions of the terrain and Māori legends, the rest of it is basicly American - "Con Air" with a bus, a ute, a Unimog, and extra volcano gods (but no Steve Buscemi). Prisoners wear orange jumpsuits. Prison officers have access to guns. The army takes automatic weapons
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Into The Ashes is the third book in the Sergeant Taine McKenna series and it follows him and his tactical team being sent to New Zealand's central plateau to help in the last minute evacuation of the region's civilians and tourists.
Hell has come to New Zealand with the earth opening up and spewing hot ash, rocks and fireballs. Throw into the mix a group of scientists researching the quakes; Dr Jane Asher foolishly trying to find an endangered species in the middle of a National emergency and a ...more
Hell has come to New Zealand with the earth opening up and spewing hot ash, rocks and fireballs. Throw into the mix a group of scientists researching the quakes; Dr Jane Asher foolishly trying to find an endangered species in the middle of a National emergency and a ...more

This is the third in the Taine McKenna series and the storylines just get more twisted and terrifying. You've got to love a man who takes his job seriously, even when faced with mythical monsters, murderers and the girl he can't get out of his head. Intertwined with all the heart-racing action of a natural disaster (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) there is love and loss, hope and betrayal and most importantly retribution. Not to give too much away, Lee has a light touch to rounding out chara
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The mountains are erupting. The citizens have been evacuated…except for a handful of scientists and a busload of prisoners. The army is sent in to round up the stragglers, but the prisoners aren’t so keen on being caught. This sets the scene for a tense thriller, a game of cat and mouse…with mother nature!
But can the chaos be attributed to mere forces of nature, or is there more to it, that requires someone with a connection to the Māori gods themselves to intervene?
Once again, Murray delivers a ...more
But can the chaos be attributed to mere forces of nature, or is there more to it, that requires someone with a connection to the Māori gods themselves to intervene?
Once again, Murray delivers a ...more

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3596972.html
It turns out to be the third in a series where New Zealand law enforcers find themselves entangled with the ancient forces of Aotearoa, and I felt it depended a bit on having read at least one of the previous two to fully get what was going on. However, it's well written and suitably tense - in the middle of an evacuation from a volcanic eruption, a group of dangerous prisoners escape and cause even greater mayhem. ...more
It turns out to be the third in a series where New Zealand law enforcers find themselves entangled with the ancient forces of Aotearoa, and I felt it depended a bit on having read at least one of the previous two to fully get what was going on. However, it's well written and suitably tense - in the middle of an evacuation from a volcanic eruption, a group of dangerous prisoners escape and cause even greater mayhem. ...more

What a page turner! Non-stop action & intrigue the entire way through the book; you never know which way it is going to twist. The return of Taine & Jules is a great backdrop to a new story in a different part of our country, with new themes and old tales. I really enjoyed it, as I've enjoyed all of Lee's books. Great work!
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This one is definitely darker than the first two. Descriptive and powerful, you can't help cheering the good guys while holding your breath.
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Great characters
Just love this series of books. The characters are seem so real, and now I can't wait for the next adventure! ...more
Just love this series of books. The characters are seem so real, and now I can't wait for the next adventure! ...more
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