Quest

Dane Maddock #4

by David Wood

Classic adventure for the modern reader! 149 B.C.- Escaping just ahead of the invading Roman legions, a Carthaginian soldier carries an ancient secret to places unknown. 1925- Percy Fawcett launches his final expedition into the Amazon, but what is his true objective? Dane Maddock is back! Deep in the Amazon, a university group encounters a horror beyond their darkest nightmares and vanishes without a trace. Called upon to undertake a daring rescue mission, Maddock and Bones must trace the true path of Percy Fawcett's final expedition, but the secret that lies at the end of the search might be even deadlier than the enemies who seek it. From the streets of London, to remote islands in the Atlantic, to the deadly jungles of the Amazon, Maddock and Bones unlock a secret lost to history on their deadliest Quest. Fans of Indiana Jones and Dirk Pitt will love the Dane Maddock Adventures! "David Wood has done it again. Quest takes you on an expedition that leads down a trail of adventure and thrills. David Wood has honed his craft and Quest is proof of his efforts!" David L. Golemon, Author of LEGACY, THE SUPERNATURALS, AND EVENT "Dane and Bones are back! Packed solid with action and witty dialogue, this rousing adventure takes a fresh look at one of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century, David Wood delivers again with QUEST."--Sean Ellis, author of INTO THE BLACK and DARK ASCENDANT "The escapades of Wood’s serial character Dane Maddock continue in high style with QUEST, an all-out blitzkrieg of a globe-trotting mystery-adventure that breaks from the action just long enough for a couple of laughs."--Rick Chesler, author of kiDNApped and Wired Kingdom "Let there be no David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. From the accessible writing to the wide-ranging plot to the main characters who don't give up no matter how long the odds, Wood's latest book, Quest, is a tremendous classic adventure. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line." Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World "A non-stop thrill ride triple threat- smart, funny and mysterious." Jeremy Robinson, author of Threshold “Dane and Bones.... Together they're unstoppable. Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait.” Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun “What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight as well, into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored.” Paul Kemprecos, author of Cool Blue Tomb and the NUMA Files “A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back!” Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld “I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers! Recommended as a fast paced, kick ass read.” J.F. Penn, author of Desecration

Genres: Adventure, Thriller, Action, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Ebooks

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2011

About the author

David Wood is the USA Today bestselling author of the Dane Maddock Adventures and many other titles and series. He also writes Science Fiction under the pen name Finn Gray and fantasy as David Debord. He is also a book reviewer, podcaster, and a member of International Thriller Writers and The Horror Writers Association. David and his family live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit him online at www.davidwoodweb.com.

Reviews

[Kylie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun action adventure thriller, set in the Amazon rainforest. Dane is contacted by an old flame, whose current boyfriend has gone missing in Brazil while looking for a fabled lost city. So of course Dane and his team have to go. With a group of baddies, who's organization funded the boyfriends quest, hot on their heels our intrepid team encounter anacondas, zombies, killer sloths, and all sorts of other obstacles to find the boyfriend, and the lost city.

I do enjoy action adventure novels, they are an excellent way to add fun to your reading. As long as you don't take them too seriously, they can usually put a smile on your face. Though this book is the third in the series it works as a standalone. We have enough background of the characters to see us through, and while I haven't read this author before, I will happily seek out his other books. Recommended for a dose of fun.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dane and Bones are back in another full on action packed adventure that takes trekking in the heart f the Amazon in search of secrets and missing people without giving too much away. Full of twists and turns witty humour can't wait for the next

[Mary Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Shangri La tale

Good read with many villains and things that go bump in the night. The book is worth the read but be ready for the twists.

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.

Given a message from her boyfriend who's two months lost in the jungle with a college trip, Kaylin's put in danger when she receives a package he left behind in hopes that she'll find him. Kaylin has one person she can turn to for help of this magnitude, her ex-boyfriend Dane Maddock. Dane and Bones help Kaylin find her boyfriend, and along the way could find the lost city that Percy Fawcett was searching for when he disappeared.

