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libkatem's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read.
Lynds dispenses with her characters quickly and bluntly. Seriously, the death toll in this book... crazy.
I just wish we could have spent more time in the actual library.
Lynds dispenses with her characters quickly and bluntly. Seriously, the death toll in this book... crazy.
I just wish we could have spent more time in the actual library.
canderson's review against another edition
3.0
The Book of Spies was an interesting first novel in a series. It felt almost as if the book picks up in the middle of another series, but in reality it is starting off on its own. Eva Blake has been wrongly imprisoned for the murder of her husband. Judd Ryder has buried his father, who was assassinated over some questionable documents and foreign information. Brought together by powers that be in the CIA, Judd and Eva embark on an adventure surrounding the mythological Library of Gold. This secret society has existed for centuries, holding powerful positions across governments and big business, and Eva Blake has found herself smack-dab in conspiracy, murder, espionage, and even comes face-to-face with ghosts from her past.
The novel was a bit slow moving for me. I thought the pacing could have been a bit more plucky; especially since this novel was full of action — it didn’t actually feel like actionable events though. The way Lynds writes feels methodical, purposeful, and overly planned.
The story also felt a bit jumbled, like even though Lynds was very precise in the details she shared, it felt like the focus of why the book was being written was still shadowy even up to the end of the book.
I will say, I appreciated the ending — I didn’t feel like it was a cliff-hanger, and I could decide whether or not to go on another adventure with the two characters, who clearly have some kind of forced romance kindling by the end. I did enjoy the historical facts and information. It felt like a DaVinci Code wannabe, without having history filling every page.
Overall, the book was interesting, dealt with a secret book society, and was a nice story to take your time reading in the park. Not sure I’ll be back to check in on Eva Blake or Judd Ryder in the rest of the series, but the possibility is there!
Happy Reading!
The novel was a bit slow moving for me. I thought the pacing could have been a bit more plucky; especially since this novel was full of action — it didn’t actually feel like actionable events though. The way Lynds writes feels methodical, purposeful, and overly planned.
The story also felt a bit jumbled, like even though Lynds was very precise in the details she shared, it felt like the focus of why the book was being written was still shadowy even up to the end of the book.
I will say, I appreciated the ending — I didn’t feel like it was a cliff-hanger, and I could decide whether or not to go on another adventure with the two characters, who clearly have some kind of forced romance kindling by the end. I did enjoy the historical facts and information. It felt like a DaVinci Code wannabe, without having history filling every page.
Overall, the book was interesting, dealt with a secret book society, and was a nice story to take your time reading in the park. Not sure I’ll be back to check in on Eva Blake or Judd Ryder in the rest of the series, but the possibility is there!
Happy Reading!
katejones's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook.
Good story.
Although the narrator had some good qualities, her lisp and hard pronunciation of d and t didn't exactly grow on me..
Good story.
Although the narrator had some good qualities, her lisp and hard pronunciation of d and t didn't exactly grow on me..
therealbookaholic's review against another edition
4.0
I like anything by Gayle Lynds, even if she becomes overly specific about certain Karate moves )
mscalls's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, and Death
nurly_whirly's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. The characters were pretty cliche. Strong Female Protagonist has sexual tension with Good Guy Spy With A Dark Past. She's strong, but she's not too strong, lest Good Guy Spy can't save her and pull her into his chest with his masculine and scarred arms. Big Yet Secret Evil Organization throws out all the stops to keep their Worldwide Conspiracy under wraps. They have enough money that, even though their Evil Plan Involving Terrorists is foiled, they still can hire enough lawyers to get them off scot-free in the end.
Biggest problem in the book was why did Strong Female Protagonist and Good Guy Spy need to find AND THEN GO TO the Library of Gold? What were they planning on accomplishing exactly? They get there, break inside, then go "SHIT HOW DO WE GET OUT?" I know they were rescuing Side Characters That Don't Show Up Until Halfway Through The Book, but... it didn't seem like quite enough. They walked right into a Well Orchestrated Trap and only got out thanks to Deux Ex Mysterious Assassin Character.
This sounds like a TV Tropes article. Carry on.
