Nova Books

I read "Dress Gray" in 1984 (paperback), and thought it was pretty good. But from the description and reviews of this later work, it sounds like typical misandrist stuff (Misandry - defn: contempt for men; counterpart of misogyny). Sounds to me like all the evil people and ne'er-do-wells in the book are men, while 100% of the women portrayed are either innocent victims or heroines. Those of you who have read it..tell me I'm wrong.

As a fan of Truscott's Dress Gray and a big backer of USMA, I was originally thrilled to see a sequel. That was as far as the thrill went... Truscott has taken Dress Gray and given it a completely unwelcome PC revamping. It's the same story... Slaight realizes there's something fishy and sexual about the death of a fellow cadet, and goes to fix it. The only difference is that this time around, young Cadet Slaight is female, as is the dead cadet. Read the first one. Forget that there is a sequel.

I bought this book while stationed in Korea. I enjoyed reading "Dress Gray" while I was a cadet and I was excited to see that Truscott had written a sequel. I read the entire book, but ended up being so disappointed that I took it back to the bookstore and got my money back. I am tired of books that insinuate that women at a mostly male school equals a scandal. See also, "A General's Daughter." Hey guess what--I was a female cadet in my opinion and West Point isn't some mysterious old boy network where crimes get shoved under the rug--it goes completely against the principles that the academy stands for.

Don't waste your time on this one!

As soon as he was introduced, I recognized the arch villain in this novel. How? Truscott describes him as 'conservative,' talking about 'valor' and 'honor' and 'the warrior culture.' A Southerner, he once drove a car with a Confederate Battle Flag license plate and, horror upon horrors, had relatives who attended VMI and even ... The Citadel!

In Lucian Truscott's world, women are heroic and men are weak and flawed (except our hero Ry Slaight and, interestingly, non-combat arms Army types like pathologists and lawyers). Men who oppose political correctness or question placing women in combat are, ipso facto, sexist/racist/homophobic hypocrites, and probably rapists and murderers too. No doubt it makes life easier to see things this way, but it doesn't leave room for a well-crafted novel. (For example, feel free to skip over Chapter 21 entirely. It's an anti-Republican screed that adds almost nothing to the storyline.)

Truscott's background and experience allow him to create a vivid atmospheric portrait of the West Point setting. But the statues on the Plain are more three-dimensional than the characters in this novel. For a responsible (non-fiction) balance to Truscott's political agenda, I recommend 'The Kinder, Gentler Military' by Stephanie Gutmann (Scribner, 2000).

Basically, this book is intended to push a Politically Correct point of view. It does so relentlessly, to the point that the so-called "plot" (I am charitably assuming that there is one) is submerged between various "PC" diatribes. Essentially, Truscott is out to trash anyone who opposes gays in the military, women in the front lines of infantry units, etc. Everyone who holds traditional or conservative views as regards the foregoing is a mindless ogre, and that is what the book is about.

Essentially, the book is dishonest. The real Army is nothing like the way Truscott portrays it, and Truscott knows it. I didn't attend West Point, but we may safely assume that Truscott's portrayal of West Point is equally dishonest.

Don't get me wrong. I could have handled the "PC" point of view of the author if there were an interesting story buried in here. There is not. Truscott has no time to tell a story about anything. He is only interested in pushing his Leftist politics at you.

Truscott's book "Dress Grey" to which this is a sequel was a decent if not brilliant read. All of Truscott's books since then are ghastly and militant diatribes pushing Truscott's PC agenda at the expense of plot, realism, or truth. Avoid this novel and this author.

When things are too good to be true, they almost always are and that is the premise of this rather unrealistic book. It starts out well and the story is strong for the first half of the book. The story centers around Gunn Henderson, an enormously successful salesman, who receives an excellent job offer with perks far beyond anything that he had ever expected. As with something this good, there are always many things that will be expected of him as well as sacrifices that will be made by his family. The story loses its momentum when the writer begins explaining the machinations as well as the motivations of the characters behind this elaborate charade. The story is so far fetched that it is laughable in many ways. It is somewhat like a poor B movie, at the sake of being impolite to the genre. Although this book is placed in the Suspense Category, it never really makes it. The characters are not well developed and it is difficult to comprehend one who is successful in his line of work making such a radical career move. All in all, this is fast harmless reading ehich, if taken as such, is passable escapism. It would be folly for the reader to for much more.

Since the first page till the end, this book has the perfect crime, "More know the devil for old than for devil", is the first book that I read that since the beginning is telling you part of the finish, that keeps you interested in the story all the time, and as I like from many writers, T.W. Simpson doesn't put Sam like a woman that doesn't know what to do and how to handle any particular situation, I like when the women can defend their selves alone or almost alone, and at the end you will see how to do a perfect crime... many times.