This is an older audio book done by Jeffrey, and I really enjoyed it! It felt like he had lots of emotion and thought in each word he spoke. The characters feel different as he speaks them, even works to vocalize them slightly different too. I love that he's got a sound to a voice on the phone or head set too. I really enjoyed this performance! This is a wonderful example of what I love to hear when listening to audiobooks.

David Wood is another author to use a Prologue to draw me into the story. He gives me just enough to understand and know what's happening but to leave me wondering what they want. Wow. After that, I need to know what needed to be taken away then what Fawcett was looking for! David works in the prologue through out the story, and into the ending. We learn the story of those of old in the prologue. The hints they left drive us along to get to the end. Well done.

I do so enjoy Dane Maddock and Bones Bonebreak's banter and fun comments. They do make me smile. They are a duo I do enjoy listening to. Even with the rest of the crew that works with them on dives, they all fit together so well. Great team! Maddock and Bones don't show fear, they react. But I guess that's the SEAL in them. They are smart and figure out historical clues along with have the bronze to fight when needed. Such a great balance with them together and individually.

We do get sections that is from the ScanGen as well. The owner and his lead employees. But in doing this we meet one of the new characters we'll deal with in the future. This is where we first meet Tam. And she tries to recruit Maddock and Bones on her team to stop the Dominion. Tam really makes an impression in this book. She's one strong woman.

I really enjoy these adventures for the mystery and action, but also for the characters I get to meet. I want to get all the books with these characters, but also set in this world. I'm hooked!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summarry: In this adventure book, a college professor goes off on an Amazonian adventure funded by a mysterious, independant corporation to recover an ancient piece of history that could alter the world for better or worse, but probably for worse. The professor hides in the jungle and, after a while, his girlfriend in America recieves the first clue he had planned for her to get in order to find him and the mystery. As another mere college professor, his girlfriend asks her father's old SEAL buddies, one being her ex, to help her in the task of retrieving her boyfriend.

Rating: At first, I didn't like the pace of the story because it was too simple. I felt like I could of written some of it. But, as I read on, the story line progressively got more intense and it did a nice job of maintaining all the mind-blowing chaos in the end, like the Tree of Eden, Pandora's box, ancient, undiscovered civilizations, and mindless, zombie-like natives that don't seem to die all jumbled together near the end of the book made it seem like they were going to put a 'To Be Continued.'

Quotation: "Kaylin, you have made my life worth living. And i have never minded that you're trandsgendered."
Eplanation: Bones was using a proposal as a distraction so Dane could climb onto the display and made the it really stand out by using situational irony in front of a bunch of people.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure books, mysteries, or a regular, kick-ass book. I think the book did a really good job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, because, since it was so small, all the action was packed into the ending. No one likes to put down a book when the main action is happening, and the main action is constant in this book.

[Jamey Goodyear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quest is the third in the David Maddock Adventures series written by David Wood. Dane and Bones are off on another adventure.

Dane is asked by Kaylin Maxwell (from Dourado) to help find her fiancé, Thomas. He has gone off on a trek through the Amazon looking for Percy Fawcett’s path and has not made it back, just as Fawcett didn’t. Dane, while still dating Jade (from Cibola) still has an attraction to Kaylin and agrees to help. Especially after the bad guys show themselves to be very bad.

Thomas received funding from ScanoGen. ScanoGenis looking for something more than Thomas is. Dane and his group find themselves running into ScanoGen goons while researching Thomas’ clue regarding where he was heading. They find themselves one step behind ScanoGen all the way into the Amazon. However, they manage to get ahead of ScanoGen and make it to Thomas and the prize first. I’m not giving it away here. You must read the book.

This is a great adventure story that introduced me to Percy Fawcett (yes, I looked him up to see if he was real and who he was). It also introduces a theory about a lost Amazon tribe. An easy read with Dane and Bones being their wonderful selves, and their companions and crew rounding out a great cast of characters. You will find it very interesting. It’s a great story that young adults will enjoy too.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome adventure

As anyone who reads my blog or reviews know; I love Jeffrey Kafer's narration. He does such a great job narrating that you forget that you're listening to a fictional book. He's just able to bring the characters alive and make you forget you're reading altogether.

