Chase Baker and the Vikings' Secret

By: Benjamin Sobieck

Narrated by: Andrew B. Wehrlen

Did Chinese explorers arrive in the Americas before Christopher Columbus? Renaissance man and adventurer Chase Baker is hot on the trail of this hidden piece of history in the woods of Minnesota, home of the famous Kensington Runestone. The alleged proof is scrawled on a runestone written by Vikings centuries ago.

The only problem is it's guarded by a mythical creature called the Wendigo at the bottom of a treacherous place called The Pit, where few have survived.

Add in gun-toting neo-Nazis bent on finding the runestone first, and Chase faces one of his most thrilling adventures yet. Loaded with action, suspense, and clues to a cover up spanning centuries, this installment of the award-winning Chase Baker series is sure to satisfy.

Ideal for fans of Dan Brown, Clive Cussler, JR Rain, and others.

©2015 Benjamin Sobieck (P)2017 Benjamin Sobieck

Excellence !!

This is an excellent book filled with action suspense and mystery. The characters are interesting, believable and well developed. The ending is exciting and full of suspense.
Chase Baker is Amazing !!... Narration is wonderfully done.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

3.75 Stars for the Story but Overall A Good Thrill

What did you love best about Chase Baker and the Vikings' Secret?

I'll have to admit, the narrator!
In all seriousness, I've listened to almost all of the Chase Baker series and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one seemed like we were missing a part of the thrill, possibly because it was less than have the length of the other books.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It needed to be longer to continue the characters' and plot developments and to increase the appeal of the chase (no pun intended).

What does Andrew B. Wehrlen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He adds to the suspense and characters' emotions and interactions. He clearly *is* Chase Baker.

Any additional comments?

I usually try to reserve Chase Baker for when I review and submit my reports. It motivates me to do them, as well as add enjoyment throughout the process! I've picked up several of The narrator's other books and he has an excellent audio presence.
I've enjoyed most of the Chase Baker series, but this one felt different. The undertones and overall script seemed consistent, but it still seemed a bit off.
I would still recommend this thriller book and series for its fun adventure, thrilling goals, and tight story line.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Must be fan fiction, read the series first

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really feel like this was authorized fan fiction geared towards people already familiar with the characters and story line. Having not read or listened to any of the series (written by Vincent Zandri), I felt like I was missing a lot. From the beginning of this book, I didn't understand why Chase was doing what he was doing. All in all, I'm having a hard time quantifying my experience. The narrator was good, and had I not spent the entirety of this book questioning what I was missing in the rest of the series, I might have enjoyed this a lot more. It wasn't terrible, mind you, it just left too much unanswered for me to be all in.

A good introduction to Chase Baker

The Kensington Runestone is a 90kg rock found in Minnesota that purports to be a record left behind by Scandinavian explorers in the 14th century. But what is there is another one, forming a matching set, that shows earlier exploration of American by the Chinese? Chase Baker is looking for it, but he's not the only one. Fearful of what Chinese discovery of america could mean, a group of neo-Nazis are out to bury the discovery.

Chase Baker and the Vikings' Secret see's Benjamin Sobieck step in to write the hero of a series of books originally by Vincent Zandri. I have not previously read any of Zandri's Chase Baker books but to me this served as a nice introduction to the character. It gave me a good understanding of who he was and what I could expect from the full length adventures.

Sobieck uses the short length of the story well, by basically cutting out the first act of the story. We a thrown into the middle of the archaeological adventure, and a gun fight, with little to no background of who the players are, how we got here or what everyone is searching for. Those answers come in time, but are laid out organically through the story. It's not to well into the story that we get the "second kensington runestone" story that is in the blurb of the book. Until then we are just on for the ride. And it is a fun ride. Quick paced, full of well told action.

Narrator Andrew B. Wehrlen does well with his performance (not he also narrates all the Zandri Baker books). He is well paced, keeping the energy up for the action sequences while still remaining clear and easy to follow. He provides distinction between characters, although not complete difference voices etc. Overall he did good work and added to the enjoyment of the story.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

I'm not sure what went wrong.....

I was excited to start this book but somewhere along the line it fell flat. The narration was good and the story was okay but there just wasn't a whole lot going on. I've not read any of the previous Chase Baker books so maybe it is a book better suited for someone already familiar with the characters.

I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.