SIX STARS FOR THIS ONE

For those of you expecting a thrilling, gripping novel, you will be thoroughly disappointed if you read this obscene, often boring, and absurd romp through amoral sex and the business world (which the author knows very little about, by the way). The characters are typical, though because Simpson is as untalented as he is perverted, he manages to make them ten times more boring than if they'd been modeled by someone else. For some reason, he believes he can make up for his lack of interesting content by repeating the full names of his characters and their alternates without cessation. This grows dull rather quickly, as does his writing style (if it could be called that), his plot (or the lack thereof), and the entire mess in general. If anyone has enjoyed this "book" (is it even?),I seriously question their ability to form any sort of opinion at all. If you haven't had the misfortune of reading this waste of paper and ink, then please don't make the mistake of doing so now.

For those of you expecting a thrilling, gripping novel, you will be thoroughly disappointed if you read this obscene, often boring, and absurd romp through amoral sex and the business world (which the author knows very little about, by the way). The characters are typical, though because Simpson is as untalented as he is perverted, he manages to make them ten times more boring than if they'd been modeled by someone else. For some reason, he believes he can make up for his lack of interesting content by repeating the full names of his characters and their alternates without cessation. This grows dull rather quickly, as does his writing style (if it could be called that), his plot (or the lack thereof), and the entire mess in general. If anyone has enjoyed this "book" (is it even?),I seriously question their ability to form any sort of opinion at all. If you haven't had the misfortune of reading this waste of paper and ink, then please don't make the mistake of doing so now.

Typical story. Evil suburban man Good suburban woman. Every cliche of horror was used in this book.

This book is not worth reading.

Not bad for an abridged audio book. Since the book was abridged the flow of the story was not all it could have been. The reader did a good job with different voices and the sound effects added to the action without going overboard.

I really agree with everything the previous review wrote (Jon Davidson, August 8). It is rare that someone already wrote most of what I thought. The only difference is that I think the book is more in the range of 3 stars than 4.
When I started reading this book, I had to check the copywrite date. I know I had seen and/or read the opening scene somewhere before, and more than once. A submarine is hi-jacked. That has been done a number of times before. Most recently in a movie about a German sub (U-571?) and earlier in a Steven Segal movie. And the action is always the same, shooting people coming up/down the ladder, trapping people in the hallway and capturing the crew in the bunks and mess.

But, the book starts out strong as our hero (Jake Grafton from earlier Coonts books) plays detective and follows clues. The detective story is fairly strong. And there is a subplot with a burglar who turns into a spy that is very engaging.

However, the detective story finally loses out when the sub starts launching missiles and causing catastrophic events. Ever since Tom Clancy nuked the Superbowl and blew up the Whitehouse, everyone has to go one better. Threat of disaster is no longer good enough. You have to have destroy something to show menace.

The end really peters out, with the heroes and their wives on the Love Boat while America is being attacked. It is all handled like a light adventure, even after the wives are captured and about to be killed.

What is even worse, is how Coonts tries to make the main Russian badguy and his partner as sympathetic, likeable characters. They have murdered tons of seamen and civilians, but you are supposed to like them because they took mercy on some other people. I am betting that they turn up in future books and eventually become good guys.

In spite of the bad points, it is still interesting to read, especially in the beginning. It is certainly better than any of the latest Clancy books.

I enjoy a Coonts novel as much as anyone but I finished reading America with mixed feelings. The story line is a bit far fetched but none the less exciting and action packed. Evil triumphs over good through most of the book however, it was dissapointing that over 95% of the book was dedicated building this story line. Grafton's success in foiling the bad guys didn't happen till the final pages. It leaves the reader with the feeling that the author brought the novel to a quick close when he reached the requisite 500 pages for his publication.

Stephen Coonts does less character development than Tom Clancy. His hero Jake Grafton is thoroughly two-dimensional. He's a regular guy with a nice wife, neither of them drawn with any interesting quirks or depth. He doesn't have notable hobbies or interests. He doesn't have soaring ambitions, having made some bureaucratic enemies who keep him from rising above Rear Admiral. He dreams vaguely of the stereotypical middle-class retirement with his lovely wife. Little attention is paid to what he eats or drinks. A gourmet meal for him is steaks on the barbie. Grafton's jobs always seem to be intricate bureaucratic positions where he's a liaision from someone to someone else, which puts him in place to get into a technothriller plot involving the usual CIA and foreign spy types.

But that's half the book's appeal. Grafton strikes you as an Everyman who rises to the occasion through the qualities he's amassed as a good career Naval officer. His flurries of action are low-tech and plausible; he is resourceful without Coonts' pushing the limits of believability. And he wears well, like an old shoe. His low-key character recedes into the background, allowing you to enjoy the technological marvel of the state-of-the-art American sub that is hijacked, as well the complexity of the plot. Coonts' writing is never flashy or annoying, but quite even. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this one's plot, particularly the complexities created when arch-hacker Zelda Hudson masterminds the sub's hijacking while selling its services to two unrelated crooks for two different reasons at cross purposes with each other.