I had to take a day or two after reading this to actually come up with a description that wasn't full of hyperbole. I enjoyed this story so thoroughly that I was in a book hangover once I finished. About midway through, I realized that this was the third book in the Dane Maddock series, and quickly and frantically searched for more of them, to quickly realize that I already own some of them. (Yay me!)

The story was just fascinating. Mixing in old world history with new world adventure. Think the Da Vinci code mixed with Indiana Jones.

The adventures that Maddock and crew take will bring the reader to numerous places both in the cities and deep in the Amazon. The search and discovery parts made for a really fast-paced fly by the seat of your pants kind of adventure.

If you're at all into adventure that's mixed with some amazing historical research -- Quest is definitely for you. I will be quickly checking out the other Maddock stories soon.

[Phillip Berrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this eBook as a free Halloween promotional gift from the Thrillercast podcast that the author is involved with and feel that a review is the least I can do in response.

Though I've not read a lot of thrillers I have started to change my mind about this genre. This is the second Dane Maddock adventure I've read and just like the first one (Dourado), I found this book hard to put down. I think I was especially lucky here as the two books are linked through use of the same love interest for Maddock and so there was good continuity.

I'm not going to give away anything about the story, but I think one of the things I most appreciated about it was the way that both the good guys and the bad guys suffered equally from good and bad luck and it was quite refreshing for me to read how the good guys were able to benefit from the mistakes the bad guys made on occasion.

Anyway, I recommend this book as good holiday reading.

[Steve Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked David Wood via Twitter which of his books he would recommend to new reader. Quest was his suggestion.

It was a good story; a fun story; one that reminded me of a cross between Indiana Jones and the TV show Leverage.

I was impressed that this was NOT the origin story for Dane Maddock. It was one that took place later along his timeline. And that did not matter. The book can be read as a standalone or as part of a series. That's the mark of a quality series.

The story started a little slow, but once the train started rolling it picked up steam and the pace continued to build all the way to the 96% mark. The characters were interesting, at least the primary characters, but they are rendered in a pulp style, so don't expect any deep emotions or heavy psychological reactions.

So if you take the story for the fun roller coaster ride it was, you WILL enjoy it.

[Lianne Burwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series, but the first book by the author that I've read. I mainly picked it up from the Kobo bookstore because I find Percy Fawcett very interesting, so the description intrigued me.

Basically, an academic, along with his students, vanish in the Amazon. His girlfriend back home is targeted by an evil corporation that wants to find him. She then turns to her ex, Dane Maddock, to track him down. Throw in what is basically Fawcett's Lost City of Z, and a mysterious organization, and you have a fun adventure story. At 250 pages, it wasn't terribly deep, but it was fun.

There were also tie-ins to the previous books, but they were handled well, with enough detail for people like myself who haven't read them, but without being a speed bump of exposition.

I definitely plan to read more in this series.

[Kristjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second adventure with the dynamic duo of Maddock and Bonebreak ... and it was pretty much as expected. The basic story template with a handful of changes to keep it somewhat interesting and you have the recipe for some lightweight entertainment when that is what you are in the mood for. Stir in a few interesting conspiracies like the missing city of "Z" and a super bad guy organization on top of a little history, such as the punic war and the disappearance of an early British Explorer (Percy Fawcett), and you get just enjoy cognitive function to ward off complete boredom. The Zombies are a bonus of course (I mean it IS the city of "Z" right). Just enjoy and don't overthink it.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Quest #AudibookFree

[Aaron Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book by this author that I'd read, and overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story is fast moving and there's plenty of action, plus I enjoyed the exotic rainforest setting. It did suffer a little from some amateurish elements, such as that the author never once describes what his main character, Dane Maddock, looks like! Nor is the reader given more than a few brief snippets of info about Maddock's background --he's an ex-navy SEAL who apparently searches for shipwrecks, and that's it. I guess I was supposed to have read the previous books, but it would have been nice to get a little more info about the guy. Despite the one-dimensional characters, the story should please fans of action adventure novels. I love this genre, and I wasn't disappointed.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dane Maddock is back in a new adventure in Quest by David Wood. Dane and Bones hook up with Dane's ex-girlfriend, Kaylin who's boyfriend has gone missing in the Amazon. She not only needs their help in finding Thomas but also protection as someone is out to get her.

