Reviews

Gideon's Corpse, by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

redsoxjedi's review against another edition

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4.0

I found this second installment of the series to be a better ride than volume one. This time it’s a nuclear threat, tailor made for our nuclear scientist adventurer.

spidergirl502's review against another edition

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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

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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.

powermetalgirl's review against another edition

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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

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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

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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 against another edition

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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

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3.0

A big bucket of cheese. A pretty silly story with goofy plot twists and very unbelievable action sequences.

amirarahim's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

3.75

gdaugavietis's review against another edition

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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