One of the other reviewers pans Coonts for making the hijackers' captain somewhat sympathetic despite his dastardly mission. I disagree. We spend a whole lot of time with him and would tire of a stereotypical tyrant or megalomaniac. And the novel is more plausible with a captain confronted with convincing his gang - through a combination of strength, logic and violence - to follow him after the fact on a much more dangerous mission than the one they'd signed on for. As a former Soviet sub captain, and as someone originally hired by the CIA at the plot's outset to hijack a sub for him, he would not have been convincingly drawn as a psychokiller or screwball. This is a leader of men who History, in the form of the Soviet Union's fall, has cast upon the streets - his last job was cab-driving in Paris - and who is now given a chance to use his hard-earned skills in a challenging, albeit criminal, mission. We see the action on the sub through his eyes, and so naturally Coonts must make him logical and smart enough to succeed in the sub long enough to make the plot work. Other colorful supporting characters are the knife-throwing Marine commandant, the slick Russian agent Janos Ilin, and my favorite Coonts character, the CIA cat-burglar Tommy Carmellini. I found myself liking hitman Myron Matheny, an aging, meticulous ex-CIA guy who drifted into killing for hire, a guy who can't wait to get out of the business but is forced back into it for one more hit. He comes off as a fiftyish accountant type, all planning and plodding and caution - the reason for his survival so long in a dangerous game. I found myself rooting for him to succeed or at least survive long enough to escape into the crime-free, smell-the-roses life he longs for.

One aspect of the book seems weirdly timely: how Washington and New York are paralyzed by missiles designed to knock out electronic systems. I read this book a week or two after Hurricane Katrina and that resonated significantly with me.

This story grabbed me in the beginning, but my interest dwindled towards the end. The story opens with the USA losing a SuperAegis satellite, part of a multinational missile defense system, upon launch. Enter Rear Admiral Jake Grafton, who we have met previously in several of Stephen Coont's novels. But before much more can happen, the USS America, a nuclear submarine, is hijacked on her maiden voyage. Shortly thereafter, the America fires Tomahawk missiles equipped with EMP warheads at the USA, shorting out the electronics of several areas of the east coast. The result: airplanes crashing, hospitals crippled, not to mention the Dollar! And off we go, searching for hijacked submarines and lost satellites (not to mention the bad guys themselves), with several sub-plots thrown in as well.
While I did enjoy the submarine chases, they are all over the popular fiction at the moment, and I don't think that Coonts' effort stands out significantly from many of the others. His character development is poor. Even Grafton himself seems a little dull and underdeveloped. And we don't even get to know most of the bad guys, and then somewhere along the line, he tries to draw sympathy for some pretty bad apples? I found the direction a bit confusing from time to time. But, it was the end of this novel that really ruined it. Read: "Adventure on the Loveboat". The author had gone to some effort to make the story somewhat plausible beforehand, and now it becomes quite ridiculous. So, the novel ended with me feeling a little sour about it. Three stars from me.

I am only one of few critics who did not like this book. As far as I'm concerned this book had two disjointed subplots. I had trouble determining the connection between the two. At times the plot, if you want to call it that, went on ad nauseum with literally nothing happening. I was bored but was determined to not put it down. I gave the novel 2 stars because the last 50 pages or so were intriguing and fun to read. More of the story should have taken place in the labyrinth of streets and alleys known as The Underground. It sounds like a very interesting place and alot of mystery could have been generated there.

The Art Of Deception begins with the murder of young Mary Ann Walker. Along the way, there is the matter of two women who have disappeared and its possible connection to a peeping tom. Lou Boldt, Daphne Matthews and John LaMoia are the detectives trying to solve the mystery, and the two matters are more intertwined than they initially believed.

Having read and loved Pearson's The Angel Maker, I was looking forward to reading another one of his novels and I was not disappointed. Lots of little sub-plots evolve throughout the course of this novel and they all pay off in that they all have a reason to be there, including the young teen mother that Daphne is trying to help. The characters' internal musings can get a little wearisome after a while, but that's about the only real complaint I have.

The Art Of Deception has an interesting, complex plot further enhanced by genuine moments of suspense, plus a few scenes to creep you out. The book's climax is especially effective; nice to see some suspenseful action to wrap things up with. I'll be sure to read another Ridley Pearson novel soon.

