Book Review: The Directive by Matthew Quirk

The Directive by Matthew Quirk 3.25 Stars

Michael Ford is getting married, but before the wedding he wants to reconnect with his brother Jack. By going to see his con-artist brother he sets into motion a downward spiral of deception. Dragged into stealing a well-kept secret that whomever possesses could make billions. The Federal Reserve Bank controls the fate of America's stock market, his theft stands to allow whoever is pulling the strings to control more than just Michael's fate. He must make the heist in order to save everything that he holds dear, but will he manage to save it all, or let it all slip through his fingers?

The Directive starts off kind of slow, but keeps just enough of your attention to keep you reading. It has several great twists and turns and does get more intense as the book goes on. We see Michael Ford trapped in a tough situation. These twists were not always unpredictable, but were still interesting. I did feel that the characters could have used a little more work. Michael Ford is the only one really developed fully. His fiance Annie is naive, and shallow; she comes across as being dense and stupid. I wish Quirk had her being a little more supportive and Michael being more honest with her instead of treating her like she is fragile, especially in regards to her father. She would have figured out his past years before this event.
I also feel that the comment on the front of the book about if you like Ludlum then you would like this book. I am not a Ludlum fan as I find him wordy, but his books have much more depth of character and way better twists to the plot. The comparison isn't really fair to Ludlum.
Overall I likely would not pick up another of Matthew Quirks books. It was good for a one-time read, but did not grab me enough to keep me going with more of his books.

Insurgent By Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (4 Stars)

Tris finds herself in a fight again, this time a completely different kind of fight. Instead of fighting to get into a faction, she is fighting to find out the truth, and free society from the lies that have kept them enslaved. Tris is willing to give up everything to stop Jeanine from keeping the truth from them; Tobias, family, factions, friends, and her own life. Her sacrifices could mean freedom, or a future unknown.
The plot just gets thicker in this installment to the Divergent series. Veronica knows how to make you twist and turn with every page. She keeps you on the edge of your seat. Her characters have depth, and change as the story line demands it. I do agree with her assessment that Tris should have shown much more grief over the loss of her parents, even the betrayal of her brother. That being said, everyone grieves in different ways, so it is hard to bottle up reactions and say everyone should react in this way. I love the ending as it brings things together and sets up for a dramatic next novel.

Book Review- Allan Folsom- Day of Confession

Allan Folsom- Day of Confession 3.75 Stars

The Cardinal Vicar of Rome has just been assassinated and Harry Addison’s brother has been listed as the number one suspect. Harry Addison in Los Angeles, got a concerning message on his answering machine from his brother whom he hasn’t spoken to in many years, right before finding out that his brother was killed in a bus explosion. Rushing to Italy to bring his brother’s body home, he finds himself being treated as a suspect in the whole plot. Throwing him into a desperate race to save his own life, and get to the bottom of things.

I hadn’t read anything by Folsom for a while and quite enjoyed the return to his books. The characters were very well crafted fitting exactly as needed, I felt like you could actually get to know them. I also love how the plot is full of twists and turns, although he tells you who the villains are pretty quick. I wish that he had left out most of the villain stuff, as it would have been a lot more intense not knowing who to look out for. I also found the constant shift from character to character to drag a bit, prefer it when only a couple of characters are focused on, as it I find it to be more nail-biting. The setting was great, who doesn’t want to spend some time in Italy and Rome? I also would like to let the author know that I highly doubt makeup would cover up nail scratches to the face that drew blood. It was a very fast-paced read though, and I would recommend it to thriller fans.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Greg Iles- 24 Hours

Greg Iles- 24 Hours 3.75 Stars

Five times before Joey, Huey, and Cheryl had pulled off their perfect kidnapping crime, only taking 24 hours to get a small payout. This time things are different Dr. Will Jennings and his wife Karen, are not going to make it easy. They don’t trust the kidnappers to keep their word, especially with what they have learned. Protecting their child is most important, they will do anything to see she is kept alive, even if it means killing someone else, or dying themselves.

The book started off a little slow for me, but picked up pretty quick. Iles grabs your attention early on and doesn’t let it go. It has many good twists, none that I would say are shocking, but you are still kept on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what is going to happen next. I did find it a little graphic in a few sections, but it was actually used to add to the tension. It also had some fluff in a few sections that slowed things down, and could have been shortened to keep things flowing. The characters were very well done, and fit into their roles perfectly. Realism was something that weakened this novel. There were sections that I wondered if the characters would have really been able to do what they did, or if they would have been willing to do some of what they did. Overall I found this novel to be a good read, but likely wouldn’t read it a second time.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Michael Connelly- The Drop

Michael Connelly- The Drop 4.75 Stars

Detective Harry Bosch has just been given his DROP date, 3 years until he must retire from the force. He has two investigations going on at once, one is a cold case from 1989 and one is a live case involving the city Councilman, Irvin Irving. The cold case involves blood found one a body of a woman raped and murdered in 1989, but the blood is that of an eight-year-old, which means that he must get to the bottom of things. The live case is a possible suicide/murder of Councilman Irvin Irving’s son. Just the kind of case Harry Bosch dreads, high jingo/politics.

