Deep Storm: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Not a Deep Connection.

"It's all broken ..." (possible spoilers)

His Best Yet

Not nearly deep enough for me

Incredible Ride!

Deep Storm: A Novel
Lincoln Child
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385515502
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Book Description

Twelve-thousand feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean . . .
scientists are excavating the most extraordinary undersea discovery ever made. But is it the greatest archaeological find in history—or the most terrifying?

Former naval doctor Peter Crane is urgently summoned to a remote oil platform in the North Atlantic to help diagnose a bizarre medical condition spreading through the rig. But when he arrives, Crane learns that the real trouble lies far below—on “Deep Storm,” a stunningly advanced science research facility built two miles beneath the surface on the ocean floor. The topsecret structure has been designed for one purpose: to excavate a recently discovered undersea site that may hold the answers to a mystery steeped in centuries of myth and speculation.

Sworn to secrecy, Dr. Crane descends to Deep Storm. A year earlier, he is told, routine drilling uncovered the remains of mankind’s most sophisticated ancient civilization: the legendary Atlantis. But now that the site is being excavated, a series of disturbing illnesses has begun to affect the operation. Scientists and technicians are experiencing a bizarre array of symptoms—from simple fatigue to violent psychotic episodes. As Crane is indoctrinated into the strange world of Deep Storm and commences his investigation, he begins to suspect that the covert facility conceals something more complicated than a medical mystery.The discovery of Atlantis might, in fact, be a cover for something far more sinister . . . and deadly.

Like Lincoln Child’s spectacular bestsellers coauthored with Douglas Preston (The Book of the Dead, Relic), Deep Storm melds scientific detail and gripping adventure in a superbly imagined, chillingly real journey into unknown territory. Child is a master of suspense, and Deep Storm is his most ambitious novel to date.

Customer Reviews:

Not a Deep Connection........2007-10-09

I just finished reading "Deep Storm". It was okay, but not great.

There was a very...clinical element in the way the story was told. We never really find out any personal details about the characters. As a result, the story ends without the reader forming a substantial emotional bond with any of the characters.

While this doesn't prevent the story from being told, it could definitely have been told better. Adding personal details about the characters is just one way this could have been accomplished. Another missed opportunity was adding more details to those characters who said they were hearing voices. It would've been interesting to eavesdrop on those [Spoiler Warning!] voices/alien transmissions.

The book was a quick read, but unfortunately nothing that I would be motivated to read a second time.

"It's all broken ..." (possible spoilers).......2007-10-04

One of the more idiotic characters of the book keeps uttering this, and boy how right he was. There were a number of just plain holes in the plot. Here's a little one. A character who's role was to just be murdered sets up a meet with a bad guy at a gas station. He has the air compressor tire pump with him. He invites the bad guy into his car. He gets into the car and shuts the door. He *still* has the compressor hose in his hand. Did he thread it through the open window before getting into the car? Who knows? Somehow it ends up being long enough for his killer to take from him, jam down his throat, and turn on.

Here's another one. The bad guy later has to insert an encoded message into an image file. All he has to work with is a dumb terminal with no hard disk. So he writes a program and, uh, *compiles* it, then runs it. First, what dumb terminal is going to have a compiler? Second, if you compile a program you have to save it somewhere. Well where do you save it if you don't have a hard disk?

The book is full of little pieces of foolishness like this. For instance, 2 miles down in the ocean, there's a flash of light, and the ocean bottom is packed with all the funny looking denizens of the deep. If you're going to write a book you should know a little about the location of your main action. Like: the deep ocean isn't just packed full of funny looking fish.

Last one: all marines are violent robots who follow their evil overlord to death without individual thought ... especially the "special ops" ones.

Anyway I could go on, but you get the idea.

His Best Yet.......2007-09-13

This is Lincoln Child's best book yet! I have read every book by Child and his co-author Preston. Loved the imagination that went along with the story, you could almost feel yourself down at the ocean floor with all the characters. The ending, I hope, leaves room for a continuing novel.

Not nearly deep enough for me.......2007-09-12

An adventure unfolds in the deep sea several miles below an oilrig in the north Atlantic in Lincoln Child's Deep Storm, where a phalanx of scientists, doctors and marines in a massive seabed complex prepare to excavate a great discovery, perhaps the greatest discovery of all time, we are told.

And thus the adventure unfolds; it unfolds and unfolds and unfolds and yet, sadly, it never really arrives anywhere special; the author's attempts at any sort of real depth flounders despite his crisply written pages. Yes they are scribed with scalpel-sharp techno description, jam-packed with medical and science fact. But in all honestly, the wealth of research packed into the novel does nothing to develop the spirit of the main character, Peter Crane a navy doctor who's been dispatched to the undersea science complex to help solve the mystery of an outbreak of mysterious illnesses. In fact, none of the characters pop to life in Deep Storm.

The narrative leads Crane and the reader into first believing that Atlantis has been discovered, but that notion is soon dispelled when further investigation reveals that the top-secret mission is actually a dig for some alien technology buried some 600 years ago just inside the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, or "Moho" as it's called, the boundary between the earth's crust and mantle, which under the sea is not as deep as in other areas. It's still deep enough to be causing all sorts of problems and mishaps. For starters, the medical outbreak, (mental disorders mostly, which, for story purposes is quite lame) might be due to the depth or the alien technology or something else. Then there's a saboteur aboard (of course there is, it's one of the elements you need in every undersea tale). There's also a mystery involving some miniature alien technology that appears to be transmitting a binary code warning: do not dig here, danger to the solar system!

Throw into this mix a caricature naval commander hell bent on carrying out the mission at all costs even if it means losing every man and woman on board or, worse, blowing up the entire solar system. But in the end, Crane saves the moment. The earth and the solar system live to see another day. Although in the final page, Child's lays down yet one more spin on the tale: perhaps it isn't over after all. This is an okay read but it's clinical and dispassionate in style. If Crane's character had been built upon, if the author had tempered his urge to reveal all that he'd researched in favor of some heart and passion, if he'd penned it with his partner (Thunder Head, Preston and child, what a ride!) it could have been great. Into the Abyss

Incredible Ride! .......2007-08-11

Ok... so I started reading this and said "been there...done that" then suddenly the story started to morph and one of the wildest and most exciting rides I've been on for a quite a while unfolded! Great read! Well written! Lincoln's best since Utopia (which I also recommend!!)

The Vanished Man (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)

Average customer rating:

Deaver hits another homerun!
Tedious and not so magical a storyline
This guy doesn't know how to write a bad book
I tried to figure out the twists in this book before they happened, but as usual, I couldn't and neither will you.
avid deaver fan

The Vanished Man (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
Jeffery Deaver
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743437810
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Amazon.com

Presto! With a conjuror's flourish, the reliable Jeffery Deaver has pulled another winner out of his hat. The Vanished Man brings back Lincoln Rhyme, forensic investigator, and his sidekick Amelia Sachs, ex-model and beat cop, a team featured in four previous books. Their case begins with a murder in which the culprit, cornered in a locked room, seemingly vanishes into thin air. Rhyme soon realizes he's up against a master illusionist--and then acquires a conjuror of his own, a spunky apprentice magician, to advise him. The book is chock-a-block with magic lore and with details of the craft of illusion, which provide a fine complement to the engrossing forensic-science puzzles.

The characters, as usual with Deaver, are little more than cardboard cutouts. Even Rhyme himself, a brilliant quadriplegic and former head of NYPD forensics, seems more a collection of characteristics than a man. But Deaver's cutouts are sturdy and well-constructed, and the book's plotting and pacing--featuring twist upon twist and reversal upon reversal--are nothing short of dazzling, reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best. Deaver proves himself an accomplished illusionist, misdirecting your attention with one hand while slipping a firecracker down your pants with the other. --Nicholas H. Allison

Book Description

Forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme and his protégée Amelia Sachs are called in to work the high-profile investigation of a killer who seemingly disappeared into thin air just as the police closed in. As the homicidal illusionist baits them with grisly murders that grow more diabolical with each victim, Rhyme and Sachs must go behind the smoke and mirrors to prevent a horrific act of vengeance that could become the greatest vanishing act of all....