I was a little disappointed in this book. Maybe it was because my expectations were so high that we were going to see a female lead instead of Lou Boldt. This was a good book but not what I wanted I guess. I am used to Boldt being the main character and in this one Daphne Matthews is. I'm not going to write a plot summary since so many on here already have. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book, but it was just lacking. Not his usual excellent make me think stuff. I don't know why it just didn't click with me. I think it was because I didn't like how they made Daphne seem like she wasn't as smart as the boys and as smart and analytical as she has been in the past. Just felt like it was rushed. Still a good book and it moved the major storylines of the series along but I just missed the fabulous interactions and the thinking of the last books.

A young woman is thrown off a bridge. Two women are missing. And a city employee dies during a watermain break. Daphne Matthews, a forensic psychologist, and Detective John LaMoia play prominent roles in this mystery, concerned primarily with the woman thrown off a bridge. Lou Boldt is more in the background concerned with the two missing women and the city employee killed during a water main break. A fascinating backdrop to all this is an underground Seattle from the early 1900's that was purposely buried to raise part of the city above flooding level - intriguing in light of Katrina and New Orlean's problems. A good read with lots to hold your interest.

Art of Deception is the first book I'v read by Ridley Pearson. I found it very entertaining and attention-grabbing. I am a big fan of suspense novels and I will be back for more Pearson.

There were a few slow parts but overall I can highly recommend this book.

I must say that I really enjoyed the ride. From the US to Italy, then from Italy to Turkey and then onto Switzerland. And I also enjoyed the characters and the pace. Story-wise it's total nonsense. And implausible. You have this guy who is a billionaire. Great. Then he has this company in the US that is burning through cash. So he is part of this ancient cabal in Turkey where if he can persuade them to elect him as the next Grand Pubah he gets to dip into a lot of cash. And then reason for this, so that he can engage in the science of nano technology to create bots that will multiply exponentially in mass and then sink the planet. And that's for starters.

Suspend your disbelief. This book by Case is like having a dream that your pets are doing a sultry Argentinean tango in your living room and you are the accordion player. Not only are you swooning away drawn by the passion of the moment that you suddenly find yourself hurriedly transcribing the notes to this fantastic tango. You then wake up and find the notes to the tango on your desk with a note to release it to the world which will make the whole world fall in love. Ya-ah ! Make love not War. Remember that old slogan.

Never believing for one second that the main character would survive his ordeals as he is tremendously honest and youthful, I keep expecting him to perish in the next chapter. The thriller begins immediately which is satisfying. The young man's experiences throughout the whole book are so thoroughly detailed that sometimes I feel like I am reading Tolkien's American version of a mini tale. The ending is not particularly my favorite. It seems as if there is a word/page limit or the storyteller is running out of gas. Parts written by the private eye and the ones prepared by the artist could easily be discerned. A lot of time and resources must have been spent on painstaking research which information is later adorned with brilliant imagination. Utterly interesting is my estimation on this collaboration. Now, I have to go find a good recipe for apple tea!

John Case is a pseudonym for a married couple and "The eighth day" is their fourth published book. I had already read two of those books, "The Genesis code" and "The first horseman", and found them both enjoyable, even if a little too much on the "unbelievable" side. The authors like to mix investigative fiction with new technologies (much like Michael Crichton) and add a touch of religous business as "spice" for their books.

"The eighth day" follows the same recipe. The main character is Danny Cray, a strugling artist that works for a PI company on the side. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a rich family and talent, but his greed speaks louder when exotic (and millionaire) lawyer Jude Belzer asks him to investigate who is trying to smear reclusive Zerevan Zebek's name around Europe and the US. The problem is, people say that Zebek is the Devil himself. Danny soon finds himself among murders, nanotechnology and a chaotic chase that leads him through Italy, Turkey and Switzerland.

The plot is fast-paced and the dichotomy of the characters serve the purpose of the book. But the story is far too unbelievable to my taste, and Danny Cray must be the luckiest man alive. Don't get me wrong, the book is fun and totally readable, but you have to be in the right mood. It's very similar to Case's previous books, but I liked "The Genesis code" better. I would rate it 3 and ½ stars if I could.

I loved the first two John Case novels I read ('The Genesis Code' and 'The First Horseman') but this one joins 'The Syndrome' as a disappointment.

It's not that the book isn't readable, or at times outright exciting, especially the parts in Turkey. No, the problem lies in the main character - the artist/part-time investigator. As an artist he's an outright ditz. As an investigator he's just a step below James Bond. I had no sense that he really was the same guy. How did this artist get this part time investigator's job? It just felt like a contrived fit the whole time.

In addition, the evil villain's evil plot seemed like an awful lot of work - perhaps more than it was worth. Plus, his evil plan wasn't particularly evil, more like it was misguided - and definitely not worth killing a lot of people over.

Danny Cray (the hero of this piece) has to be the dumbest hero to stumble off the pages of fiction, and he manages to save the world in the last 30 pages of the book.

