• Guardians of the Night

  • A Gideon and Sirius Novel, Book 2
  • By: Alan Russell
  • Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
  • Length: 10 hrs
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (529 ratings)

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Guardians of the Night  By  cover art

Guardians of the Night

By: Alan Russell
Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
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Publisher's summary

As the sole members of LAPD's Special Cases Unit, Detective Michael Gideon and his German shepherd partner Sirius work investigations considered bizarre even by Los Angeles's standards. Yet their latest case is more than strange - it might be out of this world.

Ronald "Wrong" Pauley is a homeless man long fallen from grace. When Pauley's late-night drinking is interrupted by a detonation of light, he sees what he describes as a "being of light" in the alley below. Pauley tries to help, but ends up as a witness to what he believes is the murder of the fallen angel.

Gideon and Sirius are already in the midst of trying to determine the identity of the so-called "Reluctant Hero" who seemed to magically appear just moments after shots began ringing out at an elementary school. Braving gunfire, the hero tackled the shooter, and then disappeared.

Both cases defy easy answers, but when Pauley turns up dead, the detectives are left with two murders to solve and lots of questions. Gideon and Sirius - along with help from a newfound friend - investigate that thin line between the real and surreal to make sense of these possible crimes.

In this exciting and captivating sequel to Burning Man, a smart-mouthed skeptic and his loyal partner must unravel a dark otherworldly mystery to deliver real-world justice.

©2014 Alan Russell (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Guardians of the Night

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent police thriller

By all means listen to Burning Man, Book 1 in the Gideon and Sirius series, before Guardians of the Night. Both books, Kindle version plus Audible version, are available to borrow at no cost to Kindle Unlimited members. The protagonists in this series are LA cop Michael Gideon and his police dog Sirius. Gideon and to a much lesser degree Sirius are still suffering from the physical and emotional effects of being badly burned in a fire while capturing a killer. This book is in my opinion not quite as good as Burning Man, but it is still an excellent police procedural. The narration is consistent with what I have tome to expect from Jeff Cummings. His voice is very clear but his accents are hideous.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another Great Book For $7.34

Guardians of the Night by Alan Russell is the riveting sequel to the bestselling novel Burning Man, and marks the return of Detective Michael Gideon and his German shepherd partner Sirius enmeshed in a strange and bizarre case, unlike anything they have ever encountered before. In a tale stranger than fiction, a homeless man reportedly witnessed what he believed to be the murder of an angel.

Gideon and his partner Sirius care called upon to investigate the baffling case. Reluctantly the duo set off to investigate the case. Their halfhearted investigation soon turns more bizarre with the death of the homeless man. Now it is up to Gideon and Sirius to make sense of the strange murders and establish the identity of the man referred to as “the Reluctant Hero.”

Author Alan Russell has written an engrossing novel that is both awesome and delightful. While the story in itself is both amazing and incredulous, mixing mystery with suspense and thriller brilliantly. Guardians of the Night borders on science fiction while it is a crime thriller with a lot of suspense and mystery thrown in. Alan Russell’s passion is contagious and many readers will find this book difficult to put down.

Jeff Cummings was great with the delivery of the story

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An Unworldy Case for Wonderful Detective/K9 Team


Allan Russell's second novel in the Gideon/Sirus series didn't disappoint. I would have to say that book 2 in the series was better than the first one. Character development of this unique detective team continues, and I have grown to like these two.

The mystery develops when a homeless alcoholic claims to have had a celestial encounter. Our protagonist does not want to let go of his version of the world as he believes it to be, but is challenged when he has no explanation for the event.

This detective mystery and police procedural is well written, and kept my attention.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I wish there were 10 stars!

I am loving this series. The characters are ones you wish you could meet. The sympathy and concern I feel for them (other than the serial killer!) draw me into their world. Being a life-long animal fanatic, I am amazed that I had never heard of the poem, "Guardians of the Night." After wiping my eyes, it inspired me to contribute to an organization that provides protective vests to police dogs. Just like their human partners, they should always have a Kevlar vest on when on the street. The fact that some police agencies don't provide their K-9s with one is horrifying.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Annoying Main character--too many bad jokes

Although the story was pretty good, after awhile I just got tired of the continuous bad jokes and puns made by the main character and his friends. The conversations got really tedious to listen to.

I stopped listening about halfway in--a real waste of a credit!

Maybe the author will figure out that, really, no one likes a smart ass trying to show everyone how clever he (and his friends) are.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, not that great performance

Loved the book, but pretty average narration. One very emotional moment in the book wasn't performed with any feeling at all. Solid detective though. And I loved Sirius.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nice light listen-read

I read the actual book 1 of the Guardians of the Night, so when I saw book 2 here on Audible, on a daily or sale price, I thought - why not.

The story itself was just as good as the first: good details, nice build of characters, good background build, and I love that Sirius is not only a K9, but a comfort dog as well.

I wasn't crazy about how the narrator read. Mens voices were fine. But the females and the Weatherman character I felt was a bit forced and falsetto sounding for my tastes. However it didn't stop me from enjoying the book while commuting to and from work.

What I didn't like *SPOILER* is I don't recall who or what the "angel" ever was. Perhaps I missed it while in traffic?

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Real good book

starts out slow but keep listening it's worth it. Just like the 1st book in this series the story is well done. And I love the 2 main characters.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

I loved every second. laughed and cried. I can't wait to read the next book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MK
  • 08-20-17

Another EXcellent book by Alan Russell and narrated Jeff Cummings

I really enjoy these two men as a team. Excellent writing and narration! I'm anxious to start on their next book!

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1 person found this helpful