I loved this book from start to finish. It starts out grabbing your attention and getting you involved in the case, not letting up at any point. I found myself curious about how it is going to turn out at every chapter. It had many twists and turns with little surprises here and there. It was very hard to set this book down, as it had me on the edge of my seat. The characters are always great and bring extra depth to the novel. I also enjoyed the reference to Castle, considering his appearances on the TV series. Overall it is definitely one I would highly recommend. One of my favourites by this author.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Harlan Coben - Miracle Cure

Harlan Coben - Miracle Cure 3.5 Stars

Michael Silverman is a famous basketball star, and his wife, Sara Lowell, is a TV journalist. They are connected politically and medically by her father. An AIDS clinic in Manhattan seems to be making great strides towards a cure, but now the cured patients are being murdered by a serial killer. Michael has been diagnosed with the disease and they must put an end to this murder spree before Michael becomes just another victim.

Harlan Coben has an introduction apologising for the fact that this book is not as strong as his later work, as this was actually book two by him. He wasn’t kidding. It was still a good read, but not one I would read more than once. Coben certainly has stronger books. He also says that this should not be the first book you read by him, again he is correct. If this had been my first Coben read I would not have read another. The plot had too much going on at times and got to be too much to follow. At some points you are following four things at one time. The twists were pretty good; it was a strong point of the plot. I also thought that the characters were expertly crafted, another redeeming quality. Overall the book was a good one time read, but not the best of Coben.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- David Stone- The Echelon Vendetta

David Stone- The Echelon Vendetta 3.5 Stars

CIA Agent Micah Dalton has just been called in to clean up the scene of his mentor’s suicide. A little digging uncovers a gruesome set of murders by a lunatic; his mentor is just one of many targets. Now he must hunt down this killer, before he completes his mission and destroys Micah in the process.

An interesting introduction for this book. It was very odd, but certainly grabs your attention. The oddity carries on throughout the whole book, and I found it to be too much at times, but it was intriguing enough to encourage me to read on. The plot was a good one containing several twists, not all of which were unpredictable, but that did not take away from them at all. I was kind of surprised that the main character did not see one of these coming, considering how obvious it was. The characters were pretty good; a couple of them could have used more depth to assist the story. I did enjoy the ending of the book as it wrapped things up nicely and sets the stage for the rest of the series.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Terence Strong- Cold Monday

Terence Strong- Cold Monday 3 Stars

After watching his wife, a UN employee, butchered while he was on a mission, Ed Coltrane left the SAS. He had been hunting down the killers for five years and come up empty. He had just moved when he was approached by his old boss to assassinate one of the killers. Now he has been dragged into the middle of something dangerous and sinister, but no one seems to know about. If he is not careful, friends may die, heck, he might die.

This book took me a really long time to get into. It just barely kept me interested enough to read on, but halfway through it did pick up and get to be a very intense read. The overall plot was very good, but the twists the author thought were going to be shocking, were extremely predictable, I had the whole book figured out just past the halfway mark. The surprising part was actually the information you find out in the epilogue. The characters were decent, but seemed a little shallow in parts. I did enjoy the action scenes, but the way they just squeak by at times bordered on the unrealistic side. Overall though it was a decent one-time read, likely would not choose this author again though.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- James Rollins- Excavation

James Rollins- Excavation 3.75 Stars

Excavating an archaeological site in the Andes, Dr. Henry Conklin and his group of students unearth an old mummy who was an old friar. The students are exploring the site and come across an underground passage filled with deadly traps. This site is filled with a vast richness, far beyond the important historical knowledge. All of this may appear wonderful on the outside, but inside, they may be unearthing something far more dangerous than they ever thought possible.

The introduction to this book was pretty good. It draws the reader in, making you want to read more and find out how it is going to tie into the rest of the book. The book kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the novel. It was a fast-paced plot with many great twists and turns. I do not usually enjoys sci-fi twists, but in the case of this novel, it fit perfectly, a little too odd for me, but overall it was well done. The characters were fairly well-crafted and assisted the storyline nicely. Overall it was an enjoyable read, although a little too sci-fi for me to keep it.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- Edge

Jeffery Deaver- Edge 4.25 Stars

Corte is a federal agent responsible for the protection/hiding of people who have information that lifters want to extract for their bosses. Henry Loving is one such lifter, the most ruthless of these lifters, and Corte has come across him once before. The last time Loving killed his mentor, this time Corte will be out for revenge, he just can’t let it cost him his charges. His current charges that Loving is after are the Kesslers. He must protect them from this madman and prevent them from giving up the information, the only problem is no one knows what information he could possible be after.