Anyone with half a brain (Danny Cray obviously is not in this demographic) would have figured out he was being set up. It is painful to watch him move from one disaster to the next - still managing to out smart the bad guys.

This starving artist continues to find people who speak English and seems to have enough money.

This is certainly not up to Mr. Case's previous efforts.

I was not a fan. It wasn't very aviation-oriented. I suppose if you're into "Law and Order" style antics onboard a moving vehicle, this might be a good read (I'm not really into those kind of books). For me, this novel left me sitting there and wondering when anything remotely exciting would happen and why the only exciting events seemed "forced" (read the trip to Denver and the dash from Ireland to Maine and you'll understand exactly what I'm saying).

Although the plot for this book does not seem exceptionaly strong, John J. Nance's passion for the subject matter comes through in this suspenseful and intriguing thriller. The legal aspect of this book basically comes from the Pinochet extradition law which the U. S. helped to sponsor and is now being turned against them. (There is an underlying message here about the best intentions don't always make the best laws.) As a pilot and a licensed aerospace attorney Mr. Nance's knowledge and passion for both of these subjects communicates itself throughout this book. Filled with wonderful aeronautic and legal details this book is a marevelous combination of Martin Caidin and John Grisham. If you are looking for a thriller that has decent characters, and well-detailed and interesting plot developments then you should enjoy this book. However you should be warned if you have a fear of flying than you may not want to read the author's description of flying a Cessna into a thunderstorm-one of the better sequences I have read in any novel in a while.

Nance's book `Headwinds' is multifaceted. When you open the pages of a book like this you should not be expecting to encounter the next James Joyce or Pynchon, so its kind of silly to judge Headwinds against real literature. What is appropriate on the other hand is to judge it against Hollywood films or other genre stories of a similar nature. In my opinion, Hollywood films are synonymous with cliches and plots that you haven't encountered just once or twice, but hundreds and hundreds of times before. Often the characters are 2 dimensional which allows for the viewer, or in this case reader, to apply whatever characteristics they wish to upon the protagonists. Nance does all of that here.

Headwind accomplishes all that you would expect from a military/thriller, no new ideas, no new slight takes on character development, and a story arc that you %100 know already. Nance is no Hemmingway. He pulls together three primary first person accounts; a pilot (brave and patriotic), a former president (%100 riotous and good), and a lawyer (the greatest legal mind of our time, but lacking in that he was suspended for serious legal errors while on the bench). None of these characters are tested really, even though the whole book is a test on character, because they have nowhere to go... they are already the greatest living Americans the world has ever seen.

Anyways, I am giving this book three stars because I was able to finish it and wanted to see exactly how it would be resolved. This is Nance's strength. Nance sets up a legal study on international law and fictionalizes it. This here is the saving grace of the book.

Three stars might be a little generous. I feel like I have rated books I like more with less stars in the past. I would never ever recommend Headwinds to anyone. I would suggest Clancey or Mrazek (a new historical military writer that is very good).

I made it as far as I can - chapter 31.

But I just can't take the excruciatingly pedestrian writing style, the shallow, stereotypical characters, and the inaccurate, out-of-place aviation references sprinkled throughout. I put a lot of blame for this waste of paper on his editor/publisher. This book should never have been released.

I don't know if this is Nance's first book, but he is NOT a good writer. Indeed, he would be an average writer for the High School level. Granted, he's got a great idea - very intriguing. But (and let this be a lesson to you future writers out there) sometimes you need to let someone who has actual writing talent take your great idea and go with it.

This is what Mr. Nance should have done.

If you like a book that is low taxing on the brain then this is for you. Basically, we are dealing with a Jack Bauer type pilot flying all around the place to protect an ex-president. There just happens to be a tour group of ex-marines on board and some of the dialogue that is spouted out to protect their former commander-in-chief just makes you cringe. Also, the interaction between the pilot and co-pilot (who is portrayed as an English twit) is truly awful.

Our legal `mastermind' that is hired by the ex-president spots problems in the case that everyone else conveniently misses (this is not a spoiler!). A very poor conclusion to a case that supposedly had dozens of layers working on it.

One line from the book mentions a lawyer from Ireland and says about him that "he doesn't drink, not even Guinness". This is one of the most idiotic sentences that I've ever read in a book.

This book was sold without any quotes of recommendation on the cover from newspaper critics. After reading the book, it's easy to see why. Do yourself a favour and avoid this book.

PLEAE NOTE-- THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A *** BIG *** PLOT SPOILER

The cover of my copy of "Killing the Shadows" sports a quote snippet from "The New York Times Book Review" which states: "Vivid...Mounts in tension ... [McDermid is] the best we've got". Doesn't the phrase, "the best we've got" necessarily imply that we ought to have something better? Val McDermid has done better than this novel and I believe she can do it again.

