Simple Genius by David Baldacci

Synopsis

Private Investigator Sean King and his long-time friend and PI partner Michelle Maxwell are back for a return engagement in Baldacci's Simple Genius. And from the first page it is painfully obvious that Sean has his hands full keeping his partner from self-destructing.

As Michelle attempts to get her life together, Sean is going deep into debt to help her out, when he is hired to investigate a mysterious murder at Camp Peary, a mysterious government facility used by the CIA to train spies. King also visits Babbage Town,a top-secret facility housing an odd collection of quantum physicists and computer scientists working on a very interesting program.

The complicated story lines move along at a rapid pace, making this a top-shelf thriller a great read. Baldacci fans will devour this story from beginning to end.

My Two Cents Worth

I read a novel for much the same reason I watch movies - to be entertained. I want a story that captures my attention and engages my mind, leaving me with a feeling of satisfaction. You get that with a movie by George Lucas or Steven Spielberg, or in a novel by Grisham, Clancy or Baldacci - the masters of storytelling. You can trust them when you spend your money or invest your time with them.

In Simple Genius, Baldacci delivers again. His characters are personable yet complex, and he never "gets in the way" of telling the story. The pace is quick but natural and the twists and turns of the plot are always clever and compelling.

Simple Genius was different from the Baldacci novels I have read to date, but I enjoyed it a great deal, and I think you will, too. There is a reason he is at the top of the international bestseller list. He delivers.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Forgive me, but I am going to break from my normal format of first offering a short Synopsis of the book, followed by My Two Cents Worth.

I feel like I just read the same 500 page book for the third time. Just see the summaries of The DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons - the story lines are nearly identical, but in The Lost Symbol we are in Washington DC discovering the long lost secrets of the Masons instead of the Knights Templar in England, or the Catholic Church in Rome.

"A diabolical madman is threatening to destroy the world's religious orders by exposing the 'truth' through a series of secret codes, paintings, rituals, and ancient symbols. At stake is the most significant treasure the world has ever known. If the treasure falls into the hands of the evil one, chaos will ensue, all of the world's religions will be exposed as fraudulent and cease to exist. It is up to Robert Langdon to solve the cryptic riddles and thwart the evil one and stop the human sacrifices." This could preface any of the three books.

Seriously, I respect an author's right to sell his work and become wealthy doing so, but this is a study in redundancy. His formula for selling a blockbuster is much too shallow and transparent, much like the National Treasure movies. The first one was cutting edge and captured the imagination, but the later installments were written and produced for no other reason than to cash in on the success of the original. We were sold the same story with a different cover.

I can't help but feel like The Lost Symbol was commissioned by Hollywood to support the sequel to The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. A screenplay masquerading as a novel.

The most important thing to remember is that all three of these books are works of FICTION. Despite the ingenious marketing campaign that promoted the controversy of Brown's ability to blur the line between Biblical scripture and and conspiracy theory, the entire premise is purely fictional.

I did enjoy the book, as I love the cryptic puzzles; it was a compelling story. However, if you expect The Lost Symbol to be anything other than a repackaging of the first two books, you will surely be disappointed. Save your money.

Hardback
528 pages
6 1/4 hours

Double Cross by James Patterson

Synopsis

In this, the thirteenth installment for super-cop Alex Cross, he finds himself once again returning to the streets to catch a diabolical duo of killers. Pursuing a genius serial killer who thrives on killing his victims in front of the largest crowds he can muster, Cross has his hands full. Known as the "Audience Killer," he delights in murdering famous people in broad daylight and on live television. He posts streaming video on the Internet, all the while taunting and threatening to make Cross his ultimate victim.

As if this is not enough to keep Cross and his partner Bree Stone busy, former colleague and friend, Kyle Craig, performs a dramatic prison break and is bent on exacting his revenge on Cross for putting him in maximum security prison for four long years.

Craig and the "Audience Killer" are destined to team up and make life short and miserable for the retired detective.The action is fast-paced and the suspense is palpable in this high-tech crime thriller.

My Two Cents Worth

After a couple of unremarkable efforts, Patterson is back. Double Cross is probably the best effort in the series of Cross novels.

The plot is complicated and boasts some ingenious twists and turns, but very well developed and engaging. Patterson sets a scorching pace and keeps the reader completely engrossed in the story line. The prose is cohesive and concise and he paints a compelling story.

Cross is still bigger-than-life, but unlike some of the previous books, the action doesn't suffer from lapses in reality. I found it refreshing to be completely consumed in a story for a change.

Double Cross delivered, big-time.

Paperback
432 pages
5 1/2 hours

Outrage by Dick Morris and Eileen Mcgann

Synopsis

We live in a time in American history when our moral values, our convictions, and the safety of our nation is threatened by the law of the politically correct. Everything you see on the news, read in the newspaper and hear on the radio has been filtered in some form or fashion by the "PC" sieve. That is what makes a book like Outrage stand out like a pink elephant at a cocktail party.

