NekkidBlogger Bookblog » Thriller

The Tightrope Men, by Desmond Bagley

Nekkidblogger — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:26:04 +0000

The Tightrope Men is another of the high quality, exceptionally well written and very tightly plotted classic thrillers by Desmond Bagley. Bagley’s writing is among the best ever in the thriller genre.

Giles Denison has a strange experience. His life is turned upside down when he awakes to find himself in a luxurious hotel in Oslo and, peering into the bathroom mirror, discovers the face of another man!

Denison has been kidnapped from his flat in London and transformed into famous Finnish scientist, Dr Harold Feltham Meyrick. Compelled to adjust to his new persona (including meeting his daughter) and to play out the role assigned to him by his captors, he embarks on a dangerous escapade from Norway to Finland and across the border into Soviet Russia.

As many other Bagley thrillers, this too has a plot that actually twists and characters that actually develop without too much unnecessary detail. The great use of geographical description – giving you the feeling that you are there, looking, seeing the place, along with the fast pace keep the pages turning. The Tightrope Men is another great read from an author who deserves to be much better known than he is.

The Satan Bug, by Alistair Maclean

Nekkidblogger — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:09:23 +0000

This thriller was written in 1962 by Alistair MacLean under the pen name Ian Stuart. The Satan Bug is an intelligent and very interesting thriller dealing with biological weapons – a theme which unfortunately is no less of a threat today than it was at the time when the book was written.

The story revolves around the theft of two germ warfare agents, botulinum toxin and the indestructible Satan Bug (a laboratory-conceived derivative of poliovirus), from the Mordon Microbiological Research Establishment. Pierre Cavell, private detective and retired head of security for Britain’s Mordon Bio-weapon laboratory, is called back to public service to investigate the murder of the chief of the laboratory. Cavell quickly discovers that an incredibly virulent virus code-named the Satan Bug has been stolen.

Cavell’s investigation determines that the theft was an inside job by a ruthless criminal ready to run insane risks to achieve his goals. Cavell and the police must quickly find this man and the hostages he takes before he can escape or use the deadly virus. The chase takes Cavell and his police allies to London for a final showdown with the master criminal and his gang, where the stakes may include the destruction of the City of London.

The Satan Bug is well written, with fast paced action, and features a very twisting plot, excellent and sometimes ironic dialogue, along with the nail-biting finale that MacLean was so famous for. Highly recommended for fans of Alistair MacLean!

The Power Broker, by Stephen Frey

Nekkidblogger — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:56:25 +0000

This is the third book in Stephen Frey’s series featuring Christian Gillette. Unfortunately, it is not quite as good as the previous two.

Christian, the CEO of Everest Capital, a hugely successful Manhattan-based investment firm, faces a host of adversaries, chief among them the Order, a secret society made up of nine white American businessmen and government leaders whose predecessors have been manipulating financial and historical events since the society’s inception in 1839. Led by Jackson Prescott Hewitt, chairman of U.S. Oil, the Order fears that America is falling under the control of minorities whose agendas include statehood for Puerto Rico and Mexico and the election of the nation’s first African-American president.

As usual in Frey’s books there is murder, global conspiracy, treason, blackmail, high finance and sexual infidelity. However, but I miss a little bit in this book is the financial thriller aspect. This is instead a large scale conspiracy book, a genre which Frey does not master nearly as well.

For sure, there is a lot of action, but the lack of a plausible financial thread to it all means that in this book the thread lines are somewhat loosely coupled and solutions seem to more or less come drifting along when needed. In my opinion The Power Broker is one of the weaker Stephen Frey novels, and I will only recommend it to people wanting to read the whole series about Christian Gillette.

Eaters of the Dead, by Michael Crichton

Nekkidblogger — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:28:41 +0000

This book by Michael Crichton was filmed in 1999 with Antonino Banderas: The 13th Warrior. The movie is in this case better than the book.

Eaters of the Dead is set in the 10th century. The Caliph of Baghdad sends his ambassador, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, to the king of the Volga Bulgars. He never arrives but is instead captured by a group of Vikings. This group is sent on a hero’s quest to the north. Ahmad ibn Fadlan is taken along, as the thirteenth member of their group, to bring good luck. There he battles with the ‘mist-monsters’, or ‘Neanderthals’.

