I just could not get into this book. I finally put it down after getting near the halfway point. The story seemed okay, just sort of flat to me. Not sure if it was because the book was not good, or if I'm just not in the mood for this kind of story right now. I'm disappointed that I didn't finish it but I was just slogging through it and thought, Enough is Enough! Maybe I'll give it another try down the road.... ( )

Evan Casher, who makes films, has a telephone call from his mum, she needs him to visit her straight away, it's over 2 hours away, but there is an urgency there that he cannot refuse. So begins his great adventure: Who works for the CIA? Who are the baddies and who are the good guys? Where does Carrie (his girlfriend) fit into all this?

This is an absolutely fantastic read, you never quite know where it's going to head next. I was wondering if I was going to enjoy the book initially as I had seen some low ratings, but I'm glad that didn't deter me. It was totally wonderful escapism. I enjoyed Evan as a character and enjoyed seeing him grow in his travels deeper into the world of espionage.

This is well worth a read, especially anyone who enjoys a light espionage thriller.

Review here: http://bookannelid.wordpress.com/2008... ( )

Too many double agents = mass confusion and eventual disinterest. My only Panic was that the book might not end. ( )

Can't really say more than has already been said but the last few chapters get shorter in pages so it's so tempting to have a 'one more'! It's quite a decent page-turner but a book you'll probably forget soon.

Need to concentrate a little though, the character's links are told differently by the goodies and baddies so you're not too sure who to listen to all the time...

Evan Casher is a documentary maker of some minor note, a young man on the road to success. His parents love him; he has an incredible new girlfriend; everything's going swimmingly. Until, that is, he finds his mother horrifically murdered and nearly gets killed himself. Then he discovers that everything he knew--everything he thought he knew--about his life is a lie. His parents never were the people he believed them to be, and now he's in danger--from his mother's killers, from the CIA, the FBI, and maybe, just maybe, his own friends and family. He's going to have to toss aside the sheltered life he's lived and learn to play hardball if he wants to survive.

In many ways this is a very well-constructed book. The characters come alive with detail. The plot twists and turns unexpectedly, threading its way through layer upon layer of deceit. Plenty of action kicks up the pages. So why couldn't I get into "Panic"?

The characters felt as though the author constantly held them at arms' length. They were very well-detailed to be sure, but I didn't feel close to them. I never really cared for them. Characters--and how much you identify with them--make or break a book, and they're part of what broke this book for me. Even when the book gets into Evan's head it feels like it maintains a restrained distance.

Many of the characters in this book are supposed to be worldly, experienced, intelligent, highly-competent spies and assassins. Yet they don't come across that way. Sure, it's good to show that spies and assassins aren't supermen and superwomen, that they're human and have flaws too, but these folk come across as fatally foolish and clumsy in places. I honestly couldn't believe that they'd been in business as long as they had. In particular, Evan seemed entirely too much the emergent prodigy as he battled the overwhelming forces arrayed against him--or maybe it's just that he seemed that way compared to their unprofessional antics.

Full review at ErrantDreams ( )