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It begins at a prestigious music school in New York City. A killer flees the scene of a homicide and locks himself in a classroom. Within minutes, the police have him surrounded. When a scream rings out, followed by a gunshot, they break down the door. The room is empty. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to help with the high-profile investigation. For the ambitious Sachs, solving the case could earn her a promotion. For the quadriplegic Rhyme, it means relying on his protegee to ferret out a master illusionist they've dubbed "the conjurer," who baits them with gruesome murders that become more diabolical with each fresh crime. As the fatalities rise and the minutes tick down, Rhyme and Sachs must move beyond the smoke and mirrors to prevent a terrifying act of vengeance that could become the greatest vanishing act of all.

Customer Reviews:

Deaver hits another homerun!.......2007-09-01

I am continually amazed by how knowledgable Deaver is about the main themes of his novels. Not just about criminology, but in this novel, illusion. The amount of research that goes into this book only enhances the enjoyment of the story.

The reader continually has the rug pulled out from him/her, which makes this a top notch thriller. This book is highly recommended.

Tedious and not so magical a storyline.......2007-08-05

I really do like Lincoln Rhyme stories by Jeffery Deaver. This one just went on too long and was hard to get into. Magic was at the heart of the storyline and sometimes descriptions were vivid and sometimes just clouded by confusion. I never really got into the story, I didn't care for the main character and then find that he wasn't the pivotal villain after all. I can't put my finger on why I didn't care for this novel, but, I know something isn't right when I don't want to add the book to my collection. I cherish books I have read, and even if I don't re-read them, I know that I can. This book will go to Goodwill and I hope the next book I read will get me back on the Lincoln Rhyme track of enthusiasm.

This guy doesn't know how to write a bad book.......2007-06-01

We already knew that Lincoln Rhyme, despite his physical disabilities, has an IQ of at least 300 and, well, he always gets his man - but in this case he really does seem to have found his match. The initial opening sequence - when our 'vanished man' does just that under seemingly impossible circumstances - sets the standard for the rest of the tale, one in which visual deception is the key trick in much the same way that a magician manipulates his audience into thinking that (for example) he has been sawn in half. We know it can't be possible, yet our eyes defy us to prove otherwise.

As with every other Deaver novel I have read (about 10 so far), the writing is consistently intelligent, there's barely a flaw in the descriptive text or the spoken word, the author always flatters his readers with just enough clues so as to leave us to work things out for ourselves and never makes the mistake (as many writers do) of adding condescending pulp to the main lines. He makes us think, he makes us work with Rhyme to work out the puzzles, as if we're one of his foot-soldiers (chief among these being Amelia Sachs of course). If there's a criticism to be made of The Vanished Man, it's that there could be at least one ending too many, and I wondered if Deaver was showing off his creative skills for the sake of out-doing others in his peer group.

I've read several Rhyme novels now, they're all good or very good, and, importantly, always unique in their own way (by comparison I'm finding Ian Rankin's 'Rebus' story lines slightly one-dimensional) and I'd say that for the moment, The Vanished Man is Deaver's best yet.

I tried to figure out the twists in this book before they happened, but as usual, I couldn't and neither will you........2007-04-02

No spoilers

As usual with Deaver's novels (especially the Rhyme series), I could not figure out or anticipate the plot twists he was about to spring on me, even though I tried to look for them. Although I'm one of the readers who considers Bone Collector the best of the series up to this point, all of the others haven't been too far behind that, and this one isn't either. The Vanished Man centers on an antagonist who uses magic and illusions to commit murders and then escape from those pursuing him. If you've like any of the previous Rhyme books then this one won't be different and you'll tear it up in no time, just like the rest of the books. This book is so different in terms of main subject than the previous books, yet it is similar in that it'll keep you glued to it. It's another solid Rhyme addition.

avid deaver fan.......2007-01-10

I love every jeffery deaver book i have read. I love the rhyme series. If you saw and enjoyed the movie "The Bone Collector" you will enjoy these books.

Average customer rating:

A must read!
Excellent Legal Thriller
Not his best, but still pretty good
Brand new model Perry Mason, factory equipped with a/c, ex-wives and angst
First Connelly book - excellent!

The Lincoln Lawyer: A Novel
Michael Connelly
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0316734934
Release Date: 2005-10-03

Amazon.com

Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller's father was a legendary lawyer whose clients included gangster Mickey Cohen (in a nice twist, Cohen's gun, given to Dad then bequeathed to his son, plays a key role in the plot). But Dad also passed on an important piece of advice that's especially relevant when Mickey takes the case of a wealthy Los Angeles realtor accused of attempted murder: "The scariest client a lawyer will ever have is an innocent client. Because if you [screw] up and he goes to prison, it'll scar you for life."

Louis Roulet, Mickey's "franchise client" (so-called becaue he's able and willing to pay whatever his defense costs) seems to be the one his father warned him against, as well as being a few rungs higher on the socio-economic ladder than the drug dealers, homeboys, and motorcycle thugs who comprise Mickey's regular case load. But as the holes in Roulet's story tear Mickey's theory of the case to shreds, his thoughts turn more to Jesus Menendez, a former client convicted of a similar crime who's now languishing in San Quentin. Connelly tellingly delineates the code of legal ethics Mickey lives by: "It didn't matter...whether the defendant 'did it' or not. What mattered was the evidence against him--the proof--and if and how it could be neutralized. My job was to bury the proof, to color the proof a shade of gray. Gray was the color of reasonable doubt." But by the time his client goes to trial, Mickey's feeling a few very reasonable doubts of his own.

While Mickey's courtroom pyrotechnics dazzle, his behind-the-scenes machinations and manipulations are even more incendiary in this taut, gripping novel, which showcases all of Connelly's literary gifts. There's not an excess sentence or padded paragraph in it--what there is, happily, is a character who, like Harry Bosch, deserves a franchise series of his own. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Best-selling author Michael Connelly, whose character-driven literary mysteries have earned him a wide following, breaks from the gate in the over-crowded field of legal thrillers and leaves every other contender from Grisham to Turow in the dust with this tightly plotted, brilliantly paced, impossible-to-put-down novel.Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller's father was a legendary lawyer whose clients included gangster Mickey Cohen (in a nice twist, Cohen's gun, given to Dad then bequeathed to his son, plays a key role in the plot). But Dad also passed on an important piece of advice that's especially relevant when Mickey takes the case of a wealthy Los Angeles realtor accused of attempted murder:"The scariest client a lawyer will ever have is an innocent client. Because if you [screw] up and he goes to prison, it'll scar you for life."Louis Roulet, Mickey's "franchise client" (so-called becaue he's able and willing to pay whatever his defense costs) seems to be the one his father warned him against, as well as being a few rungs higher on the socio-economic ladder than the drug dealers, homeboys, and motorcycle thugs who comprise Mickey's regular case load. But as the holes in Roulet's story tear Mickey's theory of the case to shreds, his thoughts turn more to Jesus Menendez, a former client convicted of a similar crime who's now languishing in San Quentin. Connelly tellingly delineates the code of legal ethics Mickey lives by: "It didn't matter...whether the defendant 'did it' or not. What mattered was the evidence against him--the proof--and if and how it could be neutralized. My job was to bury the proof, to color the proof a shade of gray. Gray was the color of reasonable doubt." But by the time his client goes to trial, Mickey's feeling a few very reasonable doubts of his own. While Mickey's courtroom pyrotechnics dazzle, his behind-the-scenes machinations and manipulations are even more incendiary in this taut, gripping novel, which showcases all of Connelly's literary gifts. There's not an excess sentence or padded paragraph in it--what there is, happily, is a character who, like Harry Bosch, deserves a franchise series of his own. --Jane Adams

Customer Reviews:

A must read!.......2007-09-18

This book was EXCELLENT. It kept me interested from beginning to end; you will not want to put it down. All the characters played excellent roles in the book; you know exactly what their purpose is for without any confusion. This is my 1st Michael Connelly book, and I am so impressed that I will continue to read more of his books. The twist, suspense, everything keeps you wanting to read more.

Excellent Legal Thriller.......2007-08-22

This was my first Michael Connelly book to read and I was very impressed. The first half of the book starts out a little slow building the facts of the case, but the second half of the book is where all the twists are. The book definitely gives you insight into criminal defense strategy and how the "system" works.

Definitely an entertaining read. I would highly recommend this book. I reserve 5 stars for only the most outstanding books.

