Jennifer Grey Books

... because you'll have to be a fan to get through this one.

The author no longer recounts in detail scenes from earlier stories or extensive character descriptions. This was a welcome change, but it did seem a bit ridiculous to find Gabriel Allon striding into the audience of the Pope without a little back story.

"The Messenger" was a disappointment after the cultural insight and emotional depths reached by Silva's writing in previous installments, "The Prince of Fire" and "A Death in Vienna." It felt like the sort of installment that's just meant to get the characters in position for the next (usually much better) volume.

That said, it did not make me any less likely to read the next volume.

Mr. Silva is a direct cross between John LeCarre (the early) and Lee Child. He has brought action to his cerebral character as if Jack Reacher gave George Smiley some courses in spy field work.

What separates Mr. Silva from almost all the authors of the spy/thriller genre is the genuineness of his characters, particularly Gabriel Allon, his main character. Allon has very real human emotions to go with his spycraft expertise and relationships with other characters, all of whom also have depth. There are no cardboard cut-out characters.

In "The Messenger", Allon is onto the Saudis who bankroll and mastermind anti-western terrorism, espcially anti-Israeli and American. There is an unnerving realism to the scenario that is underscored by the Afterword. After a strike against the Vatican, Allon is on the mission and brings in an amateur to make life even more difficult in the anti-terrorist fight. The plot travels the world, illustrative of the reach of the rich who bankroll the suicide bombers and martyrs.

From the outset, the tension builds. It is a credit to the author that the tension never wanes. It may change shape and venue, but it is always there - what better complimnet for a thriller? One never gets the feeling that everyone will live happily everafter at the end.

This novel can stand alone, although I have some passing familiarity with Allon, having read one or two predecessors. Reading this installment inspires me to go back to the ones I missed. This is as good as this genre can get.

This is an incredible book, thrilling and keeps you on the edge till the end.

Another efficient but artless offering from Silva. I've read all his novels which once seemed like fun throwbacks to 70s paperbacks. Lately, these humorless exercises with Neo-Con lectures thrown in, are getting harder to enjoy. I'm not asking for Jason Bourne-style self-disgust, but could Gabriel Allon have just one moment's expression of the slightest qualms about ignoring all international laws as he traipses the globe assassinating the enemies of Israel? (Here he even gets props from his old buddy the Pope!)

Daniel Silva is a masterful story teller. Gabriel Alon is a worthy hero and this installment does the entire franchise justice.

This was a phenominal read and very fast paced. First let me preface this review by saying that i do believe that its important to read the Alex Cross books in order. Many of the "bad" reviews came from reviewers who have not read the books in the proper order. OK, coming off my soap box now.

Alex Cross is on the hunt again. High Profile murders are being committed in the Heart of DC to some pretty important people. Alex is pulled off of a more personal case in order to work on this high profile one. But fear not the caped crusader will not be denied his target. The intesity of this book is great and i found it very difficult to put the book down. I thoroughly enjoy Patterson's writing style. He makes his stories easy to read and thrilling on top of that.

If you are looking for some exciting reads this summer i encourage you to read the Alex Cross series. You wont be disappointed...

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My headline says it all, I have equally loved every single James Patterson book I have read, I am his #1 fan and this book...just like all his others, didn't disappoint me in the least! S.L. Chessor author of My Tongue Fell Out & Poodlums Boogeymen and Booglers.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry CollectionMy Tongue Fell Out

This is one of my favorites of James Patterson. I have always had difficulty putting down one of his books. There are two murder cases. One is Jack and Jill murders and the other is the murders of black children. These were two different cases, but why would Alex Cross think the murderers are one and the same? Read and find out, you will enjoy it. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"

Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelTravelersThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

"Jack and Jill" was good, but it took a while for me to get into it. It seemed to stagnate in the middle, then finally did start moving again. But, let me add that when it did start moving again, it was great!

A set of assassins nicknamed Jack and Jill are loose on the streets of Washington, D.C. The pair are killing famous and influential people, such as movie stars, newscasters, and lawyers. At each crime scene, the duo leave a few lines of rhymed poetry detailing what they have done. And during the course of each murder, the Secret Service get a call as to where to look for the body.

In D.C.'s poor Southeast area, young schoolchildren are being murdered in broad daylight. The killer is an amateur, but few people are willing to volunteer details on what they have seen happen.

Detective Alex Cross is assigned to work both cases. The first is frightening because Jack and Jill are the Secret Service code names for the president and his wife; those protecting the Chief are worried about an assassination attempt. The second is terrifying because it is happening a few blocks from Alex's house. But when the powers that be decide that solving one set of killings is more important than the other, problems begin to arise.

Like the other novels in James Patterson's Alex Cross series (this being the third book), "Jack and Jill" revolves around a fast-paced plot, a set of murders that mirror the racial tensions in the United States, and more twists and turns than a maze. And, like his other novels, you won't be able to put it down.