Biggest problem in the book was why did Strong Female Protagonist and Good Guy Spy need to find AND THEN GO TO the Library of Gold? What were they planning on accomplishing exactly? They get there, break inside, then go "SHIT HOW DO WE GET OUT?" I know they were rescuing Side Characters That Don't Show Up Until Halfway Through The Book, but... it didn't seem like quite enough. They walked right into a Well Orchestrated Trap and only got out thanks to Deux Ex Mysterious Assassin Character.
This sounds like a TV Tropes article. Carry on.
nightfalltwen's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this. I would have given it five stars except sometimes the side stories were a little confusing and took me a moment to catch up. I was enjoying the main storyline too much to really care about the side stories. But it was fast-paced and very international.
Good for a boring Sunday at work.
Good for a boring Sunday at work.
greggmpls's review against another edition
3.0
I won this book in a goodreads give away. This was the first book I have read by Gayle Lynds, so I do not know if it is typical of her writing or not.
The book is very action oriented, almost hyperactive at times. I had difficulty getting comfortable with the rhythm and pace of the story for the first third of the book. One action sequence after another would occur literally every other page. "The Book of Spies" does stretch credibility, especially how quickly the "bad guys" are able to get people and vehicles in place to intercept the "good guys" on several occasions. I did detect a very slight hint of Three Days of the Condor early.
I found the last two thirds of the book a better read, and felt more engaged with the characters and the plot. Some of the minor characters were also appealing and added balance. I also enjoyed the choice of locations and settings. The author's notes were quite interesting and I would almost recommend reading them prior to beginning the story.
The book is very action oriented, almost hyperactive at times. I had difficulty getting comfortable with the rhythm and pace of the story for the first third of the book. One action sequence after another would occur literally every other page. "The Book of Spies" does stretch credibility, especially how quickly the "bad guys" are able to get people and vehicles in place to intercept the "good guys" on several occasions. I did detect a very slight hint of Three Days of the Condor early.
I found the last two thirds of the book a better read, and felt more engaged with the characters and the plot. Some of the minor characters were also appealing and added balance. I also enjoyed the choice of locations and settings. The author's notes were quite interesting and I would almost recommend reading them prior to beginning the story.
libscote's review against another edition
3.0
Other than the ridiculous outfit Eva wears at the beginning (seriously, who wears ALL WHITE to do restoration work??? I'm a youth services librarian on a day when I don't have any children's programs to lead and I'm still not wearing all white.) this is a pretty good thriller. I had never heard of the Library of Gold, and that was fun to learn about. I think if you're looking for a good summer read, this would fit the bill nicely.
krisrid's review against another edition
2.0
I just could not get into this book. I don't know why, really.
This had lots of things I normally like: history, literary references, a strong female protagonist, a famous secret hidden LIBRARY for cripes sakes! I expected to like this. And it wasn't bad, it just didn't grab me and hold my interest. I found my attention wandering a lot, and when I realized I was forcing myself to keep at it that was when I decided to let this one go.
There's action, fast pacing and lots going on. Maybe that was my problem. There were multiple character's perspectives that all alternated in who's view we were looking a the story from - I did find that a little distracting in this book [I don't necessarily object to multiple viewpoints, but it does have to be handled deftly, and it didn't feel smooth in the transitions and flow for me here].
It also felt a little bit like the author made a check list for spy/thrillers and systematically went about inserting every single thing on the check-list into this. I found it a bit forced.
There's lots of good stuff in this book for the right reader. I just don't think I was that reader.
This had lots of things I normally like: history, literary references, a strong female protagonist, a famous secret hidden LIBRARY for cripes sakes! I expected to like this. And it wasn't bad, it just didn't grab me and hold my interest. I found my attention wandering a lot, and when I realized I was forcing myself to keep at it that was when I decided to let this one go.
There's action, fast pacing and lots going on. Maybe that was my problem. There were multiple character's perspectives that all alternated in who's view we were looking a the story from - I did find that a little distracting in this book [I don't necessarily object to multiple viewpoints, but it does have to be handled deftly, and it didn't feel smooth in the transitions and flow for me here].
It also felt a little bit like the author made a check list for spy/thrillers and systematically went about inserting every single thing on the check-list into this. I found it a bit forced.
There's lots of good stuff in this book for the right reader. I just don't think I was that reader.