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ericwelch's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to this as an audiobook. Read by a favorite: Richard Ferrone who seems to make a specialty of John Sandford's books.
A refreshing change from the increasingly redundant Lucas Davenport series. In this case we follow Jacob, "Jake," Winter, a "forensic bureaucracy specialist." He works for the president's chief of staff as a fixer who uses his knowledge of the bureaucracy to solve problems. He has one "Rule": who benefits? Answer that question and most every problem becomes easily solvable. Shades of Mike Lawson's Joe DeMarco, another very good series.
Madeline Bowe's husband, Lincoln, an ex-Senator has disappeared. He was becoming a thorn in the side of the "Watchman" a nebulous group reminiscent of the Brown Shirts and Ku Klux Klan all rolled into one. Jake's "research" soon uncovers a much larger plot related to the presidential election. To reveal any more might spoil it.
All that being said, my one complaint is that some of Jake's more extreme actions in the end of the book (endings are not a Sandford strong suit,) seem out of character and occur only because it gets the author off the hook. I much prefer conclusions that use the protagonist's intelligence to turn the evil-doer's actions back on themselves without the seemingly inevitable reliance on bullets, to my way of thinking, the dummies' way out. I suppose many authors feel the necessity to appeal to the large segment who complain if there's no "action." Action is cheap.
Great for traveling, mowing, doing chores.
P.S. I forgot to add one little entertaining tidbit. One of the fellows Flowers interviews mentions he had been arrested for defenestration at the New Prague Inn. If you know anything about Czech history that will bring a smile.
It's also totally depressing to have a Pontiac Tempest be described as an antique car.
A refreshing change from the increasingly redundant Lucas Davenport series. In this case we follow Jacob, "Jake," Winter, a "forensic bureaucracy specialist." He works for the president's chief of staff as a fixer who uses his knowledge of the bureaucracy to solve problems. He has one "Rule": who benefits? Answer that question and most every problem becomes easily solvable. Shades of Mike Lawson's Joe DeMarco, another very good series.
Madeline Bowe's husband, Lincoln, an ex-Senator has disappeared. He was becoming a thorn in the side of the "Watchman" a nebulous group reminiscent of the Brown Shirts and Ku Klux Klan all rolled into one. Jake's "research" soon uncovers a much larger plot related to the presidential election. To reveal any more might spoil it.
All that being said, my one complaint is that some of Jake's more extreme actions in the end of the book (endings are not a Sandford strong suit,) seem out of character and occur only because it gets the author off the hook. I much prefer conclusions that use the protagonist's intelligence to turn the evil-doer's actions back on themselves without the seemingly inevitable reliance on bullets, to my way of thinking, the dummies' way out. I suppose many authors feel the necessity to appeal to the large segment who complain if there's no "action." Action is cheap.
Great for traveling, mowing, doing chores.
P.S. I forgot to add one little entertaining tidbit. One of the fellows Flowers interviews mentions he had been arrested for defenestration at the New Prague Inn. If you know anything about Czech history that will bring a smile.
It's also totally depressing to have a Pontiac Tempest be described as an antique car.
perri's review
3.0
Someone told me Sandford writes the best thrillers. Well, maybe I read the wrong book. Based in DC with political intrigues, so I didn't like most of the characters and the action was slow. To be more fair I suppose I should give one of his Prey or Flowers books a shot, but don't feel very motivated for now.
clambook's review
3.0
Not bad as an audiobook, in part because read by Eric Conger, who also reads the Virgil Flowers series, of which this is a clone. The plot is nonsensical but fast-paced enough to serve nicely as something to listen to while walking.
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