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kliolupa's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
sandevon's review against another edition
1.0
I picked this up because the cover blurb by Lee Child promised me the best what if since The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown's book was dumb but entertaining. Absolute proof however, is not.
This isn't immediately apparent, because Peter James can write. Pacing is perfect, and the short chapters really help with digesting what is a very thick book.
However, things start unraveling fast. First of all, Ross Hunter is a complete asshole. We learn in his very first chapter that he pushed his twin brother away only because...he felt his parents liked his brother better. Furthermore, it's made clear that the brother suffered because of this.
He also is a terrible husband. Sure, his wife cheats on him at the beginning of the book, but he forgives her and agrees to give the relationship another chance. Except he absolutely doesn't. He's cold and distant to his pregnant wife, constantly suspects she's cheating on him without any real reason or follow-up, and spends the entire book using her mistake as an excuse to date another woman, whose main quality seems to be to agree with everything he says. In the end, she conveniently loses the child and "betrays" him so he can leave her and be with the airhead. The betrayal by the way, is trying to find a way out of the situation he put them in, one where he constantly puts both her life and the life of their unborn child in danger.
He does this, we need to understand, because he can't give up the search for God in exchange of money. It's too important, more important than money, more important than his family.
Of course, in the very last scene he throws a tantrum because his story didn't reach the front page, but as luck would have it, he gets a call where's he's offered millions for it! Does he like that? "Is the Pope catholic?" That's an actual quote. It's the final sentence of the book.
Ross Hunter is an horrible human being and I'm very happy he doesn't actually exist.
Then, James takes the unusual step of not leaving the answer to the big question (Is God real?) unanswered. It's all true. God is real. Jesus was a miracle worker, and it was in his DNA so his descendant is a miracle worker too who turns whiskey into beer when he's not drunkenly depressed because mankind sucks. And mankind does suck and we need to repent and we're given absolute proof because it turns dark and we see rainbows upside down and I can't even...
The problem I have here is that it makes the entire plot unnecessary. The final chapter would have happened with or without the horrible Hunter. Apparently the only reason for his search for Christ's descendant was to write about the upcoming rainbow freak show so people would...believe again and thus, would be nicer to each other, I guess? This could have happened in one paragraph where God speaks directly into Hunters mind, ordering him to write his article. Instead, God told a medium, who told an old man, who told Hunter to visit three coordinates, which eventually lead him to Las Vegas to meet the descendant of Jesus, who tells him to write the article. And because Hunter does such a fine job of this, the old man ends up dead, he destroys the tooth of Christ, he loses the Holy Grail, he gets the descendant killed, while abandoning his wife when she's pregnant and about to have a nervous breakdown (no wonder she lost the child) and for all intents and purposes, cheating on her.
There was no point to Ross Hunter and his adventures. The most interesting and important character to the plot was the descendant of Christ (his stories I would have liked to read), and he shows up in all of two short chapters.
Finally, what really irked me is James puts science and religion on opposite sides of the spectrum. Apparently either science is correct, or God exists. This is simply not true. If scientific research would find evidence that a higher being created the universe, then that would be published and scientists would test that theory by trying to prove and/or disprove it. That's how science works. James mentions correctly that science doesn't care about why, only with how, but then inserts an incredibly hamfisted "paradox" into a conversation: "science cannot recreate the Big Bang, and anything that cannot be recreated in a lab isn't science." Of course, a simple Google search shows us that big bang conditions HAVE been created in a lab, but this isn't enough for Hunter. He wants the entire universe recreated, exactly as it happened, at any given point in history. As long as science cannot do this, God may exist.
This is plainly ridiculous, and the only reason to invent a "paradox" like this is to discredit science in general.
I wanted to give this two stars since I did appreciate how well it was written and paced, but according to the GoodReads rating system this means "It was OK", and to me it was not. It started off well, but then descended into a poorly reasoned pamphlet in favor of intelligent design, with an unsympathetic main character and a plot that eventually ended up to not matter at all.
A disappointment.
This isn't immediately apparent, because Peter James can write. Pacing is perfect, and the short chapters really help with digesting what is a very thick book.
However, things start unraveling fast. First of all, Ross Hunter is a complete asshole. We learn in his very first chapter that he pushed his twin brother away only because...he felt his parents liked his brother better. Furthermore, it's made clear that the brother suffered because of this.