Their trip into the Amazon is fraught with intrigue, danger and mystery. The get an interesting offer from an FBI agent. Will they take it? They also come up once again by the nemesis, the Dominion. They learn that the group has them on their radar.

Character development is fantastic. I love the way that David Wood has Maddock and Bones interact with one another. Quest is fast moving, entertaining and I learned some history in the process.

Great series.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never met a Dane and Bones book I didn't like, and this one is no exception. When I read this, I could practically feel the jungle heat and humidity (and the flying biting things). These books are always guaranteed to make any firearm geeks drool a lot, and we suspense junkies get our fix that way. The author's research deep into history is amazing! and it is always integral to the storyline. The publisher's blurb is always a good teaser, but nothing can prepare the reader for the terror and plot twists.
I got the audio edition, and Kafer continues to be astoundingly able to differentiate all of the male characters and their personae.
I requested and received this audiobook for free from the publisher, narrator, or author courtesy of AudioBookBOOM.

[Ruby McDemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was awesome listening. I've never read any other books in this series and thankfully I didn't need to to fully enjoy this one. There was so much action and it was one of those stories that you don't want to stop. The antics of Maddock and BoneBreak made me think of the Movie Sahara, but this story had its own unique flare and wonderfulness. I hope to read more in the series and follow along on the guys adventures especially if Jeffrey Kafer continues to entrance me into this wonderful adventure.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a joy to read. It entered into the realm of Percy Harrison Fawcett, the explorer who disappeared in the Brazilian rain forest looking for the lost city of Z. Dane and Bones finish the quest and find a conclusion to the story. I love how the author works real life mysteries into the books and plays with new ideas.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as Cibola but still a satisfying adventure. I must admit I was somewhat disappointed with the big reveal (no spoilers from me) but still managed to enjoy the adventure nonetheless. Looking forward to the next Dane Maddock thrill ride.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun story, I couldn't stop reading until the last page. As is usual for the Dane Maddock Adventures it is full of action and mystery. Great characters and good writing. A definite recommendation.

[Ryan Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like these books. Although ironically I don't like the main character a lot. Still I am reading these more for the adventure than the character stuff. I also enjoyed this a bit more because parts of it take place in Utah. Nice to hear about stuff near by. Good read.

[Benton Mcpeak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Dane and Bones story. It got off to a little of a slow start but then picked up once all the details of the mystery were laid out. And, it was an interesting story. I really enjoy the locations and even track them using Google Earth.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just following the adventures of Dane Maddock as he heads to the Amazon in search of a lost professor. Some great tie-ins to history, some great bad guys and of course, the Dominion rears its ugliness. Looking forward to the next one.

[Uncle Dave Avis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great summer read! My two favorite series characters! The plot is well thought out ; the suspense builds; the characters are well developed, and the setting is very unusual. I highly recommend this book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the early James Rollins books, which is a very good thing. Some minor editing issues are about the only flaw. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys an action adventure story.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great.

[Michael Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Wood has created a fantastic cast of characters I love the Dane Maddock series it's very James Rollinsesque.

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddock and Bones are guys I want on my team. The story is fun and fast.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like these books. Hope there will be more.

[Jud Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining book, similar in style to a Cussler or Du Brul novel, although not quite as detailed. If you enjoy a relatively quick read, I recommend this book.

[James P Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adventure story!!!!!

Fun book to read without any need to strain your brain. Right up there are with Coonts and Rollins. Hope there is more to come. Thanks.

[Katie Antonelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opens up with the main character fighting an alligator for no reason other than to let you know what kind of book is going to be. It doesn't disappoint.