NOTE -- PLOT SPOILER FOLLOWS:

After reading "Killing the Shadows", how can anyone believe that the fictional Fiona Cameron or any existing psychologicist excels at profiling serial killers? Francis Blake is a creepy guy but McDermid does nothing to promote him as the sort of man who would even fantasize about killing mystery writers, much less as someone with the intelligence and wherewithal to carry out such crimes.

"A Place of Execution" was such a gripping novel that I've continued reading McDermid, but she's losing me with her implausible plots and murderers. When I read McDermid, I don't expect a "cozy" but I do expect all the grisly gore to lead toward a satisfying end. Anymore I find McDermid's grisly gore to be a puerile red-herring that leads me to think that the more grisly her novel, the less satisfying its end will be.

Having been a fan of Ms. McDermid from reading Wire in the Blood and the two follow up books, then reading A Place of Execution and becoming completely hooked I expected great things from 'Killing the Shadows' but found I trudged through this book with no real feelings for the characters and found the motive for the killings to be a really big stretch! The side trip to Spain could have been missed out completely.

I can't say I am sorry to have finished reading 'Killing the Shadows' as I found it tedious and uninspiring. Hopefully Ms. Mcdermid's next book will be up to her usual standards.

sum up in two words: too wordy. this novel, like her 'a place of execution', is way too wordy. ms. mcdermid may have come up with some good ideas of murder mysteries, but her writing style is nothing but dragging the text as long as possible. as female writer, she unconsciously put herself as the heroine, fiona, to do some explanation of her relationship with her friend, kit, the crime writer. there are too many pages spent on lot of unimportant blah, blah, blah. too many trivial tidbits throwing around page after page making the reading very very tiresome like reading textbooks. the characters she created in her novels never achieved any up close and personal feelings although many many pages being spent on describing and portraying her characters' personal feelings. i've lost interest and patience in trying to keep focus, to force myself read along, but after repeatedly formatted patterns of the murderers' diaries/records/documentation(?) whatever, the crime scenes reports on the net, newspapers...i have to give it up in the middle and decided to flip it thru and yet still failed to finish it. some interested concepts but panned out too long and too wordy. there are simply too many shadows to be killed, but in the long run, nothing matters.

If this had been a movie, it is my belief it would have gone straight to video. It only came out in hardcover because the publishers knew Ms. McDarmid's name would sell, no matter how very awful the book is. It's hard to believe that the author who wrote A Place of Execution, a truly brilliant mystery novel, could also produce such drivel as Killing the Shadows. Cliched (this is the break we've been waiting for!) and cluttered with poorly written "romance", this book is the written equivalent of a teenage slasher flick. Serial killer running around and all the potential victims acting as stupid as humanly possible.

This is as satisfying a modern mystery as I have read in years. The basic plot description reads as a serial killer of serial killer thriller writers. I will add to this that Ms. Mc Dermid gices us in 1 book: a) 3 seprarate serial killer investigation in varying degrees of detail and all interesting; b) several intelligent detectives, none of them Lestrade-ish or tokenish; c) interesting victims; d) a very charismatic heroine in all senses; e) red herrings in the classic tradition, as well as a surprising main villain. Just read this one; you will not be dissapointed.

The Human/alien colony on Botany, founded when the warrior Catteni "dropped" several shiploads of slaves to fend for themselves, has come a long way since First Drop. Human Kris Bjornsen and many others have learned the Catteni language, thanks to the one member of that species who was exiled with them: Zainal, who has become Kris's lover and the community's leader in the one project that matters most. Which is freeing the Catteni from their Eosi overlords, who are actually behind all of the Catteni aggression. With Kris and other Catteni-speaking Humans in suitable disguise, Zainal leads several expeditions to Catteni worlds - including the home planet of Catten, and still-rebellious Earth - to gather resources and line up allies. Does his plan stand a chance of succeeding? And if it doesn't succeed, what will happen to the colony on Botany if the alien "Farmers" who have placed a protective bubble around that planet withdraw the protection? Because Eosi Mentat Ix, the being who subsumed Zainal's brother after Zainal refused to come home and fulfill his duty as a "chosen" ("I dropped, I stay!"), retains just enough of Lenvec's memories and emotions to set the Mentat on an irrational crusade to find and punish Zainal. Which means breaking through Botany's protection - and, not incidentally, looting and razing Earth until nothing remains there, to punish the Humans of Botany for giving Zainal sanctuary.

This third book in McCaffrey's "Freedom" trilogy shows the author at her best, because its plot proceeds naturally from both the characters we already know and the cultures the previous books established. Both characters and cultures get additional fleshing out, with McCaffrey using her considerable world-building skills to good advantage; but none of the new material conflicts with what we learned earlier, and the characters (even minor ones) stay true to themselves. Now, that takes doing.