He also is a terrible husband. Sure, his wife cheats on him at the beginning of the book, but he forgives her and agrees to give the relationship another chance. Except he absolutely doesn't. He's cold and distant to his pregnant wife, constantly suspects she's cheating on him without any real reason or follow-up, and spends the entire book using her mistake as an excuse to date another woman, whose main quality seems to be to agree with everything he says. In the end, she conveniently loses the child and "betrays" him so he can leave her and be with the airhead. The betrayal by the way, is trying to find a way out of the situation he put them in, one where he constantly puts both her life and the life of their unborn child in danger.
He does this, we need to understand, because he can't give up the search for God in exchange of money. It's too important, more important than money, more important than his family.
Of course, in the very last scene he throws a tantrum because his story didn't reach the front page, but as luck would have it, he gets a call where's he's offered millions for it! Does he like that? "Is the Pope catholic?" That's an actual quote. It's the final sentence of the book.
Ross Hunter is an horrible human being and I'm very happy he doesn't actually exist.
Then, James takes the unusual step of not leaving the answer to the big question (Is God real?) unanswered. It's all true. God is real. Jesus was a miracle worker, and it was in his DNA so his descendant is a miracle worker too who turns whiskey into beer when he's not drunkenly depressed because mankind sucks. And mankind does suck and we need to repent and we're given absolute proof because it turns dark and we see rainbows upside down and I can't even...
The problem I have here is that it makes the entire plot unnecessary. The final chapter would have happened with or without the horrible Hunter. Apparently the only reason for his search for Christ's descendant was to write about the upcoming rainbow freak show so people would...believe again and thus, would be nicer to each other, I guess? This could have happened in one paragraph where God speaks directly into Hunters mind, ordering him to write his article. Instead, God told a medium, who told an old man, who told Hunter to visit three coordinates, which eventually lead him to Las Vegas to meet the descendant of Jesus, who tells him to write the article. And because Hunter does such a fine job of this, the old man ends up dead, he destroys the tooth of Christ, he loses the Holy Grail, he gets the descendant killed, while abandoning his wife when she's pregnant and about to have a nervous breakdown (no wonder she lost the child) and for all intents and purposes, cheating on her.
There was no point to Ross Hunter and his adventures. The most interesting and important character to the plot was the descendant of Christ (his stories I would have liked to read), and he shows up in all of two short chapters.
Finally, what really irked me is James puts science and religion on opposite sides of the spectrum. Apparently either science is correct, or God exists. This is simply not true. If scientific research would find evidence that a higher being created the universe, then that would be published and scientists would test that theory by trying to prove and/or disprove it. That's how science works. James mentions correctly that science doesn't care about why, only with how, but then inserts an incredibly hamfisted "paradox" into a conversation: "science cannot recreate the Big Bang, and anything that cannot be recreated in a lab isn't science." Of course, a simple Google search shows us that big bang conditions HAVE been created in a lab, but this isn't enough for Hunter. He wants the entire universe recreated, exactly as it happened, at any given point in history. As long as science cannot do this, God may exist.
This is plainly ridiculous, and the only reason to invent a "paradox" like this is to discredit science in general.
I wanted to give this two stars since I did appreciate how well it was written and paced, but according to the GoodReads rating system this means "It was OK", and to me it was not. It started off well, but then descended into a poorly reasoned pamphlet in favor of intelligent design, with an unsympathetic main character and a plot that eventually ended up to not matter at all.
A disappointment.
kelbi's review against another edition
1.0
I didn’t finish it. Not my type of book. I love his mothers but this one not for me
toofondofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
melissa_keen's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I've found this book unputdownable for 3 solid days, but the ending was SUCH a letdown!
There were several issues throughout the book; the protagonist, Ross, is weirdly trusting with random people despite being an investigative journ list - I mean, there are people literally trying to kill him and he's out telling any Tom, Dick and Harry what he's up to in great detail, then acting baffled about it?
His relationship with his wife is also downright weird and quite frankly adds nothing to the plot as both characters become unlikeable towards the end (she cheats on him, he forgives her, he then knocks her up despite claiming not to love her, then he starts a weird flirty inappopriate relationship with an annoying radio presenter he has the hots for - oh, who also decided off her own back to stalk him to LA??? After meeting him a handful of times? Like, what?!), then his wife loses their baby (which she tells him BY TEXT) and he is less than bothered about it... all so strange! He flip flops from loyal loving husband to borderline cheating, couldnt-care-less, it's like the writer couldn't make up his mind what kind of guy he wanted Ross to be... and the ending felt like such a cop out. Such a shame as it had such potential!
