Mary C. (nursemare) reviewed on 8/12/2012 + 75 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This is the second book in a series about Gideon Crew. I read the first book, Gideon's Sword, and was immediately hooked, so I was thrilled to get my hands on this book. Though this book is an excellent thriller, it's not quite as good as the first book in the series. These are best read in order.

Gideon has a top secret position with the government. He also works for a shadowy company that serves as a subcontractor for the government. When he is summoned by the subcontractor to go help the police with an urgent hostage situation, Gideon is surprised to find that the hostage taker is a mild mannered government coworker. Thus begins the next installment in the series where conspiracies and a terrorist plot become Gideon's next assignment as well as his own personal nightmare.

Told almost entirely from the viewpoint of Gideon Crew, we are drawn into the character's life and grow to care about Gideon and the characters. The book is well written and edge of your seat enough, especially toward the climax, that you may do what I did - read non-stop until the ended. Preston and Child write so seamlessly that you would never think for a moment that the story is written by two authors; they also recap just enough to let us know what demons haunt Gideon, so if you haven't read book one first, it wouldn't be disastrous.

That all said, when Gideon is teamed up with an FBI agent, there were parts that seemed downright goofy and left me shaking my head. This section just wasn't up to par with the rest of the Preston and Child's writing. Still, on the whole, this is an excellent thriller with twists and turns that will keep you reading way past bedtime.

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