I thought this one was better than the second sequel, and way better than the fourth. Zainal's sons are found, the Eosi domination confronted, and the relationship between Kris and "Zay" continues to develop. More Catteni are presented as sympathetic, more rounded characters. The only thing that bothered me was it seemed a bit inconsistent, unless Anne was trying to interchange words like Drassi and Emassi on purpose...but then, she's entitled to a few slips at her age, with so many great books to her name. I would've liked more development of the story around Zay's boys on Catten, but the novel is satisfying. I suggest re-reading it, because more of the story seems to unfold when read more slowly...but it's too absorbing to read slowly the first time through! It's a believeable "alternate future" story, with insights into human behavior and social injustice. A great adventure away from Pern/dragonriders, showing Anne's talent has other facets. Introducing Maasi warriors from Africa into the mix was amazing - but it worked. They rehab some of the most difficult kids. True to her style, this series has no religion, no graphic violence and no explicit sex - hooray!!! Safe for kids, but engaging for adults, and no bad role-modeling :-)which is hard to say about alot of fiction, TV and movies included.

Another series McCaffrey wrote on, some 5, 6, 7 books on now. All goof reads. Concept of aliens conquering Earth and selling the plaets people of in to slavery and dumping them on other planets to colonize for them, so they can return and rule humanity. A little different slant than the books that wwork with this concepet.

As far as the overall story line and characters go, I'd say this book (and the whole series) has five-star potential. However, one major gripe I have is that the story went along so smoothly, with never a bump in the road and the characters weren't faced with any difficulties that actually threatened their goals or existence. Actually, every plan they came up with is accomplished without even the slightest glitch and the most traumatic moment for the main character Kris is when she has to wait a few extra days for Zanail to get home and she is worried that something went wrong (which of course it didn't). I was sure that in this third book, the conclusion to the main story line, there would have to be some kind of surprise or "Challenge" that would take the characters unprepared and maybe lend a little excitment to the tale. It's just hard to stay absorbed in a book that is completely predictable and contains zilch for suspense.

While the series is well-written and for the most part entertaining and thought-provoking, its just plain disappointing not to encounter some kind of unexpected "Challenge" to the people of Botany.

I know I haven't given anything away here. Dune this isn't... you know the Eosi are going to lose... you just don't know how.

It is because of that new secret weapon, al... well, I'll let you read about it. Hint: it is not related to "The War of the Worlds" solution.

Weak ending... the Farmers just "disappear." What is THAT all about? They were one of the most interesting mysteries in the entire series!

And I hear that there is a fourth book of this series, "Freedom's Ransom." Read the reviews before you start... and you may not even start.

The blurb I had read on this book touted it as a romantic mystery. I didn't find it to be particularly romantic or a very good mystery at all. That said, it was a pleasant enough story. The prose is terribly simple, but overall there are worst ways to spend one's days. Definitely not the author's best work, but a lot better than some of the things that are out there.

Who's next? Lillian Harte, professional matchmaker, and successful CEO Gabe Madison. Gabe's a wonderful character - strong and determined, with a will of iron. He's pulled the family business out of the black chasm it fell into after the Harte-Madison split, pretty much at the expense of any social life. Now he wants to marry and have kids (especially since his brother Rafe is happily married), but has no idea where to find a wife. He insists on becoming a client with matchmaker Lillian, and she insists on trying to fob him off. 5 out of his 6 planned dates are utterly disastrous. No #6 for him, oh no, not when Lillian considers Gabe somehow sabotages each and every date. She's retiring, she declares, to his irate disbelief. He follows her back to Eclipse Bay, intent on dogging her heels to make her fulfil her business obligation to him. To his horror she closes her office and takes up painting, for goodness sake. Watching this controlled, modern-day warrior lose his cool with sweet, feminine Lillian is breathtaking. The suspense sub-plot, the ongoing Harte-Madison feud and the entire cast of Eclipse Bay will continue to enchant.

I think I liked this one as much as I did the first stoyr. This is the story of Gabe and Lillian. As usual a Harte and a Madison don't usually mix well. But, in this case Lillian has been hired by Gabe due to her dating service. But, after more than the guaranteed dates and reupping Gabe still has not found his match. He has one data left and he is going to insist Lillian fufill her contract, much to her dismay as she has decided to close her business. They both wind up back in Eclipse Bay and the showdown starts. There are alot of the characters you have come to enjoy in this one such as Virgil and AZ...

