Gideon's Corpse

Great book! Lots of action, interesting characters and well paced. Looking forward to reading the rest of Preston and Child's books. ( )

I have a mixed review for Gideon's Corpse. The story began right where Gideon's Sword left off, updating a bit for those who might not have read the first. But after a few chapters, there was a huge information dump of basically all of Gideon's backstory, even of information they'd already given the reader. And it went on and on. I found it annoying, not so much because I knew the information from the previous book, but because it repeated info we already got in this book. Plus it was all dumped in one block. Very unlike the authors.
One problem with the first half of the book: the scenario was there was an Islamic terrorist. I thought, Really? You couldn't be more original? It's the easiest and most overdone idea in crime fiction these days. And then the cliché ramped up--Islamic terrorists with a nuclear bomb. Yawn.
Eventually there were clues that the cliché setup of the radicalized Islamic convert-turned-terrorist was some sort of red herring, and I began to have hope for the story. But I would have been happier to get some of those hints earlier, if only to avoid the feeling I was reading a cliché, cookie-cutter storyline.
I was not amused by the chainsaw fight, though. It was too horror-flick like, bordering on the ridiculous. And I have a high tolerance in fiction. If you establish something as acceptable, I'll usually go along with it. Perhaps that was the problem. Gideon was supposed to be kind of average, if more intelligent than most. Nothing in his background said he'd be able to swing chainsaws with a cult nut.
However, midway through the story, with a sudden and unexpected plot twist, the story became suspenseful, unpredictable, and more interesting. Many times I could not guess how Gideon would get himself out of the situation he'd gotten into. It was strange. The second half of the book was the caliber I'd come to expect from Preston and Child. Not sure what happened for the first half. The only problem I had after that was the closing chapter. It was rather hokey and sentimental, and I felt, extraneous and unnecessary. I kept expecting a paragraph to be the last line, and then there was more (I listened to the audiobook).
So, a mixed, ambiguous review. Not even sure how many stars to give this one. The first half is about a two star, but the second half would be at least three and a half, maybe four.
Overall, I have to say, can't wait for the next book in the Pendergast series. ( )

Gideon's Corpse is the second in a new series for Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I've listened to both and I'm not really feeling this series like I did the Pendergast books.

Gideon Crew seems like an okay character, but the pace and action in both books was just off. In this book, Gideon unwillingly teams up with various people to save America from a suspected terrorist plot to detonate a nuclear device in Washington D.C.

The plot contained one over-the-top misadventure after another as Gideon was pushed forward on his mission. The dialogue was a little stilted. Even though odd phrasing worked for Pendergast in the last series, Gideon is a more down-to-earth guy. His words ring true most of the time, but the people he interacts with just seem like characters instead of people.

Might or might not read another one. Depends on what else the library has when it comes out. ( )

NaNoLoMo #6

Gideon's Corpse by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Vision (2012), Edition: Reprint, Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages

**no spoilers**

Gideon's Corpse reintroduces us to Gideon Crew, a man with a past and very little future. If you haven't read Gideon's Sword it's okay – you'll pick up in short order, though some of the early character interactions will make a little more sense if you have. The book also leaves a number of loose ends dangling – there will be forthcoming Gideon Crew books from these authors.

Preston & Child write in their usual high definition style. There are a lot of sneaky details that are completely credible; as someone who has spent some time around Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Jemez wilderness I can follow the action in my minds' eye and know right where things are happening.

The bio/techno/terrorist premise is scary. It's truly frightening to think what a small group of terrorists might conceive of if not for the real life vigilance of the men and women protecting our country's Weapons of Mass Destruction. Fast paced and gripping, this is a story that can get inside your head and make you sit up and take notice of your surroundings. ( )

You can also read my review here: http://www.turningthepages.ca/2012/04/review-gideons-corpse-gideon-2.html

It never ceases to amaze me just how amazing these two authors are when the put their minds together. I have been reading Preston/Child books for as long as I can remember but they were always centered around Pendergast. Now, Gideon Crew has made a come back and he left a mark on me that has made this series one of my favourite mystery/suspense series of all time.

When we last saw Gideon, at the end of Gideon's Sword, he had vowed to never become involved with the EES again. However, that is exactly where he finds himself at the beginning of Gideon's Corpse.

The fast-paced action in this book were out of this world. Never before have I felt phyically ill as I anticipated what would happen next. It is not often that the twists and turns can fool readers as well as they did in this novel. Preston and Child are at their absolute best with this story. With each turn of the page, I felt like the story couldn't get any crazier and then it would. The lull's in the overall pace were so few and far between that I did not want to stop reading.

Having very few characters make appearances from one book to the other, I was very impressed with the character development in Gideon's Corpse. Each of the main characters seemed very well placed and as though they were integeral parts of the story. Not having a science or police/military background, I found that the use of language was very well suited for everyday readers but not so 'dumbed down' that those with a background in the industry would feel out of place.

Overall, a brilliant follow up in a fabulous series. These two have once again secured me as a fan for life!! ( )