River of Nightmares

Rogue Angel #47

by Alex Archer (pseudonym), Jean Rabe

The secrets of the dead inspire the deadly intent of the living on the banks of the Amazon…

Deep in the Amazon jungle, a tribe holds the key to the truest form of dreaming—where the human spirit walks the petal-thin line between life and death. In an elaborate ceremony, the dreamer ingests a toxic brew, then submerges herself in an herbal bath that turns human skin a vivid shade of midnight-blue. And the experience changes the dreamer forever….

Archaeologist Annja Creed has a full crew in tow as her TV show, Chasing History's Monsters, prepares for an in-depth exploration of the rain forest's most guarded secrets—including a magical child and a slothlike beast with two mouths and a single eye. But an opportunity to tread off the beaten path proves too tempting to ignore, and Annja leads her crew into an uncharted world that's both alien and dangerous—a world that attracts the morally corrupt with promises of wealth and power. A world that will steal the one thing Annja needs to survive: herself.

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Action, Fiction, Mystery

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 2, 2013

About the author

A house name for the Rogue Angel series, published by the Harlequin Publishing's Gold Eagle division.

The first eight novels were written by Victor Milan and Mel Odom. New writers joining the series starting with book nine include Jon Merz and Joseph Nassise.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the forty-seventh Rogue Angel adventure and was the fifth and final that was written by Jean Rabe, all under the house pseudonym Alex Archer, of course. She was one of only two female authors to write the character in paperback, the other being Michelle Hauf. Annja Creed is an archaeologist and historian who appears on a syndicated television program called Chasing History's Monsters. She's also the heir to the blade and power of Joan of Arc. This one has major input from one of the two Joan-adjacent guys, Roux, but Garin has little input. Most of the Annja adventures are set in exotic foreign lands all across the planet, and this Amazon jungle adventure is no exception. Annja is filming for her tv show with a full crew and investigates cryptid beasts, magic, and a very introspective form of mystical dreaming. (She's blue, too, kinda weird.) The native tribe is very intriguing, and their peace is shattered by unscrupulous outsiders eager for money and power. Good thing Annja's on hand to save the day. The settings are all quite well described, especially the dense jungle sequences, and it's a fast-paced adventure. In between all of the Lara Croft/Indiana Jones/Sara Pezzini trappings there's some good character development and interesting historical speculation, as always. Annja appears on the Tim Bradstreet cover beside the river, sword raised and ready for action.

[Dale Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the need to pursue stories that CHASING HISTORIES MONSTERS use to thrill their watchers, Annja Creed finds herself once more in the Amazon. With the rainy season flooding the mighty river and opening up areas to travel that wouldn't normally be accessible, Annja and her team make their way deep into the jungle to a hidden village with no name.

Spirit visions...cryptid creatures...rabid environmentalists....trips through hidden underground rivers...and, a businessman who's business just doesn't seem to be what he portrays it to be. These are the elements that fans of the ROGUE ANGEL series enjoy and look for in every new installment in the series. The Alex Archer house name in this case is a pen name for the excellent Jean Rabe who spins another wonderful adventure in the world of Annja Creed and the secret world around us.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I found this one very disjointed. Not sure if it's the Graphic Audio adaptation or the writing itself. Probably one of the installments that I enjoyed the least.

[Jack Stubblefield · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, steady, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Indiana Jones fiction.

[Lianne Burwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little ambivalent about this volume of the series. On the one hand, it was an enjoyable read. But there were a lot of questionable plot elements, which are hidden because, well, spoilers

1) Since when can Roux heal from extreme injuries in no time? It kind of contradicts an earlier book. (and it made me think of Highlander)

2) The villain made no sense to me. Nor did his henchman. And they keep mentioning the partner, but nothing more than that.

3) Slaughtering almost an entire tribe of Amazonian natives struck me as a little over the top and really not all that necessary. Not to mention majorly depressing.

4) And whatever did happen to the rest of Annja's crew? They headed back to civilization for medical attention, but we never find out *anything* about what happened to them


And I really wish that the cover had coloured Annja blue, since she spent most of the book coloured dark blue after 'dreaming' with the natives.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my love of this book has to do with my fascination with the rainforest in general. Doing a story for Chasing Histories Monsters all about the Amazon was an amazing idea! I just cannot help but hope that they attempt the Amazon again because if they discovered soooo much with the little bit of the Amazon they explored, I can only imagine the adventures to be found further down the river. Natives, monsters rumored to exist straight out of history, and the dangers of the Amazon in general are just the tip of the iceberg is this adventure. I have to admit that I enjoy the bits of history included in the stories just as much as the action and mystery. This was definitely the best Rogue Angel I have read in a while.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

These books are my "guilty pleasure", but this one was a chore. Not sure which of the stable of writers wrote this one, but it is so disjointed and poorly written. Annja is completely out of character, and she and Roux survive ridiculous encounters. Days literally go by in mere sentences. Perhaps it is the "dream" element at work, and the fact that nothing seems to make sense is intentional, but it makes for a very poor read. Maybe Graphic Audio can save this one!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was pleasantly surprised by this book.
Picked it up figuring it would be a quick read, which it was, and was drawn in by the author's description of the Brazilian Rain Forest and the tribes of unnamed peoples. Plot was interesting enough to cover any elements that might be stale and loose ends were all tied up in the end.
Looking forward to reading some of the other books in this series.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Annja story. This series is amazing - love the way our heroine is like a modern day Indiana Jones. Book 47 and still going strong. Keep up the good work!

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Kristin]

Do you have to read the Rogue Angel books in order? I can't find some of the earlier one's in the series. So, was just wondering.

[John Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good representative of this series.