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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Not bad. This is a typical Preston&Child romp through a non stop, can’t stop to breath, death defying adventure. With twists and turns. A fun read if you have a spare day at the beach.
This is just laughably bad so back to the library it goes. DNF @ 15%.
Another character developed by the authors, Preston & Child -- Gideon Crew. Gideon, is like a cross between James Bond, and Macgyver.
The storyline develops slowly from Gideon's childhood to present day. If you can get past the first third of the book, it is worth the read.
The storyline develops slowly from Gideon's childhood to present day. If you can get past the first third of the book, it is worth the read.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
So I finished this book and went "what?" There are so many twists that you get lost in them (not good) and the characters are so one-dimensional and unbelievable it's not even entertaining. This would be a fine beach read or airplane/airport waste of time, but other than that, don't waste your time.
Received for review
Book Release Date: 2/22/11
What I Loved: Gideon Crew is an interesting mix of smart, wily, driven, and enigmatic. It was really nice not knowing what he would do or what lengths he would go to in order to complete his mission. His methods were clever and well thought out. He never seemed to be out of sorts no matter what situation he was put in too.
What I Liked: This book actually had two cases: 1) for revenge and 2) for money/patriotism/what the hell. The plot to revenge his father was tied up rather quickly and I would say satisfactorily. It was important though because it showed you Gideon's method of figuring out things. What lengths he would go to and how well he could think on his feet. Most importantly it showed how he could use people around him to accomplish his goals. The second mission was the meat of the book and was a page turner. I won't give anything away about it but it had a good story and some great twists. It is also what the blurb should have been about rather than the part about Gideon's father.
Complaints: The first is that the blurb about the book really isn't what this book is about. It didn't distract from the story but it might be misleading to people. The second (and I am going to be vague in order to not give anything away) is the open-ended way they left a diagnosis open that I am not sure I bought in the first place. What the second means is that I will probably really enjoy book 2 as I think it will be something that Gideon works on.
Why I gave it a 3.75 (4 on Goodreads and Library Thing): This books is well written, well paced, and pretty much full throttle from the get go. It would have been a solid 4.5 if not for that nagging second issue in my complaints. It really bugged me but it won't stop me from reading the rest of the books in the series as they are released. I really liked Gideon as a lead character and want to see what he does next.
Who would I recommend this too: Fans of thrillers of the spy/espionage type. I think if you have read the rest of the Preston & Child books you know what to expect from their type of writing.
Author Website: http://www.prestonchild.com/books/gideonssword/
Book Release Date: 2/22/11
What I Loved: Gideon Crew is an interesting mix of smart, wily, driven, and enigmatic. It was really nice not knowing what he would do or what lengths he would go to in order to complete his mission. His methods were clever and well thought out. He never seemed to be out of sorts no matter what situation he was put in too.
What I Liked: This book actually had two cases: 1) for revenge and 2) for money/patriotism/what the hell. The plot to revenge his father was tied up rather quickly and I would say satisfactorily. It was important though because it showed you Gideon's method of figuring out things. What lengths he would go to and how well he could think on his feet. Most importantly it showed how he could use people around him to accomplish his goals. The second mission was the meat of the book and was a page turner. I won't give anything away about it but it had a good story and some great twists. It is also what the blurb should have been about rather than the part about Gideon's father.
Complaints: The first is that the blurb about the book really isn't what this book is about. It didn't distract from the story but it might be misleading to people. The second (and I am going to be vague in order to not give anything away) is the open-ended way they left a diagnosis open that I am not sure I bought in the first place. What the second means is that I will probably really enjoy book 2 as I think it will be something that Gideon works on.
Why I gave it a 3.75 (4 on Goodreads and Library Thing): This books is well written, well paced, and pretty much full throttle from the get go. It would have been a solid 4.5 if not for that nagging second issue in my complaints. It really bugged me but it won't stop me from reading the rest of the books in the series as they are released. I really liked Gideon as a lead character and want to see what he does next.
Who would I recommend this too: Fans of thrillers of the spy/espionage type. I think if you have read the rest of the Preston & Child books you know what to expect from their type of writing.
Author Website: http://www.prestonchild.com/books/gideonssword/
Really tried to enjoy the beginning but it feels outdated, made it 70% through and skipped to the end and didn’t regret it. The bad guy in the book I didn’t care about and couldn’t get passed his name. Not a series for me.
It's fun. I'd rather have more Pendergast, but it's still fun. It's profoundly clear that, where Pendergast is a sleuth, Crew is supposed to be a spy, and Preston & Child know how to ratchet up tension like no others. But I still like Pendergast better.
Gideon’s Sword tells the story of Gideon Crew, who seeks and gets vengeance on the man who framed and had his father killed. Impressed with Gideon’s ability to sleuth his father’s betrayer, Glinn of the EES persuasively hires Gideon to accept a dangerous job involving scientific secrets, lies, and an assassin in waiting.
With very short chapters and action at almost every turn, I breezed through this book. I could easily read this at the beach or on an airplane where I didn’t have to give 100% attention to it in order to follow what was happening.
It was entertaining reading how Gideon would get his way into and out of situations. Sometimes it would seem way too easy getting information from people. I doubt many people would give up information so easily just talking to a stranger and not think the probing questions were suspect. Other times, Gideon had Lady Luck on his side as he probably should have died many times.
Multiple times Gideon’s past as a museum thief was brought up. His skills as a thief, most important being easily getting in and out of places, came in handy throughout the book. I would have loved to have heard about what he stole or a situation he got in, even a quick one sentence explanation, but it was quickly dismissed with “I don’t do that anymore”. Maybe in one of the other books in the series I’ll get to read about his past museum shenanigans.
Gideon’s relationship with Orchid seemed forced in the romantic department. Using her as a cover worked perfectly fine, but the attachment he felt and the way she would get mad about him about lying and wanting to help him because he was in trouble seemed too much a stretch. They had only just met, and he had hired her to play a part.
All in all, a fun read.
With very short chapters and action at almost every turn, I breezed through this book. I could easily read this at the beach or on an airplane where I didn’t have to give 100% attention to it in order to follow what was happening.
It was entertaining reading how Gideon would get his way into and out of situations. Sometimes it would seem way too easy getting information from people. I doubt many people would give up information so easily just talking to a stranger and not think the probing questions were suspect. Other times, Gideon had Lady Luck on his side as he probably should have died many times.
Multiple times Gideon’s past as a museum thief was brought up. His skills as a thief, most important being easily getting in and out of places, came in handy throughout the book. I would have loved to have heard about what he stole or a situation he got in, even a quick one sentence explanation, but it was quickly dismissed with “I don’t do that anymore”. Maybe in one of the other books in the series I’ll get to read about his past museum shenanigans.
Gideon’s relationship with Orchid seemed forced in the romantic department. Using her as a cover worked perfectly fine, but the attachment he felt and the way she would get mad about him about lying and wanting to help him because he was in trouble seemed too much a stretch. They had only just met, and he had hired her to play a part.
All in all, a fun read.
Interesting story. I look forward to reading more Gideon Crew books.
Felt similar to a Pendergast novel, sometimes the plot was a little too contrived, but still a good time killer.
Felt similar to a Pendergast novel, sometimes the plot was a little too contrived, but still a good time killer.