
He can’t trust his allies, won’t trust his enemies. Now he fears that he shouldn’t trust even himself.
Landon Thorne is convinced the key to defeating the Astrals is in the vault — a repository of ancient artifacts, origins unknown, covered with undeciphered glyphs. He’s also convinced he’s the one person on the planet who can translate the markings.
But strange, frightening things happen every time he gets close to the relics.
His allies decide it’s not safe to let him near the vault, so they force him to take a new mission. He’s captured by the Nine — the nefarious organization he’s been running from.
Their leader makes him an offer he can’t refuse — study the Dropa Stones for the answers they seek. Or else. To do that, he needs a cipher. And there’s only one place he can get it.
Getting in will be difficult. Getting out may prove impossible.
The Nine is a taut, fast-paced Indiana Jones meets Falling Skies style thriller that spans the globe and digs deep into humanity’s past, unearthing mysterious artifacts and clues to aliens’ motives for invading our world. It is the third book in the Astral Conspiracy Series, set in the world of Platt and Truant’s groundbreaking Invasion Universe – the original series with over 1000 5-star reviews.
Attribution- Amazon.com
About the Author
Biography
D.L. Cross has loved science fiction ever since she was a young girl and fell for Major Don West on television’s Lost in Space. To this day, she still quotes the show, though her favorite lines were spoken by the robot and the antagonist. Parallel universes or alternate realities, aliens or dinosaurs, superpowers or super viruses, time travel or AI… no sci-fi theme is off limits and all of them fascinate her. D.L. Cross also writes other genre fiction under the name Staci Troilo, and you can find more information about all her identities and all her work at her website: https://stacitroilo.com.

My Review of The Nine by D.L. Cross
The action ramps up in the third instalment to the Astral Conspiracy series!
Landon Thorne is sure the secret to ridding earth of the astrals lies within an intricately detailed box he found that he calls the vault. It’s filled with ancient artifacts covered in indecipherable glyphs. The only way to find out what they say is to get the research other professors in the field have gathered. The issue? Man-eating reptars roam the land between him and the libraries containing the information.
The reptar skittered to his side of the truck, then raised its foreleg. It was going to stab through the glass and skewer him.
Cross, D.L.. The Nine (Astral Conspiracy Book 3) (p. 213). Sterling & Stone. Kindle Edition.
Reverie, Ford, Draven, and a cast of solid secondary characters lead us on a race across the country in search of a way to stop the astrals before they decimate earth.
The woman with nine lives, Nadia Adler is back as crazy as ever, but I found myself rooting for her as she tries to outwit the man who abducts her.
There are human power players at work who are almost as dangerous as the aliens!
The sarcasm and interactions among the characters make this an unputdownable read. This is from Reverie as she questions one of these group’s stories:
“But I took World History. I don’t remember Astrals being mentioned between dinosaurs and disco. Pretty sure that little detail would have sunk in.”
Cross, D.L.. The Nine (Astral Conspiracy Book 3) (p. 318). Sterling & Stone. Kindle Edition.
While these books can be read as standalones, I highly recommend reading them in order, as the storyline is epic!
Great review, Jacquie. I’m looking forward to the read. 👍
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s an excellent series, Gwen!
LikeLike
I love the pull quote you chose from Reverie. She is a bit snarky.
So delighted you enjoyed the book, Jacquie. Thanks so much for the fabulous review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loving these characters so much, Staci. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but Reverie and Beck are right up there for their sarcastic attitudes 🙂
LikeLike
Excellent review, Jacquie. Thanks for. sharing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, John. I’m broadening my horizons with new reading genres, lol
LikeLiked by 2 people
Looks good on you. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great review. The quote makes it so much better. I can’t wait to get to this one, but I’m a little behind the pack.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know what you mean. It’s hard to niche out enough reading time. I hope to get to the next in series soon, though 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a great review, Jacquie, and I couldn’t agree more about how phenomenal this series is. I love the way you add quotes and images to your reviews. The one you chose from Reverie is a good reflection of her personality. She’s such an excellent character, but then all of them–even the villains– are fully fleshed out and engaging.
Cheers to Staci!
LikeLiked by 2 people
And the research… it makes the books all the more believable!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your review, Jacquie! These books are on my radar for some winter reading!
LikeLiked by 2 people
They’re so good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Jacquie – sounds like a really good thriller.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s a page-turner!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m making my way through the last book right now, and I love this series! Great review.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Judi. It’s hard to give a strong enough endorsement of how much I’m enjoying these books without giving away too much, lol
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a compelling review Jacquie! This book and the series is on my wish list.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I always considered myself a skeptic when it came to UFOs, but this series (even though it’s fictional) has me second-guessing my beliefs!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fantastic review, Jacquie. I loved all these books. Like you I found myself rooting for Nadia. She’s an interesting character.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The one you love to hate, lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Epic is the perfect word to describe this series, Jacquie:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think they’d make a cosmic movie 🎥 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree!
LikeLike
What a fabulous review, Jacquie! I watched quite a few UFO TV series. This series is very interesting to me. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’d enjoy this, Miriam 😊
LikeLike
I’m sure I would, Jacquie. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fabulous review to share, Jacquie. Bravo to Staci! Cheers to you both. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
This series is so good, Natalie!
LikeLiked by 2 people
A fabulous review, Jacquie. I’ve read a few really good reviews for this series.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I could easily envision it on the big screen, Robbie 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people