Not his best, but still pretty good.......2007-08-03

I've enjoyed Michael Connelly since he wrote the early Harry Bosch stuff, Black Echo and Black Ice and so forth. I especially like some of the later Bosch books, and The Poet and Blood Work are among my favorite detective novels of the last 20 years or so. Sometimes I think his off-Bosch stuff only sort of works (Void Moon was only OK, Chasing the dime more mediocre) but generally I'm happy with one of his books. The Lincoln Lawyer falls into this category, not as bad as Chasing the Dime, probably about on the level of Void Moon and maybe a bit above it.

So the main character here is a bit different, and so is the plot. In this case we have Mickey Haller, a somewhat sleazy lawyer (what they used to call an ambulance chaser). He bought four Lincoln town cars so he could get the fleet rate, and uses them until they have 60,000 miles on them, then sells them to a friend. He has a driver, a former client who's working off his fee by driving for Haller, and his "case manager" is an ex-wife. The other ex is a prosecutor.

So we start the book and he's called to defend a Beverly Hills real estate salesman who's something of a playboy, and who's been accused of attempted rape. Haller is desperate for the case, thinking that it will be a "franchise", a case that goes on for a long time and will result in large fees for him. When things go wrong and someone close to Haller is killed in the course of the investigation, he has to figure a lawyer's way out of the predicament he's gotten himself into. The result is amusing, to say the least.

As I said, I enjoy Michael Connelly a lot, and while this isn't a Bosch book, it's pretty good, and fun. I recommend it.

Brand new model Perry Mason, factory equipped with a/c, ex-wives and angst.......2007-06-21

I have just skimmed through the previous 250(!) Amazon reviews. The great majority of them are extremely well-disposed toward this book--as am I--and most more than adequately set out both the main characters and the mainspring of the plot. I see no reason to repeat any of that in this 251st kick at the can.

It did, however, strike me as worth observing that as this is a book about a lawyer and as many of its scenes take place in a courtroom, the reviewers have made references to and comparisons with the works of contemporary literary legal eagles, such as John Grisham. No reviewer, so far as I noticed, seems to have hit on what appears to me to be a far more obvious model.

Throughout the book, author Michael Connelly follows normal current practice by allowing us to know the thoughts, plans, schemes, frustrations and short-comings of his lawyer hero, Mickey Haller. If, however, a reader subtracts Connelly's internalized dialogue and commentary from the book--thus cutting its length by half and increasing its narrative speed exponentially, "The Lincoln Lawyer" is transformed into a latter day Perry Mason novel. The very same core characters are there, albeit under different names: a dazzling, if sometimes taciturn master of courtroom wizardry; an adoring secretary/assistant, Mason's Della Street; an adversarial police investigator, Mason's Lieutenant Tragg; an on-call private detective, whose name in the Mason books eludes me for the moment; and most especially, a foredoomed but ever-game DA, Mason's Hamilton Burger. The relationships of the characters in Connelly's tale are virtually identical with those of Perry Mason's merry band.

Erle Stanley Gardner was utterly indifferent to such narrative go-slow zones as back-stories or internalized agonizing. He told us nothing about Mason's personal life, save that there was SOMETHING going on between him and Della Street and that for some reason he could not or would not formalize the relationship. We never heard of Mason's doubts or of his insecurities, nor were we shown his lapses from probity or other failings. Gardner quite intentionally showed us no more than Perry Mason's game face.

Here, in Michael Connelly's book, his lawyer's game face is so similar to Mason's that he might have bought it at the sale of the old-time mouthpiece's estate.

Now, before someone rises up to pounce, I admit that there are certainly differences between the books about the two lawyers. Connelly's characters, for example, pointedly lack the near-immunity from physical harm possessed by the continuing denizens of the Mason stories. Nevertheless, I maintain that the overall similarities are far greater than the differences.

I look forward to future battles between Connelly's updated, Mason-like defense attorney, Haller, and that ADA whose nose he figuratively bloodied in this book. (And maybe next time, Haller will even be able to convince a villain to confess on the witness stand!)

Four stars.

First Connelly book - excellent!.......2007-06-20

I always love a good thriller, mystery, lawyer "story" where the end really does surprise me. I thought this was a great read and I would also pick up more Haller stories.

Average customer rating:

Historical Fiction at Its Finest
bravo!
4 score and 5 stars ago...
A Novel of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln

Lincoln: A Novel
Gore Vidal
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0394528956
Release Date: 1984-05-12

Amazon.com

Lincoln is a masterwork of historical fiction, in which Gore Vidal combines a comprehensive knowledge of Civil War America with 20th-century literary technique, probing the minds and motives of the men surrounding Abraham Lincoln, including personal secretary John Hay and scheming cabinet members William Seward and Salmon P. Chase, as well as his wife, Mary Todd. It is a book monumental in scope that never loses sight of the intimate and personal in its depiction of the power struggles that accompanied Lincoln's efforts to preserve the Union at all costs--efforts in which the eradication of slavery was far from the president's main objective. As usual, there's plenty of room for Vidal's wickedly humorous deflation of American icons, including a comic interlude in a Washington bordello in which Lincoln's former law partner informs Hay that Lincoln had contracted syphilis as a young man and had, just before marrying Mary Todd, suffered what can only be described as a nervous breakdown. (Protestors should note that Vidal is only passing along what that former partner had written in his own biography of Lincoln.) Don't be intimidated by the size of Lincoln; if you like historical fiction, you should read this book at the first opportunity. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

"The portrait is reasoned, judicious, straightforward and utterly convincing."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
In this profoundly moving work of epic proportion and intense human sympathy, Abraham Lincoln is observed by his loved ones, his rivals, and his future assassins. In this brilliantly realized, vividly imagined work of fiction, Gore Vidal gives us a portrait of America's great president that is at once intimate and public, stark and complex, and that will become for future generations the living Lincoln, the definitive Lincoln.
"Richly entertaining....For the general reader the elegant explication of the issues of the day gives hearty satisfaction: history lessons with the blood still hot."
THE WASHINGTON POST

Customer Reviews:

Historical Fiction at Its Finest .......2007-05-28

Gore Vidal's 'Lincoln' immerses the reader in Civil War Washington with rich detail. Vidal introduces few fictional characters and hews close to the known historical record in brilliantly recreating actions and conversations. Lincoln emerges as a master political strategist who invites his chief adversaries into his Administration and then lulls them into thinking they and not he are the real powers. By the time Lincoln acheives near complete power, Chase and Seward are unsure just how it happened.

By the end, this reader more pitied than despised Mary Todd Lincoln, but felt both emotions in full towards Lincoln's vicious and insane wife. Salmon Chase comes in for a richly deserved measure of disrepute with his incessant political ambitions. Lesser known characters such William Sprague and 'Chevalier' Henry Wikoff add color and dishonor. The examination of Lincoln's second secretary, John Hay, is fascinating and enlightening.

Vidal inserts several rebels into the story, including a glory-hound named David Herold. These characters are real, but little is known about them and it shows. A reduced role for these characters would have mercifully shortened the extraordinary length of the book.

Vidal controversially has Lincoln continuing to advocate the colonization of freed slaves right up until the day of his assassination. My understanding of the generally accepted view is that Lincoln had long since abadnoned colonization as a viable policy.

Vidal's 'Lincoln' is historical fiction at its finest - entertaining and elucidating. Highly recommended.

bravo!.......2007-01-25

Mr. Vidal has written an elegant story about one of the most troubling times in our nations history. As seen through the eyes of our greatest president, his cabinet and the people around him this book pulls you in and grabs you by the coattails. What is actual fact and what comes from Mr Vidals imagination? Every action, every word seems authentic and keeping in line with what we expect from the characters. A beautiful book, you feel as if you are right there seeing for yourself firsthand, the birth of a nation from grandiose ideas about democracy and union to a reality.

4 score and 5 stars ago..........2007-01-25

It is a book about Lincoln; the book was delivered on time and it was clean and just what we needed!

A Novel of Abraham Lincoln.......2007-01-09

In his 1984 historical novel "Lincoln", Gore Vidal has written with great insight about our sixteenth president, his cabinet, his family, his enemies, and the Civil War Era. Lengthy though the book is, the writing is crisp and eloquent. It held my attention throughout. The book is part of a series of novels by Vidal exploring the history of the United States.

In writing historical novels, it is difficult to tell where fact ends and fiction begins. This is particularly the case in dealing with a complex figure such as Lincoln whose life and political legacy remain controversial and subject to many interpretations. Controversial matters that Vidal addresses in his novel include Lincoln's attitude towards African-Americans and the Reconstruction policy that Lincoln might have pursued if he had lived. Vidal's book shows careful study of Lincoln's life and the Civil War era. He uses the resources uniquely available to the novelist to good advantage by probing the thought processes and feelings of his characters where historical evidence is lacking. I found the portrait of Lincoln compelling, but it is important to remember that Vidal is writing a novel.