The opening section of Edge grabbed my attention and it prepared me for a great read. It was a different kind of book from some of the others I have read by Deaver, but I enjoyed it. The plot was well thought out with many great twists and turns that just keep the reader guessing and wondering what could possibly surprise you next. That being said I do often feel that he slips in one too many twists that his main characters always magically figure out and have known for a while they were just manipulating things to catch the villain. Such was the case in this one, although it didn’t really detract from the overall read. The characters were well crafted and seemed to be very realistic. I do get tired of his under-aged characters though, all the young girls say ‘like’ many times, which is not an accurate portrayal of young girls. I was also wondering why a sixteen-year-old girl would be carrying around a bear backpack. Overall though, this was a great read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Harlan Coben- Caught

Harlan Coben- Caught 3 Stars

Wendy Tynes is a reporter catching pedophiles in the act by using chat rooms as a sting operation. When she catches social worker Dan Mercer in her web, she had no idea just how much it was going to change her life. Suddenly the story gets complicated and everything seems to be amuck. Nothing makes sense anymore and the question is, was he really guilty, or was he set up?

I loved the opening line for this book. It was a great way to draw you into the book. I also loved the opening chapter as it was really good at making you want to read on. That being said it got to be a little hard to follow for the next quarter of the book as it seemed like there was so much going on and so many shifts in perspective. The plot was really well thought out though and had great twists and turns along the way. I especially enjoyed the ending, though not completely unpredictable, it was a fitting conclusion. The characters were also really well done and assisted the plot nicely. Overall it was only a decent read. Not the greatest book by this author.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Don Passman- Mirage

Don Passman- Mirage 3.75 Stars

Berger has just found out that his place of work has been bombed and he is suspect number one. The problem is, he was gone playing in a chess tournament all weekend, but all records of there having been a tournament have been wiped out. Now he must try to keep ahead of the FBI as they hunt him down. Only one person in the FBI believes him, Agent Jill Landis. Jill is a young agent with no experience in such matters, but she believes it could be a part of something much larger, and far deadlier than an office building explosion.

Interesting beginning. It makes you curious about what could be so bad and how this is going to tie into the main plot. Mirage gripped my attention all the way through; it kept up a good pace and had some good twists and turns. The major twist we find out about in the ending I did see a mile away. I wish that the author had found another way of making this less obvious. I also hate how FBI agent women in novels seem to end up sleeping with someone they aren’t supposed to in every book. The characters were pretty good though. Overall this book was a pretty good read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Ryne Douglas Pearson- Top Ten

Ryne Douglas Pearson- Top Ten 3.5 Stars

When serial killer Michaelangelo sees that the top ten most wanted list has been numbered and he is at the bottom of the list, it infuriates him. Now he is hunting down the others on the list in order to become number one. Ariel and the FBI are after this man though and they are onto what his game is. This cagey villain will be the ultimate test for her skills.

This was one of the most disturbing introductions I have read in a long time. The book was very well written, but continued to be chillingly disturbing throughout the book. The plot was twisting and weaving all the way through, working towards an explosive ending. I did have to wonder how the villain so easily tracked down all these people that the FBI could not find. The characters were pretty well done, but could have had more depth. The overall plausibility was probably my biggest problem with this novel though. As a whole the novel kept me on the edge of my seat, so I would say it was a decent read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Linwood Barclay- The Accident

Linwood Barclay- The Accident 3 Stars

                                      

Glen Garber’s wife Sheila just died in a car accident. The circumstances seem odd as he doesn’t ever remember her driving drunk before, and now his daughter must continue going to a school where they all know her mother killed two of their fellow students. As Garber digs into the mess he discovers that all may not be as it seems in his peaceful neighbourhood. Friends may not be who they claim to be and this information may just put his family into further danger.

The Accident starts off a little slow for my liking, and takes way too long to get intriguing. I felt that it was just interesting enough for me to keep reading, but when it did pick up it got pretty intense. The plot was decent, with many great twists and turns and an ending you will never see coming. That being said, I felt that there was one too many twists and the plausibility was not always there. Garber seems to be going around in circles and stumbling upon answers/dead people. Too many characters were backstabbing fiends, which kind of hurt what otherwise would have been great characterization. Overall it was an okay one time read; I would not pick it up and read it again.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- John Lutz- The Night Watcher

John Lutz- The Night Watcher 1 Stars

High rise condos are burning in Manhattan and people are dying as someone sets their sights on the rich clients within them. Detectives Stack and Rica must find this arsonist/murderer before the city turns against them in fear. As things heat up they seem to be chasing their tails, leads turn into nothing and pressure is building up from up top.

