Pretty good Forsythe-type thriller
937402
This was a pretty good thriller but I have to agree with another reviewer who was put off by the typos.  This publisher desperately needs a proofreader.  For example, on one page Charlie Wilson's name is spelled correctly but on the next it's spelled "Charley Wilson".  There are numerous other examples and I have to admit they were distracting.  I kept thinking why this author needed to be published by such a incompetent company.
4940174
I have several thriller authors on rotation and if there is a character series, I make sure I read them in order. Baldacci has multiple series and this is the second book about Shaw and Katie James - although, in this book, Katie is really more of a plot device than a character. As many have already pointed out, this is a Good vs. Evil story with two shadowy organizations trying to take out a very very bad man. There is great action and many misdirections as you get closer to the climax. I have three major issues with this book. First, the final showdown includes a deus ex machina moment which is adequately explained, but it does not feel true to the story. You know the good guys will win eventually, but this seemed forced. Secondly, Shaw can't decide whether he is a cool operator or an emotional wreck. Baldacci toned it down from "The Whole Truth," where Shaw would collapse in a puddle of remorse every three or four scenes. In this book, he does not do it as often, but the device remains overblown. The third complaint is one which I am finding tiresome in the genre. In thrillers, if there is a "lone wolf" hero, the author often creates a love interest, but cannot have the lone wolf live happily ever after. Therefore, it is decidedly unhealthy for a female to fall in love with our hero. You can see this used by Lee Child, Vince Flynn, Baldacci and even the great John D. Macdonald. That said, I felt this was more predictable than most occurances.
All that said, if you enjoy Baldacci (and I do), and you need a book for a long airplane ride, this is an enjoyable diversion. But it is not quite up to his Camel Club or King and Maxwell stories.
2479359
The characters and the story are reasonably well known in book and film, but Forsyth produced a good yarn here. For a start he exposed Odessa to the public at large, a worthwhile thing in itself, and also how the killers re-integrated seamlessly back into German business and society. The reason for our hero's pursuit becomes clear at the end, which is a nice twist
3755421
Sean Doolittle's Safer begins quite strongly.  The novel opens when the narrator is arrested, in the middle of a party at his house, for a shocking crime.  Paul Calloway has been accused of taking nude pictures of his neighbor's young teenaged daughter.  The novel shifts back and forth in time, from the early summer months when he and his wife had moved to a new home on a seemingly idyllic cul de sac, to the present winter months as he tries to prove his innocence.  Doolittle writes very well; the narrative grabs you immediately and is compelling and intriguing.  For the first half of the novel, the plot hums along with some surprising (but still believable) twists and turns.  At some point however, the storyline veers off into something too implausible, even for a thriller.  The villians and their actions were just too over the top.  The writing here is so tight, though, and so snappy, that I still felt compelled to keep reading.  I just wish the resolution were just a little be more believable.  If half stars were possible, I would give this novel three and one-half stars.  I bump it up to four here on the strength of Doolittle's writing.
2381762
I liked the author's attention to detail, but I felt that too many off-putting terms, military acronyms and a huge cast of characters to keep track of made it a slow read. May be that Forsyth wrote for the 1960s where thriller books could get away with all that extra detail and fluff. That said, the story was still good enough to finish the book and like the overall novel.
317632
This enjoyable 1950 novel has a somewaht misleading title -one that  lead me to expect a classical style whodunnit .While there is that element to it ,essentially this is  a thriller and a good one ,with the rare virtue of directness and pace
It begind splendidly with the attempted murder of aspiring New York based artist Henry Dana who survives being pushed onto the New York subway tracks .the police believe it was an accident are refuse to accept his claim of being pushed .They cahnge their tune when his paintings are slashed and a witness is killed before she bcan reveal the identity of the man responsible .
The scene shifts from the city to a small island off Connecticut wher once agin his life is threatened and more death awaits
The is no shortage of suspects -his agent fears that Dana will expose him as a fraud who has been stiffing other artists on their commissions ; an art critic is all too aware that his wife has made overtures to Dana ,while Dana's fried Charlie was seriousy hurt in a car accident in which Dana was driving and that cost Charlie his carrer as a sseious artist .Add to this list the ex husband of an island girl who blames Dana for the collapse of his marriage and Dana has good cause to worry about survival
The book build to a climax amidst a torrential rainstorm with violence and passion in the air
Aarons was no stylist but his prose was propulsive and machine tooled and this is an absorbing quick read for devotees of the pacy thriller.
3285239
Believe it or not, this was the first Forsyth book that I have read.  At first, I did not know just what I was in store for, perhaps a 3.5-3.67 out of 5 star book.  Oh, how wrong could I have been.
Maybe this book started out just a tad slow.  This is, in part, due to Forsyths immaculate attention to detail of every aspect of this assassin/spy thriller - and believe me there are a lot of aspects to cover.  Forsyth does an excellent job of accomplishing this while keeping the writer guessing along the way and asking themselves questions.  Oh, yes, one will talk to oneself.  This is a very admirable trait in my humble opinion.
I did mention that I did not know just what I was in store for.  That is an understatement to say the least.  This book just keeps gathering a head of steam and grabs the readers attention with elements of plot and character.  The book keeps getting more and more interesting like a snowball rolling downhill.  By the last segment of the book (there are three segments to this novel) I found myself literally gripping the book tightly and anxiously turning the pages.  There were some nights with too little sleep.
The Day of the Jackal is set in the early sixties when Charles De Gaulle is in power in France.  There is considerable opposition to him.  Much of this resistance comes from a group called the OAS which consists of defected soldiers, ex-French Legionnaire soldiers and Algerian as well as a few French paratroopers.  Several unsuccessful assassination attempts have been made upon De Gaulles life.  The leadership of the OAS finally concludes that they are too heavily infiltrated by the French in power.  So, they decide to seek to hire the services of a professional assassin with no ties to the OAS and with only three members having this knowledge.
This novel, along with John Le Carre spy novels, mark a big turning point in the spy/assassin novel.  These novels become a lot more realistic, the characters a lot more true-to-life, and the plots a lot closer to history.  Now, one might think that this would make the novel much more boring, but this is not the case at all.  The novel becomes much more interesting, and much more realistic.  This coupled with the attention to detail captivates the readers attention and since all details are nicely tied up and covered, one does not ever think like,  yeah, right like that would really happen.  One does not think about it but these little things really add to the greatness of The Day of the Jackal.
The English assassin constantly keeps one step ahead of law enforcement agencies.  Law enforcement is perplexed.  Each time that it seems that the killer is about to be caught, he eludes captivity once again.  It is a real cat-and-mouse book.  The French must stop the Englishman from assassinating Charles De Gaulle.  Very few people know about the plot in the OAS, very few people in the law enforcement community at all know about any on-goings.  Very few details are shared.  Moreover, the Englishman does not even keep the three people who hired him very well informed at all.  For example, they do not even know where he stays from day to day or his identity.
All of these things combined make Frederick Forsyths The Day of the Jackal one of the greatest spy/assassin novels of all time.  If, as a reader, one has any interest in this type of book, please read this book.  You will not be disappointed.  Just remember that this is a very realistic book with tremendous attention to detail.  This makes the book seem to start out a little slow but oh boy does it really take off and gather the readers interest.
Cameron
483269
I liked this book for the most part. I don't like it when the characters you're hoping will make it to the end don't make it there, but that's just my preference. The storyline was different, so if you're looking for something not so ordinary to read this does the trick. The book was well-written with nice character development. I could picture the people and places that I was reading about. I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good thriller!!
4379492
Written and directed by Tony Giglio, Chaos (2005), is a slickly executed, gritty, crime thriller, that is somewhat reminiscent of The Usual Suspects.  Spinning several plates in the air, the film requires that you pay close attention.