I am having bad luck with audio books; in particular romance mysteries. The women just cant do a man's voice convincingly enough for me. This time she made Lillian sound like such a priss. Finally, got the book from the library, forgot the audio and had a great time with it. The first chapter is a howl. Gabe & Lillian are a tough couple to rate, so I just went along with the book. The premise was weak but, it's summer and I have decided to just read and enjoy. Not much time is invested and it is a nice addition to the trilogy. I would recommend the 'Naked in Death" unabridged audio; now there's a woman who can do all voices and make it work!

I have never laughed so hard in my life. At one point I actually had tears rolling... some of the stuff with AZ killed me but the wholehearted tears came from the camera shot... I will not ruin it for those who have not read but the whole red undies thing was hysterical. The sex was a bit weak... a lot of assumptions, which is fine but I think more then one sceen would have made the "clicking" of the characters a bit stronger. All in all though a good book I throughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Summer at Eclipse Bay next! I would recommend this book agian

In this book Mr. Reich uses a popular method of getting ahead in literary life: scribble away a bunch of russophobic babble and hope for the best. Did it work? Well, with jewels like "cut Russian's insides before he drops like a sack of potatoes" who could be in the miss?!? Did he call himself civilized?

Did Mr. Reich have to pay to get this smeared toilet paper published? Will never know as it's probably privileged information. Right, Mr. Accountant?

While he ceaselessly tries to be just a little more like DeMille, Clancy, and even Wolfe (almost entire passages copied out of The Bonfire), he ain't it. Escaped crazy Russkies on their own fighter jet? Is that his biggest masturbation fantasy, or is it the one about a sack of potatoes? Shed some light on this in your next one, - will definitely be a bestseller this time. Right.

I chose this book simply by spotting the spine while at the library. But once I got into it, it just seemed rather formulaic. Flashbacks occurred at predictable interviews. The major characters, at different times, all seemed to stop and look at themselves in the mirror. There just wasn't anything all that intriguing.

Actor and Audie Award finalist James Daniels gives a riveting performance of this globe spanning story propelled by rapid fire action and dark intrigue. His voice ably conveys toughness, compassion, and regret. He doesn't over-dramatize, allowing Reich's powerful words to carry listeners along.

As many know, Reich has earned an enviable reputation as a master of international intrigue. The First Billion, his third book, again mesmerizes with a tale of frightening possibilities.

Jett Gavalian is a former fighter pilot, having served in the Gulf War. What he saw there inspired him to begin Black Jet Securities, an international financial consulting firm. He intends to use his profits to help rather than harm, improve the possibilities for life on this planet. Jett made his first billion in jig time, and now he's working on the next by putting Mercury Broadband, a Russian media company, on the New York Stock Exchange.

However, he's soon made aware that the company may not be all he believed. Jeff sends his best friend, Grafton Byrnes, to Moscow to look into the situation, which appears murkier by the minute. There's not much time as Mercury Broadband is due to go up in a mere six days, and the future of Black Jet hinges on it. We hear: "The IPO, or initial public offering, of shares in the company was valued at two billion dollars, and nothing less than his firm's continued existence depended on what he discovered. A green light meant seventy million dollars in fees, a guarantee of fee-related business from Mercury down the road, and a rescue from impending insolvency."

What Grafton finds in Moscow is more terrifying than he or Jett could ever have imagined.

Just when we think Reich has pulled out all the stops and couldn't possibly have another trick up his author's sleeve, he galvanizes with the unexpected. Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

"The First Billion" is too long and slow-paced to be a truly effective thriller. Christopher Reich is a good writer, but he could really use a lesson in self-editing. He has a verbose writing style, and wastes page after page describing extraneous details that have little to no importance to the story.

This is one of those books you end up skimming, rather than really reading. I really wish this 600-page book had been more aggressively edited. This book could easily have been made at least 100-150 pages shorter without sacrificing much of the story. There is a subplot in this book involving the Alaska Pipeline that could have been completely eliminated, in my opinion.

This book also has some severe plot problems. The first 250-300 pages of this book are incredibly slow-paced and boring. Nothing major really happens in this book until about the midway point, when a mass murder takes place. After this murder takes place, the book picks up the pace dramatically and reads much more like a thriller.

My suspicion, however, is that most readers will give up on this book before reaching page 250. I came very close to doing so myself.

The book is further worsened by cardboard characters who are neither sympathetic nor believable. Almost all the major "good" characters are rich, good-looking and materialistic. The "hero" of the book is a 38-year old millionaire CEO who is trying to make more millions for his investment banking company. In the end, I didn't really care that much about him or how he ended up.

My advice is to skip this book. If you're looking for a good corporate thriller, read the books of Joseph Finder, which are much better written.

Christopher Reich always writes a page-turner in my opinion. In this book he keeps the reader on the edge of his seat to the end!
His novels center around international intrigue and his plots inform his readers about the many facets of "money-laundering", espionage and terrorism. He never leaves me disappointed.
Bea G.