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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
I think I probably would've given this book one star if it wasn't such a fascinating train wreck to get through.
It's not my first Preston + Child novel, either! I know the roll! I know that there's ludicrous twists and turns, I know that there's characters nearly superhuman in their ability! That's the deal when you crack open a novel where the title + author names take up 85% of the cover
But for some reason, this book is different. It might be due to the unlikability of Gideon Crew (a classic example of a genius bastard character, where he's smarter than everybody and is a jerk about it). I feel like, instead of making Gideon Crew smart, they just made the side characters a little ... unintelligent? Crew would approach a side character and Gideon Crew it up, and they'd be like, 'Oh? Oh, you mean the alarm system? The alarm system that can be easily disarmed this way? Leaving you a perfect entryway to get where you need to be? You mean that alarm system?'
It might also be due to just the plot. Not only does Gideon Crew solve the big issue with his father within the first fifty pages or so, but ... he's got a terminal illness! He's good at everything! He outsmarts at every turn! Relic and Reliquary respectively have crazy plot twists, but this one just kept getting weirder and weirder without any sort of return to normalcy.
Entertaining enough to get through for one book ... more likely than not will not be continuing Gideon Crew's adventures.
It's not my first Preston + Child novel, either! I know the roll! I know that there's ludicrous twists and turns, I know that there's characters nearly superhuman in their ability! That's the deal when you crack open a novel where the title + author names take up 85% of the cover
But for some reason, this book is different. It might be due to the unlikability of Gideon Crew (a classic example of a genius bastard character, where he's smarter than everybody and is a jerk about it). I feel like, instead of making Gideon Crew smart, they just made the side characters a little ... unintelligent? Crew would approach a side character and Gideon Crew it up, and they'd be like, 'Oh? Oh, you mean the alarm system? The alarm system that can be easily disarmed this way? Leaving you a perfect entryway to get where you need to be? You mean that alarm system?'
It might also be due to just the plot. Not only does Gideon Crew solve the big issue with his father within the first fifty pages or so, but ... he's got a terminal illness! He's good at everything! He outsmarts at every turn! Relic and Reliquary respectively have crazy plot twists, but this one just kept getting weirder and weirder without any sort of return to normalcy.
Entertaining enough to get through for one book ... more likely than not will not be continuing Gideon Crew's adventures.
I really enjoyed Preston and Child's new protag Gideon. He was a refreshing change from Pendergast (not that I don't like Aloysius). I'd like to see more of him, and I have a feeling the authors will come up with a way to save him from his medical condition (the one failure Glinn mentioned that EES is still working on?).
I didn't like the abrupt way this book leads into the sequel. Gideon doesn't even get any downtime to recover. He still has broken ribs from his final showdown with Nodding Crane (and I will make a note to see if he still has them at the beginning of the sequel). But I will definitely be reading the sequel, as I read all of Preston and Child's books.
I didn't like the abrupt way this book leads into the sequel. Gideon doesn't even get any downtime to recover. He still has broken ribs from his final showdown with Nodding Crane (and I will make a note to see if he still has them at the beginning of the sequel). But I will definitely be reading the sequel, as I read all of Preston and Child's books.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The movie in my mind was larger than life while reading this book. My imagination ran wild. This was a dark, dangerous, and intelligently told story. I couldn't predict what would happen next, and that is what one would hope for in the mystery genre. I also appreciated the sprinkling of sexual encounters. Not too much, not too little. Considering this is my first thriller read, I'm excited to discover other thrillers that I would want to rate this high.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Chronic illness
I read this book when it first came out. Hated it, dnf'd it. Fast forward to this year. I ran out of books from favorite authors to read. I decided to give Gideon's series another try, seeing that it's got 5 books in the series, so it mustn't be that bad.
I start reading it and I realize what I hated it. Preston tries to make a big thing about Gideon social engineering everything (like this is his trademark) but some of those examples are just laughable. I can see why I just gave up on the book. But I'm years older now, more forgiving and did I say I ran out of books to read?
This book isn't that bad if you can give it a big leap of credulity. Some of it is just down right silly and you have to believe to keep reading. Most of it was pretty good up to the reveal. The writing is fast and easy to read and follow. Some of it was a bit amateurish but it was written many years ago and his first effort in this series. I can't really recommend this book too much, maybe you can do what I did and start the series backwards. If you like Gideon, you'll be ready to forgive Preston anything by the time you come back to this first book.
I start reading it and I realize what I hated it. Preston tries to make a big thing about Gideon social engineering everything (like this is his trademark) but some of those examples are just laughable. I can see why I just gave up on the book. But I'm years older now, more forgiving and did I say I ran out of books to read?
This book isn't that bad if you can give it a big leap of credulity. Some of it is just down right silly and you have to believe to keep reading. Most of it was pretty good up to the reveal. The writing is fast and easy to read and follow. Some of it was a bit amateurish but it was written many years ago and his first effort in this series. I can't really recommend this book too much, maybe you can do what I did and start the series backwards. If you like Gideon, you'll be ready to forgive Preston anything by the time you come back to this first book.
adventurous
medium-paced