A gang of criminals has taken hostages inside a bank.  Their leader Lorenz (Wesley Snipes), requests that suspended cop Quentin Conners (Jason Statham), be brought in to oversee the situation.  Conners agrees to take charge of the situation, and detective Shane Dekker (Ryan Phillippe), on his first day as a member of Seattle PD, is assigned as Conners' partner.  Already on the scene at the bank, are detectives Teddy Galloway (Justine Waddell), and Vincent Durano (Nicholas Lea).  Unfortunately things do not go as planned, and an explosion rocks the bank.  When the smoke clears, Lorenz and his gang are gone, but mysteriously, no cash or valuables seem to be missing.

The investigative team gets a lead to one of the gang members, which turns up a load of cash.  The money is traced to the police evidence room, but the cop who was responsible for the cash, is soon found murdered.  Connors and Dekker, get a lead to another member of the gang, a computer specialist, but as they arrive on the scene, he is killed by Lorenz.  It continues to be a busy night, as the cops get a tip, and stake out a house where Lorenz is supposed to meet some of his buddies.  But things go very sour, as the house explodes with Connors inside.

It has indeed been a very long first day for Shane Dekker, but he refuses to give up.  With the help of a police computer tech, he learns that over a billion dollars, has been stolen from the bank, via a computer virus.  He continues to unravel the mystery, discovering a lead to Lorenz's identity, and a tell-tale clue, points him to the truth.  As the new day breaks, Dekker has discovered the truth, and made sense from the chaos.