From the start of this book straight through to the end, I found myself just barely hanging on. By that I mean I nearly fell asleep. The plot was decent, but I did not think that it was well executed. It kept jumping from past, to different time in the past, to present, and then back again. This made it really hard to stay focused on the storyline. The characters were really well done, which was a redeeming quality for this book. Overall this was not a book I would recommend to anyone.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- The Burning Wire

Jeffery Deaver- The Burning Wire 4 Stars

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back as they take on a killer who is using the New York City’s electricity to murder innocent civilians. They must now find a reason behind the attacks in order to figure out just who is committing them. Stopping them may just be the scariest thing they have ever done. At the same time Rhyme is trying to put a stop to the Watchmaker who is in Mexico. He is assisting the Mexican police force and Agent Dance.

This book had a decent start to it, grabbing my attention immediately. It never really did slow down, although it didn’t hold my attention as well as it went on. I always love the twists he throws in; you know that it will never be the way he is making it seem like it is. It is amazing how he can make things suddenly completely change directions. I loved how the case concluded as well, as it wasn’t really what you expected to see. I especially loved what happened with Rhyme in the last section. The characters in this book are very well done and fit into the storyline perfectly. They have great depth and were realistic. Overall it was a good addition to this series.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Harlan Coben- Long Lost

Harlan Coben- Long Lost 3.75 Stars

When Myron Bolitar receives a strange phone call from a long lost fling asking him to go to Paris, he is reluctant to go considering his current relationship. When he finally does decide to go he finds himself thrown into the midst of something far scarier than he could have ever imagined. Even Win may not be able to help him. This cloak and dagger mystery will lead him to new places as he tries to help Terese find her daughter whom she though to be dead.

The book was a little slower to begin with, but it did pick up, albeit it took a bit. I may have preferred it to be faster-paced. When it did pick up it was quite interesting. I was happy to see this series changed up. It was the same basic plot, but we saw it spread out throughout the globe. It also went to a new depth that we have not seen in previous novels. The characters were once again very well done, and I enjoyed reading Myron and Win playing off each other so well. I did find that this novel was a little weaker overall than other books by this author, but it was still a good read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- John Lutz- The Night Caller

John Lutz- The Night Caller (2001) 3.75 Stars

Ex-NYPD detective Coop is in remission, but he just found that his daughter has been murdered. As he digs into it, he pairs up with a mystery writer, Deni, who is trying to be taken more seriously by going into nonfiction. Together they come to realize that this may be the work of a serial killer. As things heat up they have to wonder who will be coming out this investigation alive.

I wasn’t impressed with the last Lutz read, so I went into this thinking it would be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed it. It had a decent start, not great, but enough to keep me reading. I did find that it picked up and was intrigued by the characters work at trying to figure things out. The overall plot was done quite well and was executed in such a manner as to draw your desire to read on. I loved the characters as they were quite unique and although they were not all likeable, they fit quite well into their intended positions. I did have to wonder about the FBI parts as to whether they would have thought the way they did and questioned the realism in a couple of parts. The ending was very good, it was a nice way to wrap things up. Overall it was a decent read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Daniel Silva- A Death in Vienna

Daniel Silva- A Death in Vienna (Signet Books 2005) 3.75 Stars

Gabriel Allon is being called upon by Israel again. After a Jewish building in Vienna was bombed, he is secretly sent there to get to the bottom of it. He is discovering though, that the answer may not be easy to swallow. Allon may have to face the demons of Jewish past and his own families past, in order to bring this to an end.

The introduction was kind of slow and did not really grab my attention. It did pick up pretty quickly though. I did not find that it ever got be intense, but it was interesting enough to keep me reading. The overall plot was really good; it was deep and had some great twists along the way. The book had a great conclusion; it was a really creative way to wrap things up. The characters were also really well done, with some good background. I found the holocaust story sad, but interesting. Overall it was a pretty good book.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Lee Child- Second Son

Lee Child- Second Son (Dell Books 2012) 3.75 Stars

Jack Reacher is thirteen and his family has just been moved to a military base near Okinawa, Japan. Now he and his brother Joe must adjust and fit in with the kids in the neighbourhood. Jack Reacher will handle them in the only way he knows, with his fists.

The introduction was kind of boring, but it does provide some insight into the background of Reacher’s family. The whole story is great for adding depth to this character and showing where he learned to be the way he is. It was interesting to see how little he has changed over the years. He was a ladies man then and still is. He was a tough bruiser with a great brain back then and he still is. I do find it a little hard to believe that he connected all the dots the way he did. Overall though it was a pretty good read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/