Vidal's book begins as the President-elect arrives secretly in Washington, D.C. a few days before his inaugaration to thwart a feared assassination attempt in Baltimore. In the course of the novel, passages of recollection by various characters, reliable and unreliable, cast some light on Lincoln's earlier life. The book moves carefully and slowly, with a great deal of attention given, and properly so, to the earlier period of Lincoln's presidency. Much attention is given to Washington, D.C. at the outset of Lincoln's administration, to attempts to avert the war, to Lincoln's formation of his cabinet, and to preparing the nation for what proved to be a long bloody struggle. The pace of the book picks up as it proceeds through Lincoln's first term and reelection, the end of the Civil War, and the assassination.

The picture of Abraham Lincoln that emerges from Vidal is of a man of great intellect, ambition and will, determined to save the Union at all costs. Vidal portrays Lincoln's overriding dedication to the Union. In order to preserve the Union, Lincoln uses extraordinary and even ruthless political skills. Thus, Vidal's novel considers extensively Lincoln's relationship with his cabinet. Vidal shows Lincoln choosing a cabinet from among his political rivals for the presidency, as well as from loyalist democrats, in order to be all-inclusive in the war effort. Lincoln deals with uncanny skill with potential rivals for the presidency, especially Secretary of State Seward and Secretary of the Treasury Chase. (A recent historical study, "Team of Rivals" by Doris Goodwin also treats Lincoln's relationship to his cabinet at length.) The book also shows Lincoln dealing with similar finesse and force with the Radical Republicans in Congress, with Chief Justice Taney on the Supreme Court, and with his military leaders.

Vidal tells his story through a variety of perspectives. Most of the time, the viewpoint is that of John Hay, one of Lincoln's two secretaries, who had detailed and close access to Lincoln throughout the presidency. Hay and Lincoln's other secretary, Nicholay, together wrote one of the earliest biographies of Lincoln. Vidal also gives the reader a large portrait of the many southern conspirators against Lincoln. In particular Vidal develops the character of a young man named David Herrold, with uncertain purpose in life, who ultimately becomes part of the Booth conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase and his ambitious daughter Kate also receive a large share of attention in Vidal's novel.

For all the attention lavished on him, Lincoln as a man remains an enigma. Lincoln largely kept his own counsel and was not demonstrative in showing his feelings. Thus fleshing-out Lincoln's character offers the novelist a great deal of latitude, and Vidal makes the most of it. His novel focuses on Lincoln's difficult relationship with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, as she spends lavishly, engages herself in political intrigue, and descends to near-madness. The Lincolns endured the death of their young son Willie during the presidency. Vidal properly gives substantial attention to Lincoln's religious views, which became increasing theistic with the prolongation of the Civil War, but never Christian.

Although Gore clearly admires Lincoln and his fortitude in saving the Union, he emphasizes that Lincoln's success came at a high price over and above the loss of blood and treasure in a long bitter war. With his suspension of habeas corpus and supression of dissent, Lincoln expanded forever the power of the Presidency. The war effort changed the character of the United States from an agrarian republic to a centralized, industrial nation. At the end of the book, Vidal puts his own misgivings into the words of John Hay, stationed in France after the assassination.. Hay remarks that "Lincoln, in some mysterious fashion, had willed his own murder as a form of atonement for the great and terrible thing that he had done by giving so bloody and absolute a rebirth to his nation." (p. 657)

"Lincoln" is a thoughtful and moving book for those readers wanting to think about the ideals and political processes of the United States and about Lincoln's role in their continuing development.

Robin Friedman

Lincoln.......2006-11-09

ISBN 034531221x A very well-written book, and far more readable than the size of it might make you think, I found one problem running throughout the book - the lack of dates. Although Vidal periodically mentions a specific date, the lack of them makes for a somewhat odd effect: the war, and Lincoln's political career, seem to last a very short time.

That aside, a wonderfully different look at a Presidency that changed the U.S. forever. Despite the fact that Lincoln never intended to free the slaves, and having done so, didn't want them living in the same country as the white population, his role as hero has always detracted from his human-ness. This book gives that back to him, and to the reader.

Mary's rather loose grip on sanity is almost played for laughs at times, which is a little sad. Other than that, it's hard to find one true bad guy in the book - a reflection of real life that was nice to find in a book that, in the end, is a work of fiction. Unless you're willing to do a great deal of research to verify everything in it, I wouldn't read this as anything OTHER than a historical fiction.

Average customer rating:

Entertaining Lincoln Rhyme and crew mystery
Entertaining Read
My Second Favorite Lincoln Rhyme Novel
Great Writer
Another great Rhyme novel

The Cold Moon: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel
Jeffery Deaver
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743260937
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Book Description

On a freezing December night, with a full moon hovering in the black sky over New York City, two people are brutally murdered -- the death scenes marked by eerie, matching calling cards: moon-faced clocks inves-tigators fear ticked away the victims' last moments on earth. Renowned criminologist Lincoln Rhyme immediately identifies the clock distributor and has the chilling realization that the killer -- who has dubbed himself the Watchmaker -- has more murders planned in the hours to come.

Rhyme, a quadriplegic long confined to his wheelchair, immediately taps his trusted partner and longtime love, Amelia Sachs, to walk the grid and be his eyes and ears on the street. But Sachs has other commitments now -- namely, her first assignment as lead detective on a homicide of her own. As she struggles to balance her pursuit of the infuriatingly elusive Watchmaker with her own case, Sachs unearths shocking revelations about the police force that threaten to undermine her career, her sense of self and her relationship with Rhyme. As the Rhyme-Sachs team shows evi-dence of fissures, the Watchmaker is methodically stalking his victims and planning a diabolical criminal masterwork.... Indeed, the Watchmaker may be the most cunning and mesmerizing villain Rhyme and Sachs have ever encountered.

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining Lincoln Rhyme and crew mystery.......2007-10-05

This is a terrifically told story that intertwines several cases, some of which eventually combine. The reader can't get too savvy thinking they know the results of all this action. Jeffery Deaver's character, Lincoln Rhyme, and his group of expert detectives and forensic professionals give us a tale of intrigue involving the Watchmaker. This character is so good at fooling experts that even Rhyme's team is stumped.

Amelia Sachs is Rhyme's "partner" for want of another descriptive word. She is an expert in police work but has interest in Rhyme also. For those of you that are not used to Lincoln Rhyme, he is a quadriplegic in a wheelchair with virtually no feeling in his extremities but his brain is so far superior to most others that the police have kept him on the job for years after his disability.

The Watchmaker is cunning. He appears to be killing people while leaving a clock at the scene of the murder, but little else in the way of clues to anything. He picks and chooses his victims in a way no one can figure, even the partner he has met to assist him in these murders. The partner then gets to sodomize the body after its death, unless something goes wrong with the crime scene and escape must be immediate.

Tie all of this in with a hint of police corruption, another murder that Sachs has taken upon herself to solve, and normal goings on in a huge city like New York, and you have REAL puzzles to work on. The cunningness of The Watchmaker will make you cringe as you read while he stalks his next victim and how he is going to kill them, yet appearing to make them stay alive as long as possible. His partner in crime is not a very smart helper, slipping up on things he would do to throw the evidence other than where The Watchmaker wanted it to go. No matter since The Watchmaker could arrange anything the way he wanted it no matter how many slip ups his partner made.

This book is long but never once did it slow down and lose my attention. I have always enjoyed Jeffery Deaver's books and The Cold Moon is no exception. If anything is different from his other books it would be the way he has spun so many stories into this one and yet managed to connect most of them together. Thank you Jeffery Deaver.

Entertaining Read.......2007-09-03

I'm a Jeffery Deaver fan and have read most of his novels featuring Lincoln Rhyme. The Cold Moon is right up there with his previous works -- the story was entertaining and kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the twists, but perhaps the reader would be better served if there weren't so many. Too many twists and the storyline becomes somewhat confusing, believability gets stretched too thin, and the reader becomes overly conditioned to wait for the next big surprise to occur. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story which had an interesting plot and featured the typical brilliantly devious criminal. The new character introductions were strong, as was the further development of previously introduced characters. I recommend this book as well as The Stone Monkey, which is my favorite Deaver effort.