Ryan Phillippe, is excellent and very believable, in the movie's key role, as the earnest investigator, who proves himself much more capable than he may appear.  Jason Statham might be best-known for his performances in comic book type action films, but he is a very capable actor, and demonstrates that here.  Wesley Snipes has a complex role, which he executes with flash and style.  The supporting cast is solid and capable, down to the minor roles, helping to add to the film's realism.

Chaos is a very well written, nicely paced, entertaining crime thriller.  With a tight timeline, the twist and reveal, fall into place quite neatly.  It is a film that stands up well to repeated viewings.  Though not without flaws, the interesting characters, and smooth execution, makes its imperfections easy to overlook.  Writer/director Tony Giglio, provides an informative and fun commentary, that adds to the understanding, and appreciation of the film.
3616018
Thrillers have to have a believable hook that also has some relevance.  In today's world, the material usually stems from Iraq or Afghanistan, although there re many other events in the world that could provide a stepping stone for a satisfactory thriller.  This is one example, which utilizes a unique prospective of an illegal immigrant in the United States, a disgraced Sikh member of the Indian special forces, who encounters disaster on a disputed glacier on the Pakistani border.  In attempting to forge a new life for his family, he finds himself performing landscaping chores on Martha's Vineyard in the offseason.  That is the set up.  To give away any more of the fast moving plot would spoil it for another reader.  There are many characters, most quite original.  The plot is convoluted, and the reader has the rug pulled out from under his feet on more than one occasion.  But if you're looking for a better than average literary thriller, this is a fine one to chose.
2897432
This was a pretty good thriller that had a lot of action, and a little different slant to the main character of the story.  I think the author did a good job of weaving the tale, and keeping you interested.  Without having a spoiler, the ending did come to a logical conclusion but he set the stage for the next book in the series with an open-ended scene.  I picked this up for free during a Kindle promotion vs. its regular price of 99 cents, and I certainly received more than 99 cents worth of entertainment value.
3631659
I always like these psychological thrillers (with the psychologist and detective colleagues) written by Kellerman.  The story was well-constructed, and I enjoyed the revelations later in the novel.  When I was about 3/4 of the way through the reading, some characters that were added became hard to keep straight, but the main characters were well-developed.  After finishing the book, I realized my idea of the actual crime and perpetrators was a little vague, so I had to think back over some later chapters to get clearer on the revealed motive.  I was satisfied with the ending, and I was into the story.  I enjoy the author's writing style with the short sentences for suspense. There weren't many commas, but I assume that's a purposeful editing choice for style and readability rather than a lack of grammar awareness.  Kellerman's novels flow very well. The dialog between Alex Delaware and Milo is always entertaining and paints a vivid picture of who these characters are as well as serving to fill the reader in on the procedural aspects of the case.  Dr. Delaware is ethical and sensitive, yet he must be into danger and adventure.  That is fine with me.
1789872
This was a pretty good thriller, with an interesting female twist. The environment of the art world is well-presented and interesting. Unfortunately the motivation is not well-presented. OK, the protagonist is into kinky sex, though that sort of comes out of the blue and seems to resurface every couple of chapters to keep up the "50 shades" angle. More to the point we have a series of murders which are really not particularly called for or explained. Why does this clever adaptable woman kill people when there seem simpler ways out of the situation? She doesn't really seem like a sociopath, as presented, and her internal motivations don't seem to point that way. It never seems a complete case of "no other way out" either.

Still, compared to a lot of other reviewers I have to say I rather enjoyed it, warts and all.
3141865
This is what I would like to call: a fluffy psychological thriller. It was just okay for me. It packed an exciting enough plot line that had me starting and finishing the book within a couple of hours. The House on the Cliff was no spectacular addition to it's genre, nor does it live up to it's seriously sinister front cover art, but I enjoyed it's twists, and would definitely recommend it as a rainy day read.

We meet Jessica Mayhew in the midst of marriage troubles. Her husband is fresh off a one-night stand he shared with a co-worker overseas, and insisting that it was definitely "nothing." I felt like this incident was satisfyingly handled. Jessica was the right amount of angry for me, and her inability to just forgive and forget throughout the novel was refreshing, and realistic. Jessica, a psychotherapist by trade, then meets an interesting new client by the name of Gwydion Morgan (what a name, right?). The attraction to this man, and his mysterious inner turmoil, is instant, and soon Jessica finds herself entrapped in a unsolved murder case involving Gwydion and his equally mysterious family. With her husband's act of betrayal playing the catalyst, and excuse, for much of Jessica's behaviour as the story unfolds, we are brought along as she takes it upon herself to solve not only Gwydion's mystery, but eventually, her own.