Eaters of the Dead is narrated as a scientific commentary on an old manuscript. A sense of authenticity is supported by occasional explanatory footnotes with references to a mixture of factual and fictitious sources.

Eaters of the Dead is a a good and interesting read, but in my opinion not among Michael Crichton’s best.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, by Jeffrey Archer

Nekkidblogger — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:41:21 +0000

This is the book that to a large extent made Jeffrey Archer famous and as a world class bestseller writer. Harvey Metcalfe, a self-made American millionaire, finalizes an elaborate scam in which he cheats four strangers out of a million dollars. They all thought they would be rich, but the next day they discover that they are penniless. However, they decide to work together to get the one million dollars back from Harvey Metcalfe, using whatever means necessary.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less is fun, it is full of plots, has humor, irony, good characterizations and interesting characters, and is a great read as well. However, the writing style is a little mechanical and simple, and not quite as good as in Jeffrey Archer’s later books. However, even today it provides great entertainment and is a book you should not miss out on.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was televised in 1990 by the BBC.

(Order Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer from amazon UK (clicking the picture takes you to amazon US).

See more reviews of Jeffrey Archer’s books!

First Family, by David Baldacci

Nekkidblogger — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:26:07 +0000

In First Family we meet again the former Secret Service agents, now private investigators, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. They are hired by Jane Cox, the First Lady, to find her young niece who has been abducted. Twelve-year-old Willa Dutton has gone missing; snatched from her suburban Virginia home by heavily-armed men who left her mother lifeless on the kitchen floor.

This is the fourth book featuring this duo. They also appear in Split Second, Hour Game and Simple Genius. They are smart, deadly, good-looking, and attracted to one another. But somehow I don’t really catch on to them – they never really come alive for me. Baldacci is a great writer, and I am a fan of his, but I think he should get rid of these two guys.

First Family is a thick book with lots of twists and turns, a plot slightly on the implausible side, full of politics, scandals and plenty of intense action. It is all here: corruption, greed, lust, betrayal, cover-ups, and so on.

Baldacci’s excellent writing compensates for weaknesses in the plot and largely unattractive heroes. And, guess what, the terrorist is not an Arab! Rather it’s a Vietnam War veteran with a grievance. And as the investigation proceeds, some dark truths about the first family start to emerge. Sean and Michelle start making discoveries about things that are concealed, dubious deals, unscrupulous actions, and infidelity.

It’s a fun, entertaining read, a book that sucks you in after a beginning that is a tad slow. First Family is not the best Baldacci I have read, but well worth reading, and quite good entertainment.

Gone Tomorrow, by Lee Child

Nekkidblogger — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:42:29 +0000

Gone Tomorrow is the 13th novel in the Jack Reacher series (see also the review of Nothing to Lose). It is a strange and strangely appealing series. And it is one of the most successful thriller series in the world, currently selling six million books or so a year.

Jack Reacher himself is clearly part of the answer to the question of why this series is so successful. He is a retired Army MP, 6-foot-5, with a very distinguished career apparently (albeit one which is never quite revealed in its entirety, rather only hinted at). Now he is a drifter who finds big trouble wherever he goes has adapted a weird life style.

Jack Reacher is a born street fighter with enormous fighting skills. He owns nothing, buys a new set of clothes when the current set gets dirty, cleans up, puts on the new clothes and throws away the old set. He is a somewhat mysterious, elusive, and strange character – and sufficiently different from the rest of us to be attractive in his differentness.

In Gone Tomorrow we meet up with Jack Reacher on the New York subway late at night. He happens to see a passenger, Susan Mark, that acts strangely and in a way that makes Reacher conclude that she is a suicide bomber on a mission. He approaches her, and instead of setting off a bomb, she commits suicide. This could have been the end of the story, but it turns out to be the beginning.

All of a sudden Reacher – just a witness, an innocent bystander – is chased by the FBI, the Department of Defense, NYPD and a strange group of terrorists. Susan Mark had something a lot of people are willing to go to great lengths to get hold of, and they all suspect or fear that Reacher may know where it is. So now Reacher must flee or fight for his life. And as Reacher never backs out a challenge, there will be trouble. Big trouble.