My Second Favorite Lincoln Rhyme Novel.......2007-08-20

Of all of Jeffery Deaver's novels, "The Bone Collector" was my favorite. Now, though, "The Cold Moon" is coming in a close second. This book keeps you guessing throughout and certainly qualifies as a page-turner.

Great Writer.......2007-07-30

I'm a big fan of mystery/crime writers and Deaver is one of the best. If you can figure the ending on this one, you should write a book.

Another great Rhyme novel.......2007-07-29

Jeffrey Deaver has done it again. A multi-layered story with a number of surprising twists and turns, and some sly nods back to earlier works. Flew threw it in a day--great read, definitely not to be missed.

Average customer rating:

Reviled Mary Lincoln pleads her case...
Would the real Mary stand up please
My first Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary: A Novel
Looks more promising than it is

Mary: A Novel
Janis Cooke Newman
Manufacturer: MacAdam Cage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 193156163X
Release Date: 2006-09-11

Amazon.com

Mary is a novel written in the first person, comprised of notes composed by Mary Todd Lincoln when she was an inmate of a lunatic asylum. She takes up her pen to block out the screams and moans of the other inmates and to save her own sanity. According to these notes, although she held séances in the White House and drove her family deeply into debt because of compulsive shopping, she was perfectly sane. She makes a good case for herself, despite occasional manic behavior and often uncontrollable grief.

Mary was born to southern slaveholders in Kentucky, moved to Illinois when she was 20 to live with her sister and met Abe at a cotillion. His opening line was "Miss Todd, I want to dance with you the worst way." Their relationship was odd, to say the least. Lincoln, as portrayed by Janis Cooke Newman, was sexually repressed and feared Mary's passion. She was in an almost constant state of trying to seduce him, usually without success. Despite his gawky, angular, unlovely looks, she adored him--even when she had an affair with another to defuse some of her heat. How much of the bedroom scene is fact and how much fancy must be left to the reader to decide, but it does give credence to Mary's very forward manner and her later "passionate" approach to shopping.

She used her shopping expeditions to accumulate things that would "protect" her family--and finally herself, when she felt her son Robert's growing disapproval of her. In his statement to the "insanity" lawyer, Robert said, "I have no doubt my mother is insane. She has long been a source of great anxiety to me. She has no home and no reason to make these purchases." Mary saw them as talismans against disaster, and she certainly had suffered disasters in abundance. She buried three sons and was holding her husband's hand when he was assassinated by a bullet to the head. Her eldest son, Robert, was a cold, unfeeling, haughty shell of a man to whom Mary did not speak after she was released from the asylum to her sister's care. She spent four years in Europe and, when her health failed, returned to her sister's house, where she received her son once before she died.

"First Lady" is a term that was coined to describe Mary Todd Lincoln, while she was the President's wife. It was meant as a backhanded compliment, because she was front and center during much of Lincoln's term. Presidential wives usually stuck to their knitting, but not Mary. Her unconventional ways did her husband a great deal of good; indeed, it was her ambition for him that finally ignited his own ambition. She also helped him to become a great orator. Ultimately, her "unsexed" manner contributed to her being judged insane in 1865 and committed to Bellevue Place, an asylum in Batavia, Illinois, outside Chicago. No President has been more praised nor any first lady more vilified than Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Janis Cooke Newman brings a time, a place and a person to life in a wholly believable and compelling manner. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

An engrossing novel about Mary Todd Lincoln – one of history’s most misunderstood and enigmatic women.

Writing from Bellevue asylum — where the shrieks of the other inmates keep her awake at night — a famous widow can finally share the story of her life in her own words. From her tempestuous childhood in a slaveholding Southern family through the opium-clouded years after her husband’s death, we are let into the inner, intimate world of this brave and fascinating woman.

Intelligent, unconventional–and, some thought, mad–she held spiritualist séances in the White House, ran her family into debt with compulsive shopping, negotiated with conniving politicians, and raised her young sons in the nation’s capital during the bloodiest war this country has ever known. She was also a political strategist, a comfort to wounded soldiers, a supporter of emancipation, the first to be called First Lady, and a wife and mother who survived the loss of three children and the assassination of her beloved husband.

Interwoven with her memories of the past, she describes life in the asylum, where the treatment for lunacy is bland food, cold baths, and the near-lethal doses of chloral hydrate. It is here where we meet her friends, the anorectic Minnie Judd, who is starving herself to win the affection of her beautiful husband; and to Myra Bradwell, the suffragist lawyer who helps her win her freedom.

A dramatic tale filled with passion and depression, poverty and ridicule, infidelity and redemption, this is the unforgettable story of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Customer Reviews:

Reviled Mary Lincoln pleads her case..........2007-08-28

Mary Lincoln has always been portrayed in movies (once by a frantically emoting Mary Tyler Moore) and historical novels (ie, Gore Vidal's Lincoln)as a migraine-plagued hysteric. In Cooke Newman's hands she is all of that, yes, but, more than that, Mary Lincoln becomes human. Granted, Mary here is presented as a shopaholic rivaling Andy Warhol, but, having to deal with Abe's own fits of catatonic melancholia as well as the death of 3 of her 4 children, she has to have some outlet for her frustration, doesn't she? And Robert, her only son to survive to adulthood, is anything but doting on his widowed mother. In fact he has Mary committed to Belleview Sanitarium outside Chicago largely due to her free thinking/shopaholic ways; Robert is almost a villain out of Dickens here, so cold and withdrawn is he toward his mother's plight. Only near the end of Mary's personal account of the events of her life up to and during her incarceration at Belleview, does the reader begin to see that maybe he was justified; as free thinking and liberated as Mary may be, years of massive doses of chloral hydrate and laudanum begin to take their toll. Added to her drug addiction is a rabid loneliness which draws her into the cloudy world of the seance in order to communicate in whatever way possible with her dearly departed: Eddie, Willy, Abe, and, finally, Tad. What emerges is a woman chased by demons no one around her is able to comprehend. Apparently laudanum (an opiate) was prescribed like aspirin in the second half of the 19th Century to cure everything from migraines to grief. Today Mary would be offered some counseling or a support group as a way of dealing with loss and disappointment, not drugged and left to her own devices as she is here. At over 700 pages, the novel is massive, but I could have read on and on, so engaging was Cooke Newman's work. She has done a beautiful job breathing new life into the saga of Mary Lincoln.

Would the real Mary stand up please.......2007-04-29

This work of historical fiction by Janis Cooke Newman is both long and intense Written as if Mary were writing it herself, it is a two-fold disucssion of Mary Lincoln's life. Newman's fictional character tells of her time in an asylum (put there by her son, robert) while revewing her life with Abrahma Lincoln and their sons. This presensts a sensual side of Mary not found in the history books and explores her sorrows over the death of three of her four children. It is a fascinating read and the reader is tempted to forget that it is fiction, but it is--and good fiction at that.

My first Mary Todd Lincoln.......2007-04-22

I Loved this book! As a reader of anything Abraham Lincoln, my daughter bought this book for me as a gift and I just got around to reading it. Historical Fiction at its finest! I felt while reading this novel as if I were living with Mary and will be reading more books about her. As a reader of social issues, womens studies etc. (and anything A.Lincoln) this novel was dead on regarding the "female condition" for women's lives during Mary's time. If you enjoy reading about womens studies, social history, civil war or just a good read, Buy this book!

Mary: A Novel.......2007-03-09

I haven't finished the book, but am enjoying it so far. Both for the language & Mary's sense of humor !!

Looks more promising than it is.......2007-02-15

As a few other reviewers have noted, Newman takes some liberties with documented historical fact. This is the purvue of historical novelists. However, for anyone even remotely familiar with the Lincolns, a few things seem jarringly out of place: for instance, the Springfield residence that Newman's Mary describes as "a small cottage" and a "little ramshackle house" is in fact QUITE a nice home, even by 21st century standards; it is preserved with the original furnishings (or period reproductions) which take away credibility from Newman's portrayal of Abe and Mary as a poor, struggling couple. Sure, a historical novelist can change this (or anything else she wants), but...why?? It leads the reader to a false view of the subject's life. Robert Todd Lincoln is portrayed here as a one-dimensional villain, a cruel Snidely Whiplash-type who you picture twirling the ends of his moustache. We are asked to believe that he was coldhearted and rejected his mother's affections literally from infancy, oppressed her into female submissiveness as a child with cold commands like "you should be fixing supper." There's no development of his--or anyone's--character from the beginning to the end of this very long book.

