The Givenchy Code

A cute and light read, perfect for beach-reading. Just a few pages in you already know the plot, but that was okay because watching the characters solve the puzzles was entertainment enough. This isn't a deep book at all, the puzzles aren't complicated nor are they really given to the reader to figure out, but if you have a passing interest in puzzles and codes you'll be entertained enough by their use.

I don't know what genre this book is categorized as but from what I read I would call it a cross between chick lit and romantic suspense. Melanie (Mel) is a grad student at NYU with a BS in mathematics and history. Stryker is an ex-marine who has recently started his own security business. The plot involves a game that appears to be morphed from an on-line computer game called Play.Survive.Win where there are three players: a target, a protector, and an assassin. Of course, Mel is the target and Stryker is the protector and Lynx, the assassin is trying to hunt her down and kill her. The game is like a scavenger hunt involving clues and cyphers only with deadly consequences. The story is told partly in first person from Mel's POV and show more third person from Stryker's and Lynx's POV.

I loved the clues, cyphers, and cryptology aspect of this book. I was able to figure out some of the clues before the H/H (one clue involved the formulas for a circle and a line which I immediately recognized - cool!). The action was fast-paced and non-stop. I couldn't put it down and I finished it in a day. There were scores of references to designer brands (too many) and current trends. The ending seemed to be typical chick lit in that there was just a sense that they would get together again and maybe start a real relationship. (Grade: B+) show less

Take this book for what it is, fluffy, funny chick lit. I enjoyed it and love those kinds of fun reads. One of the most thrilling/fun suspense novels I have read in a long time. It's like a chicklit version of Da Vinci Code, quite smart too. I enjoyed the real-life tie-ins, the fantasies about bumping into celebrities, shopping in NY, being Sydney Bristow in ALIAS--becuase who doesn't want to be cool, sexy and smart. And Stryker? Yummy! It was cool and creepy that the clues where specific to the target's life. Much more intellectually stimulating than your typical Bridget-Jones type novel.

I loved the plot of this book. A billionaire makes it so that his famous online game is to be brought into the real world after his death. The game essentially involves only three players, an assassin, a target, and a protector. The target is assigned a protector and is given a starting clue which leads to another clue and so on. The game doesn’t end until either the target is killed or solves the final clue. It sounds simple, but there are more rules to the game and it’s really fun to watch the characters run all over New York trying to stay ahead of the assassin. The book is fast paced and it manages to be believable as to why and how the characters got involved in the game.

First off, I love Julie Kenner. Her Demon series is funny, witty, and all of them are page-turners. I was a little disappointed in The Givenchy Code. Some parts I had to read twice to understand what was happening. A lot of modern conveniences tie-in with the book like a game site, GPS tracking, and even a modern lay out of New York. Some parts were cheesy while some parts seemed rush. It's a nice light read if you're in the mood for a thrilling chick lit book!

This book was entertaining and went by really fast. The writing was nothing special and the plot was clearly derivative - generic chicklit + da Vinci code. As in the da Vinci Code, part of the fun is in the two main characters solving all the clues. That book had tourist-blurbs on all the different European locales, here Kenner tries to integrate the scenery in New York by having a personal connection to her narrator, Melanie.

Melanie narrates from the first person, but there are also 3rd person narratives from Stryker, the impossibly handsome man who helps her, and their antagonist Lynx. Don't think that the 3rd person narratives really added anything except to give Stryker some angst and reasons why he needed to protect Melanie, and show more reveal some of Lynx's tactics, which could have been done in a better way.

The story is typical chicklit with a spin - the heroine is competent in her career area (genius at cracking codes) but has horrible luck in love (a condescending ex). She and the man she eventually falls in love with (Stryker) at first clash, though not in the typical way - she thinks he's trying to kill her. There's also a third man in the triangle, but instead of being a bad boyfriend, he is actually trying to kill her.

The plot has fashion-obsessed, ditzy Melanie suddenly forced to solve clues to stay alive - some online game come to life. Not a bad way to pass the time, but doesn't compare to the best chicklit. show less

There is a cool, techie vibe running through this fashion obsessed answer to the Da Vinci Code. Quick and fun while you're reading it, but I don't feel particularly compelled to keep in on my shelf.