I have been following the work of many of the artists highlighted in this book for a few years now - specifically Damien Hirst. This had been one book I've had my eye on for a long time and I am thoroughly disappointed now having made the purchase. It is merely a picture book, sure; we ARE talking about the visual arts here. But if you want pictures: buy a poster, if you want information on the artists, their thoughts, their inspiration, their theory, their goal, their motives, their background; you still might be better off buying a poster - it's very likely it will contain more information that this book gives.

For each artist there is a small paragraph at the end of the book, and other than that the only text is the introduction which talks about the hype surrounding the `young brit's' and some history of an average patron compared with Saatchi.

An underwhelming book, unfortunately I have no other recommendations to look into on the young brit's.

Recommended for any serious artlover, especially those with good taste. Oh yes.

Great piccies...plenty of authority types spouting about art...a key catalogue on yBa's...especially recommended for art students desperately seeking quotes from the stuffed shirts of art, on Saatchi's girls and guys...don't get hung up on the media controversy...it's only art...it can't bite you...and if you don't get it, then 'Sod You Gits!'...as Sarah Lucas says.

I went, if you didn't, buy this. Lots of love, Liz Delag xxx (young, British and an artist...shouldn't I be famous by now?)

This is by far the best book I have read concerning the use of feature films as a medium in contemporary art. Douglas Gordon's "24 Hour Psycho" takes the spotlight and the cover. Christian Marclay's montage of film clips featuring phones and instruments is also discussed. It is a good beginning for people interested in the use of feature film by fine artists.

Ok, I started this book because LHC is about to go online and I'm a Relics fan. Unfortunately this book is not as good as I have hoped. The story is slow (it did pick up pace near the end, but not a lot), and the storyline of the televangelist/pastor is rather boring. The lead scientist's resume is way over the top and sounds like a character from a bad science fiction novel. 10(?) people running a 40 billion dollar project occupying a mountain is not believable, and we didn't get any interesting details of the accelerator itself.

There are also some rather disturbing plotholes which remain unaddressed. I'm not going to spill the details, but suffice to say the author underestimated the power of the scientific method. A crticial requirement for a scientific discovery is repeatability, after you made the big announcement, others would want to repeat what you have done, and if they can't repeat it, your credibility in the science community would be in serious trouble. This would easily crash the scheme in the novel, even if it may take another 40 billion dollars.

In the end, I found the best part of the novel is what Isabella says, you don't have to agree with it, but it's a fun reading for anyone with a science/technology background.

Over-the-top, maybe but painfully true. This book strikes a responsive chord for anyone not trying to deny the history of fundamentalist Christianity. I ended up suspending everything until I finished this book.

In addition to being a great mystery and a great read, this book gives you a lot to think about.

Highly recommended, especially today.

This is a decent book with some unsettling thoughts about life, humans and the relationship of science and religion. As I read the book it dawned on me that this could be a fictionalized account supporting a version of Stuart Kauffman's Reinventing the Sacred. Dr Kauffman, an researcher of emergent properties, attempts to bring together the separate belief systems of science and revealed religion in general in his book, although he is partial to the science side throughout.

The imagines in Preston's book are unsettling, especially of the fanatical masses attempting to destroy what they don't or won't understand. It reminds me of the villagers trying to destroy Boris Karloff's Frankenstein in his old monster movie.

Also, the idea of establishing a new religion through fraud is compelling although the tools worked beyond expectations. The references to L. Ron Hubbard and various other religious figures is interesting, although he doesn't reference Joseph Smith which might have been a good comparsion considering his own martyrdom.

I rated it as a 3 out of 5 because I felt it lacked something and I can't really put my finger on it.

Seriously I recommend you do whatever you can to get a hold of specifically the AUDIO BOOK version. The narrator was fantastic in the varous voices he created ranging from Navaho Indians, to a southern televangelist and even a Borne Agan Biker. His voice for Gregory North Hezalious was particularly memorable though he sounded a lot like Sandi Griffin from Daria LOL. Truly though it was great book to listen too...the climax made feel like I was watching rather than listening to a very exciting movie. The audio version brings this book alive.
Trust me you will enjoy it.

Truly horrible--although I am a huge fan of the authors, and think they have written some top-notch thrillers (Riptide and The Ice Limit are classics), this book is truly horrible. I deplore hypocrisy, but why Douglas Preston had to decide that Religion is Evil and for losers is beyond me. Plodding... and the author's typical twist at the end makes you doubly-regret reading this book. My wife has devoured every one of their books, and after reading this I told her "don't bother"... that is what I tell you. Depressingly disappointing-- A book I want to throw in the trash so that nobody else wastes their money. Go re-read The Ice Limit.