I also realize this is not a book about Abraham Lincoln, but I was disappointed with Newman's very shadowy, sketchy depiction of the man we all (reasonably) want to take center stage at least for a little while. You barely notice him. My biggest laugh-out-loud moment comes when Mary urges Abe to sign the Emancipation Proclamation with words, "You cannot always consider politics." Unless you are the President of the United States during a civil war, that is. (The EP was the most politic thing he could have done at the time--it gave every black man in America a reason to enlist and fight for the Union at a time when they were short of troops.)

I was hoping to see glittering descriptions of teas and banquets and dinners, meetings with famous people and so forth. There's very little of that; the descriptions of the War Between the States read like they were copied straight out of textbooks. The scenes set at Bellevue Sanitarium are very well-written, and the lengthy descriptions of Mary's grief are believable and vivid...Newman makes you feel for her. But for no one else. Oerall, this fictional autobiography is as one-sided as anything written by MTL's detractors.

The Stone Monkey (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)

Average customer rating:

Topical, intelligent and good reading
Yet another solild entry in the Rhyme saga.
An endless series of turns of events
My first Rhyme novel
Reasonably good entry in L. Rhyme series, with good NY Chinatown info!

The Stone Monkey (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
Jeffery Deaver
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743221990
Release Date: 2002-03-12

Amazon.com

When a vicious smuggler known as the Ghost scuttles a ship filled with undocumented Chinese immigrants less than a mile from New York harbor, only a handful of survivors--and the Ghost himself--manage to escape the burning vessel. Lincoln Rhyme, the quadriplegic NYPD forensic detective first introduced in 1997's The Bone Collector, and Amelia Sachs, his partner and lover, must stop the Ghost before he murders the two families who made it to shore. The families have gone to ground in the all but impenetrable world of Manhattan's Chinatown, a fact that makes the pair's two allies--Sonny Li, a Chinese cop, and Dr. John Sung-- invaluable partners.

The group's race against time showcases Jeffery Deaver's many talents, particularly intricate plotting, plenty of surprising twists, and breakneck pacing. This is a real standout from a writer whose previous thrillers have earned him a solid following among mystery fans. --Jane Adams

Book Description

LINCOLN RHYME RETURNS! First introduced in the spine-chilling novel The Bone Collector, Lincoln Rhyme dazzled readers with unparalleled forensic sleuthing -- all done from the confines of a wheelchair. A famed criminologist, paralyzed from the neck down, Rhyme compensates for his physical disability with his brains -- and the arms and legs of his brilliant and beautiful protégée, Amelia Sachs. It is Amelia who "walks the grid" for Rhyme, acting as his eyes and ears for the famously dangerous and difficult cases chronicled in Jeffery Deaver's bestselling novels The Bone Collector, The Coffin Dancer, and The Empty Chair.

Now the awe-inspiring duo returns in The Stone Monkey. Recruited to help the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service perform the nearly impossible, Lincoln and Amelia manage to track down a cargo ship headed for New York City and carrying two dozen illegal Chinese immigrants, as well as the notorious human smuggler and killer known as "the Ghost." But when the Ghost's capture goes disastrously wrong, Lincoln and Amelia find themselves in a race against time: to stop the Ghost before he can track down and murder the two surviving families who have escaped from the ship and vanished deep into the labyrinthine world of New York City's Chinatown.

Over the next harrowing forty-eight hours, the Ghost brilliantly and ruthlessly hunts for the families, while Rhyme, aided by a quirky policeman from mainland China, struggles to find them before they die, and Amelia Sachs pursues a very different kind of police work -- forming a connection with one of the immigrants that may have consequences going to the core of her relationship with her partner and lover, Lincoln Rhyme.

The Stone Monkey abounds with Deaver's famous trademarks: wholly unexpected plot twists, breakneck pacing, and characters who are heartbreakingly real, reminding us once again why People hailed him as "the master of ticking-bomb suspense" and Publishers Weekly called him the "most clever plotter on the planet."

Download Description

Lincoln Rhyme returns! First introduced in the spine-chilling novel The Bone Collector, Lincoln Rhyme dazzled readers with unparalleled forensic sleuthing -- all done from the confines of a wheelchair. A famed criminologist, paralyzed from the neck down, Rhyme compensates for his physical disability with his brains -- and the arms and legs of his brilliant and beautiful protÃƒÂ©gÃƒÂ©e, Amelia Sachs. It is Amelia who "walks the grid" for Rhyme, acting as his eyes and ears for the famously dangerous and difficult cases chronicled in Jeffery Deaver's bestselling novels The Bone Collector, The Coffin Dancer, and The Empty Chair.

Customer Reviews:

Topical, intelligent and good reading.......2007-06-01

Jeffery Deaver's popular duo of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back again, as they did in The Bone Collector, The Empty Chair, The Coffin Dancer, and (after The Stone Monkey) The Vanished Man - which for me is just, just the best of the bunch. They are all good, and Deaver has created an enigmatic character in the immobile Lincoln Rhyme who, grumpy though he is, always displays such a lucidity of mind and exceptional talent for forensics that all other characters in the book pale into insignificance. He's human though, he has failings, but we always forgive him because we know that despite his intense frustrations (brought about by his almost absolute physical disability) he is a man of integrity and sound judgement. In The Stone Monkey he is on the trail of a 'Snakehead', a Chinese man who exploits the desperations of those in his home country and who seek a better life in The Beautiful Country (is New York beautiful?). The Snakehead, aka Ghost, is a pretty nasty piece of work and his identity is cleverly hidden throught most of this story although I have to confess that, for once, I got it right and quite early on. It didn't spoil a thing though, the book gave me new insights into the pain and politics behind human trafficking, and once again I can give a Deaver novel the thumbs-up and a strong recommendation. By the way, there's more to Deaver than the Rhyme/Sachs series - try Twisted (a series of short stories) and The Blue Nowhere for starters.

Yet another solild entry in the Rhyme saga........2007-03-30

No spoilers

The Stone Monkey is yet another blazing and captivating read by Deaver staring Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs that has plot twists throughout it that I promise you won't see coming. I won't summarize the plot, but I will say that seeing as how this is the fourth book in the Rhyme series, I doubt anyone reading this is new to Rhyme, so having said that, if you've read the previous three books and liked them, read this now. While I wouldn't say this is the best book out of the first four (it lacked the "wow" surprise factor that the others had throughout the book), it's still a great and fun book. If you haven't read Deaver before, stop reading this review and go look up and buy The Bone Collector, the first book of this series

Bottom line: another fun and informative read that a Deaver fan will demolish is minimal sittings.

An endless series of turns of events .......2007-01-05

Another riveting thriller featuring forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme and partner and lover Amelia Sachs, with the latter showing a hint of interest for a soothing-voiced chinese doctor who is not who he pretends he is...

My first Rhyme novel.......2005-07-29

This is the first book I read by Jeffery Deaver. It was hard at first to visualize the condition Lincoln is in pertaining to the wheel chair and his disability. After a while I did not think about his disability, but how his mind worked to solve the crime. He works well with Amelia and the story intrigued me until the end. I have since read five more of Deaver's books.

Reasonably good entry in L. Rhyme series, with good NY Chinatown info!.......2005-07-05

"Stone Monkey" (named after a good luck amulet worn by the story's Chinese doctor) is Deaver's fourth in the NYPD Forensic Expert (and quadriplegic) Lincoln Rhyme series. In this one, he and "leg-man" Amelia Sachs are trying to locate a "Snakehead", a Chinese illegal immigrant smuggler, named the Ghost who has sunk the boat before the Coast Guard can get to it, and now needs to find and eliminate the two families and a couple of single people (a doctor and an undercover detective) who made it to the Long Island shore and survived. The Chinese people are temporarily hiding out in New York's huge Chinatown, but the brutal Ghost seems to have unlimited connections in his quest to find them and eliminate any witnesses to the incident. The detective, a fun character named Sammy Li, hooks up with Rhyme's team and nearly steals several scenes with both his insights and his humorous commentary on various turns in the investigation.

