spidergirl502's review against another edition
3.0
It's really hard for me to rate this book. It was totally unrealistic, impossible and ridiculous. That being said, I absolutely loved it! I think I was just in the perfect mood for something waaaay beyond reality. It became an escape for me, which is exactly what I wanted. For entertainment value, I'd have to give the book 4-5 stars, but for writing style and literary merit, it's more of a 1-2, so I split the difference and gave it a 3. Read it only if you're prepared for a ridiculous plot filled with just about every ploy a writer can use to try to thrill the reader.
maeclair's review against another edition
5.0
Dr. Gideon Crew is a unique combination of con man, ex-art thief, and brilliant physicist. Recruited by a mysterious and powerful organization to run interference in impossible situations he routinely lands in a melting pot of danger. In Gideon’s Corpse, Crew finds himself acting as a liaison to the FBI when a former colleague and top nuclear scientist takes a family hostage at gunpoint. The outcome leads to a terrorist plot to vaporize a major American city in ten days—and the clock is ticking.
I remembered very little about the first in the series but had zero difficulty falling into the story without feeling lost. It starts off with a bang (the hostage situation) and moves at a blistering pace. Gideon pairs up with a strait-laced FBI agent. Much of the fun of the novel is watching the two work together, gaining respect for the other’s methods and for each other.
Clues build in a clever, twisty manner but just when you think you know where the plot is headed it does a complete 180 leading to an explosive, action-packed conclusion.
If you like your characters with a mix of trickster and quick-thinking brilliance, Gideon Crew is your man. He has a good heart, sometimes makes stupid mistakes, but somehow always manages to land on his feet. I will definitely be reading the rest in this series. Preston and Child once again deliver the kind of intelligent thriller that has become their trademark.
I remembered very little about the first in the series but had zero difficulty falling into the story without feeling lost. It starts off with a bang (the hostage situation) and moves at a blistering pace. Gideon pairs up with a strait-laced FBI agent. Much of the fun of the novel is watching the two work together, gaining respect for the other’s methods and for each other.
Clues build in a clever, twisty manner but just when you think you know where the plot is headed it does a complete 180 leading to an explosive, action-packed conclusion.
If you like your characters with a mix of trickster and quick-thinking brilliance, Gideon Crew is your man. He has a good heart, sometimes makes stupid mistakes, but somehow always manages to land on his feet. I will definitely be reading the rest in this series. Preston and Child once again deliver the kind of intelligent thriller that has become their trademark.
powermetalgirl's review against another edition
3.0
Bring back Pendergast! While I don't dislike Crew as a protagonist, and while the writing of this book was on par with other Preston and Child books, I found this book to be much less gripping than their other novels. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I was left feeling unfulfilled at the end and not really caring to hear more about what happens to Crew.
matosapa's review against another edition
2.0
See my review of Gideon's Sword - it's too painful for me to write the same review again here.
embingham's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. I enjoyed this book, but it was a little long. The characters had some inconsistencies, and they were just plain stupid in a few places. Also, there was some language.
xkay_readsx's review
3.0
I enjoyed Gideon's books. Good plot with believable terror threat. Why does he have that disease?! I'm so bummed about it because he had the prognosis again at the end of the book.
willynate's review against another edition
3.0
A big bucket of cheese. A pretty silly story with goofy plot twists and very unbelievable action sequences.
gdaugavietis's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
yoda_bor's review against another edition
4.0
Étrangement, j’ai trouvé ce deuxième volet des aventures de Gideon bien plus agréable que le premier.
Ses motivations pour devenir voleur avant d’entrer à Los Alamos sont bien mieux expliquées alors que c’est quelque chose qui aurait du être fait dès le départ.
Gideon est ici bien plus impliqué dans l’histoire ce qui le rend plus attachant et permet de mieux rentrer dans l’histoire.
En plus, il est associé ici avec un agent du FBI bien plus sympathique que la nénette de R pour Revanche.
Fordyce est loin d’être la caricature qu’il peut paraître au premier abord. C’est un homme intelligent, qui réussit même à amadouer Gideon. Leur duo fonctionne étrangement très bien.
C’est donc sans doute loin d’être une coïncidence si j’ai préféré la première partie à une seconde où il abandonne Fordyce pour Alida, une caricature de toutes les femmes qu’on peut parfois trouver dans ce genre d’aventures.
L’écriture est très simple, très fluide, typique de ce que les auteurs nous ont habitués dans leurs autres romans. Ce thriller se lit rapidement et les chapitres s’enchaînent sans peine.
Toutefois, tout est vraiment trop simple. Tout ce que tente Gideon réussit et ça en devient agaçant au bout d’un moment.
Une lecture facile et très plaisante que je recommande à toute personne souhaitant passer un agréable moment sans trop se prendre la tête.
Ses motivations pour devenir voleur avant d’entrer à Los Alamos sont bien mieux expliquées alors que c’est quelque chose qui aurait du être fait dès le départ.
Gideon est ici bien plus impliqué dans l’histoire ce qui le rend plus attachant et permet de mieux rentrer dans l’histoire.
En plus, il est associé ici avec un agent du FBI bien plus sympathique que la nénette de R pour Revanche.
Fordyce est loin d’être la caricature qu’il peut paraître au premier abord. C’est un homme intelligent, qui réussit même à amadouer Gideon. Leur duo fonctionne étrangement très bien.
C’est donc sans doute loin d’être une coïncidence si j’ai préféré la première partie à une seconde où il abandonne Fordyce pour Alida, une caricature de toutes les femmes qu’on peut parfois trouver dans ce genre d’aventures.
L’écriture est très simple, très fluide, typique de ce que les auteurs nous ont habitués dans leurs autres romans. Ce thriller se lit rapidement et les chapitres s’enchaînent sans peine.
Toutefois, tout est vraiment trop simple. Tout ce que tente Gideon réussit et ça en devient agaçant au bout d’un moment.
Une lecture facile et très plaisante que je recommande à toute personne souhaitant passer un agréable moment sans trop se prendre la tête.