There were several issues throughout the book; the protagonist, Ross, is weirdly trusting with random people despite being an investigative journ list - I mean, there are people literally trying to kill him and he's out telling any Tom, Dick and Harry what he's up to in great detail, then acting baffled about it?
His relationship with his wife is also downright weird and quite frankly adds nothing to the plot as both characters become unlikeable towards the end (she cheats on him, he forgives her, he then knocks her up despite claiming not to love her, then he starts a weird flirty inappopriate relationship with an annoying radio presenter he has the hots for - oh, who also decided off her own back to stalk him to LA??? After meeting him a handful of times? Like, what?!), then his wife loses their baby (which she tells him BY TEXT) and he is less than bothered about it... all so strange! He flip flops from loyal loving husband to borderline cheating, couldnt-care-less, it's like the writer couldn't make up his mind what kind of guy he wanted Ross to be... and the ending felt like such a cop out. Such a shame as it had such potential!
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
Ooh the locations in this book will make your head spin! (in a good way)
Peter James I do love your books and still have Perfect People as my favourite. This is my new favourite. There’s something delicious about a conspiracy theory book and this one looks at the existence of God. Someone claims to have absolute proof that He exists.
Now I’m not religious by any means and I suppose you will get something different out of this book depending on what you believe, but this is still a riproaring thriller which questions the existence of God. Fast paced and action packed. I just loved the way in which there was an actual trail to follow with map coordinates and everything! The geek in me rubbed my hands with glee,going from one place to another, map in hand and legends falling from the pages.
There’s a lot to like in this book – maps, manuscripts, monuments, monks and murder. Think the 5 M’s might be an idea for an alternative title.
Subject wise it’s a bit Dan Brown but it’s definitely got the Peter James stamp of gold on the front. It’s clever, addictive and a race around the world with locations and legends dripping out of the pages.
There IS Absolute Proof that this is a thriller you won’t want to miss!
jhaber03's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
naiessha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Honestly, it was a great page turner and very thought-provoking. I was expecting a grander ending than what it actually was, but it's definitely realistic.
The writing style was perfect and I commend the author for that, especially the bite-sized chapters idea. Them being short allowed me to get through such a long book with relative ease whilst keeping it engaging. It was a bit repetitive at times, but fairly okay.
It was very suspenseful the first 500 pages and I liked the diverse perspectives it addressed+ the plot twists, but not nearly as good as the Da Vinci Code and not worth 600 something pages for that ending. Idk..... I'm a little underwhelmed because the first 500 pages raised my expectations. Not bad though. A good read.
The writing style was perfect and I commend the author for that, especially the bite-sized chapters idea. Them being short allowed me to get through such a long book with relative ease whilst keeping it engaging. It was a bit repetitive at times, but fairly okay.
It was very suspenseful the first 500 pages and I liked the diverse perspectives it addressed+ the plot twists, but not nearly as good as the Da Vinci Code and not worth 600 something pages for that ending. Idk..... I'm a little underwhelmed because the first 500 pages raised my expectations. Not bad though. A good read.
tdk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
kirkw1972's review against another edition
4.0
This is a weighty book and in more ways than one. I think your enjoyment of it will depend on your religious leanings and your reaction to the subject of absolute proof of God. I didn’t grow up in a house of any faith, my mum only finding a religion in her mid-50’s so the subject doesn’t affect me. I do find the idea fascinating though and this, despite being a novel, gives a lot of food for thought.
It is long although the chapters are short so easy to pick up and put down. It drags a bit in the middle and repeats itself a bit. I’m still not entirely sure we needed the wife and baby subplot. For me it didn’t add anything. However I did find it to be a page turner. I enjoy religious conspiracy as a genre so this was always going to work for me in that respect. I was kept hooked by the idea of how we were going to get the absolute proof as the author comes up with ideas and debunks them as he goes along and I quite liked the answer we got here.
Overall for the most part I loved it and would recommend if you are a fan of this genre
It is long although the chapters are short so easy to pick up and put down. It drags a bit in the middle and repeats itself a bit. I’m still not entirely sure we needed the wife and baby subplot. For me it didn’t add anything. However I did find it to be a page turner. I enjoy religious conspiracy as a genre so this was always going to work for me in that respect. I was kept hooked by the idea of how we were going to get the absolute proof as the author comes up with ideas and debunks them as he goes along and I quite liked the answer we got here.
Overall for the most part I loved it and would recommend if you are a fan of this genre