Like Deaver's "Vanished Man" that combines a forensic police procedural with considerable information about the practice of magic and illusion, this novel equally informs us readers about Chinese culture and the hopes and aspirations of those seeking a better life in the "Beautiful Country" (as they call America). While the indifference of the villain to human life gets a little hard to take, in the end he gets what he deserves, mostly through the hard work of Rhyme and Sachs. At the end, a twist we never expected helped explain some otherwise puzzling developments during the case. Just one caveat - it appears to us from the lack of much background on our leading man and lady that it might help to read this series in order - Deaver's technique of unfolding the bare minimum of character development in each successive story may detract from these otherwise interesting and suspenseful tales.

Average customer rating:

Decent book
Western cowboy in a sci fi nightmare
bad writing, mostly clichés, but worth a quick read
If This Book Doesn't Spur Anti-Bacterial Soap Sales...
Great Book!

Mount Dragon: A Novel
Douglas J. Preston , and Lincoln Child
Manufacturer: Forge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312860420

Book Description

Mount Dragon: an enigmatic research complex hidden in the vast desert of New Mexico. Guy Carson and Susana Cabeza de Vaca have come to Mount Dragon to work shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest scientific minds on the planet. Led by visionary genius Brent Scopes, their secret goal is a medical breakthrough that promises to bring incalculable benefits to the human race. But while Scopes believes he is leading the way to a new world order, he may in fact be opening the door to mass human extinction. And when Guy and Susana attempt to stop him they find themselves locked in a frightening battle with Scopes, his henchmen, and the apocalyptic nightmare that science has unleashed . . . .

Customer Reviews:

Decent book.......2007-09-25

This is the first Preston and Child book, I've ever read. Concept of the book was good and it seemed like (atleast to someone who is not genetian), like they had done their research. However, it also seemed like they were showing off their research by providng too much non-essential detail. Some of the parts just didn't seem to add up. However, while the plot got heavy and going, the book was amazing and hard to put down. The ending wasn't anything to write home about, either. It seemed like, the authors tried too hard to make the ending what it was, rather than letting it flow. over all, I would say its an ok of a book.

Western cowboy in a sci fi nightmare.......2007-09-24

Mount Dragon is one of those rare novels where the less you know, before you read it, the better.

One of Preston & Child's absolute best! Don't miss it!

bad writing, mostly clichés, but worth a quick read.......2007-09-10

The writing in this novel is so bad that it is almost comic. Both of these guys would seriously have flunked out of my university writing classes. And the plot is anything but original. Douglas Preston is an even worse writer than his brother Richard Preston, whose Hot Zone was such a remarkable piece of pseudo-journalism.

These guys shouldn't be writing about computers since it is clear that they actually know nothing about them. There are so many computer issues in the story that are beyond laughable, not just improbable, but impossible scenarios. I don't think there were any characters that were not clichés bad enough to bring high school English teachers to convulsions. The evil, greedy, but genius CEO, the altruistic but, stunningly beautiful, but extremely intelligent, Mexican lab assistant with purple eyes (for christ sake), the crippled computer hacker with more power than a god, the Jewish university professor whose sole purpose in life has to do with the Holocaust. Ooh, and the oh so scary doomsday virus. And don't worry there are plenty more.

Still, there were some interesting parts of the story itself. I would say it is worth a quick read all the way through. If you can get past the painfully bad prose to the clichéd story behind it does have its moments. As bad as it is, I'm a sucker for books about doomsday viruses. Have I mentioned how bad the writing is?

If This Book Doesn't Spur Anti-Bacterial Soap Sales..........2007-08-20

P&C do it again. These authors have a knack for making an interesting storyline from a little science, technology, and lore.

Mt. Dragon is well-told, taking a great science vs.nature controversy and building several characters in which to battle their opposing idealism. The archrivals that catapult the action are Brent Scopes, the billionaire science-hawk looking to expand his empire, and his antagonist Dr./Prof. Levine: the virtuous, yet attention-hungry, anti-science activist. These two stake their lives in battle over their beliefs and involve others to further their causes. Through the extended characters, the scientists of a remote, desert research laboratory (Mt. Dragon), we see the conflict of high risk/high reward microbiology enacted and debated. When things go awry (that's not too much of a spoiler - don't you think?! If the research went smoothly there would be nothing to write about!!), the story really takes off on a thrilling chase to see who will survive (if anyone at all!).

I would only give this book a 3.5/3.75 stars (it falls just short of 4.) Why not a higher rating? It's just not quite up to par with their best. The authors used a little too much cliche in the story plots, for my taste (I'll refrain from specifics as not to spoil) and the main characters were developed too quickly to explain some of their later actions. You could almost envision this being a hundred pages longer to feel more complete. All these criticisms aside, it is fast moving and involves just the right mix of intertwining plots and interesting characters to make it a worthy read. If you are a fan of P&C or this type of action/adventure/mystery type story, you'll be sufficiently entertained reading this book.

TO sum it up, those of you that enjoy witty, yet brief action/mysteries will enjoy this book. Those of you that yearn for a comprehensive version of action/mysteries, might be left a little short.

Happy page turning!

Great Book!.......2007-05-15

Douglas Preston, along with Lincoln Child are expert suspense writers! They leave you hanging onto your seat and you will find it hard to put this book down! All of their books are nail bitters and great to read!

The Bone Collector (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)

Average customer rating:

The Bone Collector
Excellent adventure that I couldn't put down.
Amazing book with Fresh Characters
Koonts,Deaver,Patterson,Chstistine Feehand,Laurel Hamilton,John Saul LOVER
A Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin for modern mystery readers

The Bone Collector (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
Jeffery Deaver
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0451188454
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Amazon.com

The hero of Jeffery Deaver's thriller The Bone Collector is Lincoln Rhyme, a forensic scientist known to his peers as "the world's foremost criminalist." Rhyme will need all his reason--and his considerable stock of high-tech tools--about him to solve this latest brain-twister: a serial killer with method to his madness. In tried and true thriller fashion, the killer's crimes are described in lurid detail, as is the astounding technological equipment with which Rhyme examines the evidence--everything from an energy-dispersive x-ray unit to a mass spectrometer.

Every fictional detective has his or her gimmick, from Sherlock Holmes's violin to Nero Wolf's orchids, and Rhyme is no exception. He is a quadriplegic who can move nothing but a single finger. Gadget-philes will be in seventh heaven reading about Lincoln Rhyme's tools; other readers might feel the book could do with a few more plausible characters and a little less technology.

Book Description

Look who's back to chill readers to the bone...

The first novel featuring Detective Lincoln Rhyme, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Stone Monkey.

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"In his most gripping thriller yet, Jeffery Deaver takes readers on a terrifying ride into two ingenious minds...that of a physically challenged detective and the scheming killer he must stop. The detective was the former head of forensics at the NYPD, but is now a quadriplegic who can only exercise his mind. The killer is a man whose obsession with old New York helps him choose his next victim. Now, with the help of a beautiful young cop, this diabolical killer must be stopped before he can kill again! "

Customer Reviews:

The Bone Collector.......2007-09-29

Lincoln Rhyme has been retired, ever since a falling beam at a crime scene, left him a quadriplegic. Now, Lincoln is bed ridden, with his only human contact being a man named Thom. He dreams of killing him self, when some thing new, to occupy his time.

A serial killer, called the Bone Colector, is terrorizing the city of New York. With every person he kills, he leaves behind evidence that will lead to the next victim. Unfortunetly, this is only half the work, and Rhyme needs some one to do the crime scene for him.

Enter Amelia Sachs. Sachs is a model turned cop, who has several problems of her own. At first, she, like most people, is able to see past Rhyme's physical handicap, and be disgusted by his personality. But, Lincoln and Amelia will have to work together, to defeat a man who knows every one of Lincoln's tricks, and whose final victim, is Lincoln.

Notable Charecters Introduced: Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs, Thom Lastname, Lon Sellitto, The Bone Collector.

Excellent adventure that I couldn't put down........2007-07-21

The character of the Bone Collector is extremely spooky. As already stated in numerous other reviews, this is an excellent story that keeps the reader turning pages as fast as possible. The characters, especially Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, are developed enough that I have already begun to read another Deaver story starring Lincoln Rhyme: I want to know more about them. I won't give a synopsis as so many other reviewers have dutifully done. I just recommend this fast-paced, spine-chilling mystery/adventure novel to everyone!

Amazing book with Fresh Characters.......2007-07-15

Lincoln Rhyme is a suicidal quadriplegic whose main ambition for the past year has been to find a way to kill himself. Amelia Sachs is a patrolwoman on the brink of getting out of patroling the streets due to chronic arthritis.