The writing in The House on the Cliff wasn't profound, or unlike many mass produced mysteries out there-actually,it tended to be a bit overly descriptive, and repetitive, at parts. However, it was solid, and did exactly what it needed to: it laid out the facts, and helped bring the bad guy to light. Everything that filled in those spaces was enjoyable, and definitely kept me engaged. I was a fan of the author's scenic descriptions, especially when the main character traveled to Stockholm. There were sub-mysteries to solve: like, who was Jessica's daughter Nella sneaking around with? What kind of person was her husband Bob, before he married her?

Side note: This is my own personal pet peeve, but I could not, for the life of me, accept Jessica and Bob's style of parenting. They were OVERLY lenient with their 16-year-old daughter, and at one point, the author has them point out that she's "of age" to be doing as she pleases. Um...no she most certainly is NOT. If I was doing what Nella did at the ripe age of 16, I would have been LOCKED IN MY HOUSE FOR LIFE. I just found that aspect of the book to be a little unrealistic, and extremely hard to connect with/understand. But, again, that is most likely just a cultural difference.

In all, The House on the Cliff wasn't a book that knocked my proverbial socks off, but I was happy to be introduced to the author and Jessica Mayhew: a main character that the author intends to write a series of novels about. If you're looking for a quick, in-between read, this book is exactly the remedy.
3240325
POSTMORTEM is one of those psychological thrillers that bends the plot lines and incorporates confusing motivations in order to forward its plot.  While it doesn't quite come up to par, it is a tidy little thriller with an interesting performance from Stephen McCole, who plays the necromancer and obvious fan of writer Charlie Sheen's book on serial killers.  Sheen himself is a suspect at first as the killer is sending him advance fax notices of the deaths, and a body is found in Sheen's garden.  Charlie plays a down and out, alcoholic former cop who left the States to wind up in Scotland, where the movie takes place.  Sheen sobers up to help the local law officials track down this criminal.  Sheen does an okay job as Jimmy McGregor, although he seems disoriented at times when he shouldn't.  The role of McCole's sister in the plot is never fully explained, nor is the father's, but that's part of the psychological ambiguity parlayed in this film.  It does have a touching rendition of "Amazing Grace" at the end, but we still don't know what kind of future Sheen will have.  Not totally satisfying, but not a bad movie either.  Just average.
284128
If you like your characters gruff and your plot twisty, then you'll like this book. The main character is not your typical hero -- he'd probably rather be having a stiff drink than trying to catch the bad guys, but that just makes him all the more charming by the end. This is a thriller for the discerning reader; the plot points are not telegraphed a mile away (I'm looking at you, Dan Brown) and the pacing is well done -- it picks up speed as you go along and the plot and the characters are appealing.

I'd recommend this book for your next plane ride or poolside afternoon escape. It's a bit like Michael Crichton meets Frederick Forsyth. James has written a thriller that's miles above the rest and will definitely hook you in and keep you reading.
4403458
Stella Rimington combines an air of authority with a good solid plot and a readable style. The story starts off slowly, rather like the stalled tube train the heroine, Liz, is sitting in when the book opens, in a scene which introduces Liz reasonably well but doesn't really grab the reader's attention. Some kind of prolog, perhaps introducing the terrorists and hinting at their mission, would have been a better way to start.

Then the plot heats up as MI5 realizes an Englishwoman committed to violent jihad has entered England to carry out some unknown but potentially devastating terrorist attack. Sohail Din, a young London-born Pakistani and one of Liz's agents, is introduced here in a scene which explains the title "At risk". One expects him to be a central figure in the story, but instead he is dropped from the plot, leaving you wondering why he was mentioned in the first place.

The tension rises as Liz and her obnoxious MI6 counterpart, Bruno Mackay, follow faint leads which gradually bring them closer to the terrorists. But the ending proves quite anticlimactic, with the stakes suddenly being lowered. Not to give away the plot twist, but when I learned who the target was, my reaction was "so what?" since little had been done to make the target a sympathetic figure whom the reader cares about. The climax is more than a little contrived, as is the supposed psychic link between Liz and the villainess, Lucy.

The book gives a fairly convincing look at the world of intelligence and counterterrorism. Also, the contrast between the privileged, sheltered world of the upper class and the vulgarity of contemporary British society is well described. However, the book is weakened by the fact that it is told from too many different points of view, often involving characters who are incidental or who disappear from the story for prolonged periods only to reappear without warning.

The book in some parts seems derivative of the Frederic Forsythe thriller "The Fourth Protocol", and suffers from the comparison. I have to agree that this would have been a top-notch thriller in the hands of a more experienced writer. However, Rimington shows considerable promise as a thriller writer and I hope her next novel will be more focused, have fewer unnecessary characters and subplots, and keep the tension rising right up to the end. Liz is a sympathetic character and I hope to see her again.