Gone Tomorrow is definitely one of the best of the series. Perhaps it is even the best so far. It is a fast paced thriller with an intricate plot, lots of great action, a slowly unfolding mystery and an explosive and very violent conclusion. It has good guys, shady guys and really bad guys. And lots of flat-out-violence. But at the same time it is a smart thriller with lots of good, sound, deductive reasoning. A great mix. I loved it.mYou do not want to miss out on Gone Tomorrow!

Numbered Account, by Christopher Reich

Nekkidblogger — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:51:44 +0000

Numbered Account is very good; especially considering it is a debut book. But, as we now know, Christopher Reich is an author with lots of talent, and he has since produced a number of great bestsellers. So, in hindsight, the quality of this book is not at all as surprising as it must have been when it was published.

The plot is interesting, rich and with more than sufficient drive to create excitement. It requires a little bit of a leap of faith to jump into it, but once you do, it is a smooth and fast ride. The beginning is a bit slow, but Reich is great when he describes the Swiss bank system, and is very intriguing to enter the world of the private banking in Switzerland.

The main character, Nick Neumann, has it all. He has a Harvard degree, a beautiful fiancée, and a star-making Wall Street career. But behind all of that is a man haunted by the brutal killing of his father seventeen years before.

Nick wants the truth and is willing to sacrifice his career, love, and future for a crack at untangling the mystery surrounding his father’s death. To do this, he takes a job at the prestigious United Swiss Bank, the venerable financial cornerstone of Geneva and his father’s former employer. Before he can begin his investigation, however, disturbing events come into play: One portfolio manager is dead, another had a “nervous breakdown,” and his training manager is jumping ship to cast accounts with their staunch enemy.

Nick is soon caught in a ruthless conspiracy that stretches around the world and far into his personal life. There is murder, revenge, and first-rate espionage as well as plenty of action, but even so Numbered Account is a thinking person’s thriller, a refreshing break from the old standbys.

Terminal Freeze, by Lincoln Child

Nekkidblogger — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:10:50 +0000

Terminal Freeze is an enjoyable book and well written. The story in the book, where some unknown monster is on the loose and is killing people, is a theme that has been used before, by others. The fact that this takes place up in the high north of Alaska, opens up for some dramatic twists which Child masterfully puts into use.

As a group of scientists do research at a remote military base in Alaska, they discover a prehistoric beast frozen in ice. And, when news of the find reaches the cable television network which sponsors the expedition, Emilio Conti, a legendary documentary filmmaker, goes to the scene. He plans to film the thawing of the animal on live TV. But the beast has other plans, and suddenly the scientists along with the film crew find their lives are threatened.

Child’s writing is easy to follow, clear, fluid and good. Child is also very good at slowly building up anticipation and suspense. To really get excited, however, you must be willing to suspend your disbelief a little, as the creature involved is extraordinarily fierce and complex. If you do that, then this is an extraordinary and very interesting tale full of excitement and human ingenuity!

Personally, I think I liked Child’s previous book Deep Storm a little better. Even so I definitely recommend Terminal Freeze. A good SF thriller!

First Daughter, by Eric van Lustbader

Nekkidblogger — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:54:03 +0000

This is a thriller featuring a newly elected – but still not inaugurated – president in some future point in time, in an America where the religious right seems to be much stronger than now. Alli Carson, the 19-year-old daughter of the U.S. president-elect, moderate Republican Edward Carson, is abducted a month before her father’s inauguration to be programmed to do something truly terrible at the inauguration ceremony.

ATF agent Jack McClure, who has previously come to the attention of Edward Carson, is chosen to play a prominent role in the search for Alli, primarily because she was the boarding-school roommate of his now-deceased daughter, Emma. Jack faces many difficulties, chief among them his own severe dyslexia. As we learn more about him, it becomes evident that he is a mess. He struggles with the demons of his youth, and has severe guilt over the death of his daughter and a very problematic and unresolved relationship to his ex-wife.

The unnamed current president, who makes religion the basis for all his decisions, wants to use the search as an excuse for all-out war on his enemies, the First American Secular Revivalists and their secret partners, the E-Two terrorist group.

Lustbader does a fine job of depicting the search for Alli, but I found the story and plot clear enough and good, but at the same time Lustbader mixes into the brew this time some confusing political message will leave many readers wondering what the book was really about. Also, the side stories and background provided in flashbacks was not all that interesting and oftentimes not all that relevant either. I think of this book primarily as a book for Lustbader fans.