Together they are brought together as a madman terrorizes New York. Reluctantly, they trudge through the crime scenes, looking to piece together crime scenes that a littered with subtle clues as to what will transpire next. The pieces of the puzzle must be put together as the clock ticks, another victim is certain to die.

Throughout the story, a rather strange connection is made between Rhyme and Sachs. Deaver makes no attempt to shield the graphic nature of the murders, or attempted murders, or the struggles of a quadriplegic to live life. This is a well researched, very well written book.

Highly recommended book.

Koonts,Deaver,Patterson,Chstistine Feehand,Laurel Hamilton,John Saul LOVER.......2007-07-12

This is the first Lincoln Rhyme book I read and I was hooked. Deaver is a master at twist and turns. I consider his books pageturners.

A Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin for modern mystery readers.......2007-05-25

Patrol officer Amelia Sachs, on her last day as a beat cop, is looking forward to her new assignment with Public Affairs. Her plans are upset when she, by virtue of being first on the scene, is forced to secure the area surrounding a murder site. This is no ordinary murder scene, however--it has been carefully staged. The body has been buried vertically, the victim's hand protruding from a mound of dirt. The murderer calls himself The Bone Collector, and, in his arrogance, has deliberately left clues near the body which, when properly interpreted, provide insight into his plans for future victims.

The police bring the case to Lincoln Rhyme, former head of NYPD Forensics. Rhyme, "the world's foremost criminalist," was crippled on the job four years earlier, and is now confined to a wheelchair. Intrigued by the case, he drafts the reluctant Amelia as his assistant, and together, they race against time to catch the killer. In a bizarre twist, Rhyme eventually realizes that the Bone Collector has orchestrated these macabre events specifically to attract his attention.

The Bone Collector is riveting, full of technological references and forensic lore. Much of the book is based on Locard's Exchange Principle, which holds that whenever two human beings come into contact, something from one is exchanged with the other, and vica versa. It's fascinating to watch Rhyme and company prove this adage again and again as they glean valuable information from the tiniest of clues--I guarantee you'll never watch a crime drama in the same way after reading this book. Also intriguing is Deaver's use of the Unsub (unknown subject) Chart, which collects all known information on the perpetrator. The chart, which is updated as Rhyme and his group uncover evidence, is presented every few chapters, helping the reader to recall what has gone before, and challenging him to solve the murder himself.

If this book has a weakness, it is its lack of character development. Readers learn very little about any of Deaver's characters--the only two folks the audience comes close to knowing are Rhyme and Amelia--Rhyme's angst is compelling, and Amelia's struggle with her sense of duty and her joy in discovering a new line of work is very convincing. In the final analysis, however, this is a minor criticism--the frantic pace, mayhem, and attention to detail more than make up for this small flaw.

The Twelfth Card (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)

Average customer rating:

Superb!!
A great book
The Twelfth Card
4.5 stars: Another interesting yet different Rhyme novel from Deaver
Not one of my favorites

The Twelfth Card (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
Jeffery Deaver
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0743544331
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Book Description

Bestselling master of suspense Jeffrey Deaver is back with a brand-new Lincoln Rhyme thriller. To save the life of a young girl who's being stalked by a ruthless hit man. Lincoln and his protege, Amelia Sachs, are called upon to do the impossible: solve a truly "cold case" -- one that's 140 years old.

The Twelfth Card is a two-day cat-and-mouse chase through the streets of uptown Manhattan as quadriplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs try to outguess Thompson Boyd a man whose past has turned him into a killing machine as unfeeling and cunning as a wolf. Boyd is after Geneva Settle, a high school girl from Harlem, and it's up to Lincoln and Amelia to figure out why.

The motive may have to do with a term paper that Geneva is writing about her ancestor, Charles Singleton, a former slave. Charles was active in the early civil rights movement, but was arrested for theft and disgraced. Lincoln and Amelia work frantically to figure out what actually happened on that hot July night in 1868 when Charles was arrested.

Deaver's inimitable plotting keeps this story racing at a lightening-fast clip. With breathtaking twists and multiple surprises, this is Deaver's most compelling Lincoln Rhyme audiobook to date.

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"Bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver is back with a brand-new Lincoln Rhyme thriller. To save the life of a young girl who's being stalked by a ruthless hit man, Lincoln and his protégé, Amelia Sachs, are called upon to do the impossible: solve a truly ""cold case"" -- one that's 140 years old. The Twelfth Card is a two-day cat-and-mouse chase through the streets of uptown Manhattan as quadriplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs try to outguess Thompson Boyd -- by all appearances a nondescript, innocuous man, but one whose past has turned him into a killing machine as unfeeling and cunning as a wolf. Boyd is after Geneva Settle, a high school girl from Harlem, and it's up to Lincoln and Amelia to figure out why. The motive may have to do with a term paper that Geneva is writing about her ancestor, Charles Singleton, a former slave. A teacher and farmer in New York State, Charles was active in the early civil rights movement but was arrested for theft and disgraced. Assisted by their team, Fred Dellray, Mel Cooper and Lon Sellitto (suffering badly from a case of nerves due to a near miss by the killer), Lincoln and Amelia work frantically to figure out where the hired gun will strike next and stop him, all the while trying to determine what actually happened on that hot July night in 1868 when Charles was arrested. What went on at the mysterious meetings he attended in Gallows Heights, a neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that was a tense mix of wealthy financiers, political crooks like Boss Tweed and working-class laborers and thugs? And, most important for Geneva Settle's fate, what was the ""secret"" that tormented Charles's every waking hour? Deaver's inimitable plotting keeps all these stories -- the past and the present -- racing at a lightning-fast clip as we learn stunning revelations that strike at the very heart of the U.S. Constitution and that could have disastrous consequences for today's human and civil rights in America. With breathtaking twists and multiple surprises that will keep readers on tenterhooks until the last page, this is Deaver's most compelling Lincoln Rhyme book to date. "

Customer Reviews:

Superb!!.......2007-06-12

This was my first Jeffery Deaver and I was mighty impressed. He included little details throughout the book that kept it from having slow points or lulls. Super secondary characters. Well worth reading more than once.

A great book.......2007-06-05

I save five star ratings for the truly exceptional books - the ones that leave me short of breath and unwilling to move onto another printed page lest the magic disappear. This book is a good read, fun, absorbing, well worth the time spent, and a shame to see end. And I highly recommend it to mystery fans, Deaver fans, and Lincoln Rhyme devotees. The typical twists, the typical unexpected clues, and the guaranteed overlooked detail...but not one moment was a waste of my time.

The Twelfth Card.......2007-05-08

Jeffery Deaver has written what could be one of the best movie series of all time. Every book should be a movie. I wouldn't get up to make popcorn. Intense, total concentration so as not to miss his next inuendo, you are transported from all daily life into the maze that is his creations. Never dissappointed. Always a hand-wringing anxiety that something new won't be available for yet another several months. What can I say, I am happily, hopelessly addicted to his craftsmanship. Sheer ADORATION and appreciation for the copper taste of his life blood that goes into everything he writes.

4.5 stars: Another interesting yet different Rhyme novel from Deaver.......2007-04-10

No spoilers

After getting this far in the Rhyme series and having read other Deaver novels, I was affraid that I would no longer be caught off guard by the surprises in his books. With this book, that couldn't have been further from the truth. Even though I love to be totally surprised when I read thriller/mysteries like the Rhyme series, I can't help but try hard to guess at the unknowns or anticipate the plot twists, even though I secretly hope I'm wrong. With The Twelfth Card, I tried to guess at the surprises that were coming and who wasn't who they said they were and how the loose ends of the story would tie themselves up, but I simply could not, and I bet you won't either.

I really enjoyed this book, not only because it's subject matter is so different from the other Rhyme novels (we know it's Rhyme and Sachs vs. a killer but every book is a different subject), but also because I got hit in the face with surprises I didn't even see coming.

The only problem with this book (and this reason it is not 5 stars ) is that due to the fact that most of it takes place in Harlem, Deaver has some of the characters use Fred Dellray-esque vernacular, but it wasn't convincing to me as authentic at all. I know he wanted to make the characters sound genuine, but when I read it I couldn't help but smirk at the image of Deaver searching Google for "ghetto words" for some of the characters. Aside from that one flaw, it's a great read and Rhyme fans will devour it like all the other ones.