Critics have labeled the book a "rant," and for the most part, it is - at least that's the way you would feel if you hold the PC ideology near and dear. The subject of the book is U.S. politics and in it Morris presents a long list of topics sure to touch a nerve and stir a sense of, well, outrage.

The list includes:

• Immigration - the borders are not the primary problem, it is an accountability issue


• The United Nations - a worldwide scandal ignored


• The ACLU - American hypocrisy personified


• The U.S. Congress - we pay, they play


• The Patriot Act - PC vs. Common Sense


• Teachers Unions - Bad teachers getting paid to stay home vs. merit pay for performance


• Pharmaceutical Companies - profits over public health


• Fannie Mae - the Democratic Enron


• The bankruptcy bill - not what it used to be


• Government student loans - robbery without limits


• Insurance scams - the media left town when the floods receded - A little help here?!?


• Tobacco Companies - 21st century shell game


• Crooked politicians - American friends or foes?


• Trade Protection and Special Interests - the public is not smart enough to notice . . .

Morris names the crooks, both Democrat and Republican, and lets the heads fall where they may.

My Two Cents Worth

Dick Morris is not the kind of guy you want living next door. He has a VERY large list of VERY powerful people who would probably prefer that he would quietly just go away.

As a former advisor to Bill Clinton for 20 years, Dick made a living of irritating conservatives. After a public shunning from the Clinton administration, he has turned his attention to irritating the other half of the political nation, the liberals, with equal success. He has remarkable audacity, leading one to believe he must also have a remarkable security detail following him 24/7.

Dick doesn't simply expose the corruption, he names names. Lots of names. Regardless of your political persuasion, he makes you mad. He makes you want to look up the phone number or email address or your congressman or senator and do a little venting of your own.

The thing that keeps this book from being just another political "rant" is the way Morris offers plausible and common sense solutions to each of the atrocities he mentions. Whether his proposed solutions would actually work is subject to debate, but at face value they make sense. That is more than you can say for the convoluted and frustrating solutions we have recently witnessed in the congressional "bailout" legislation.

I am not a big fan of Mr. Morris when he spars with Bill O'Reilly of FOX News fame, but you have to admire his perspective. After all, I have yet to hear any of the people named in this book mount a serious rebuttal to his claims.

I liked the book and I found it refreshing to read copy that isn't at all concerned about being politically correct. Call a liar a liar and a crook a crook - if you are wrong, you will most certainly be contacted by an attorney. I particularly liked the Notes section that corresponds with the chapters of the book as a sort of bibliography. It's almost 50 pages in length and adds to the credibility of the copy.

I can't wait to share this with some selected friends.

Hardback

303 pages

2 1/2 hours

Silent Prey by John Sanford

Synopsis

Silent Prey picks up where Eyes of Prey ends, with Lucas and Bekker squaring off once more. The deranged killer escapes the courthouse and disappears, if only for a moment. Set primarily in New York, Lucas is recruited by his former partner (and love interest) Lily Rothenburg to once again get the murderer off the streets.

The plot thickens considerably as Lucas learns of a secret fraternity of vigilantes, thought to be cops, involved in as many as 40 murders of some of the city's most prolific criminals.

As the two complex story lines merge in the final few chapters, Sanford delivers some of his most ingenious twists and surprises. * * *

My Two Cents Worth

I am a Sanford fan and I appreciate his storytelling skills. He can engage a reader and deliver a satisfying array of characters, clever dialogue, and cohesive plot lines. But let's face it - they can't all be blockbusters.

As I am apt to review the book and not the entire series, I did not read Eyes of Prey prior to picking up the sequel.

I thought the book started well - the first 42 pages presented a compelling courtroom scene and a clever escape plan, which set the story on a fast pace. The following 82 pages, however, slowed to a crawl as the complex subplot was introduced and the relationship between Lucas and Barbara Fell was developed. The dialogue between the cops was convincing, but the pace suffered. At about page 124, the action resumed and the story gained momentum that was maintained throughout the remainder of the book. The final 48 pages were riveting as the plots came together nicely and completely.

I thought the author's descriptions of Bekker's thoughts were very interesting when he was hallucinating through the drugs while enduring his psychotic murder plans.

My biggest complaint with this book was the way Sanford seemed to outsmart himself with the complexities of the plot and subplot. I got lost for a while among the numerous characters and their involvement with the action. The "Robin Hood" story line was a little confusing and not well established throughout the book. I found myself referring to my notes far too often for comfort.

Also of note, I do not mind the colorful language in moderation - it adds to the realism of the characters- but I was offended by the liberal use of the G-D phrase.

I enjoyed the book and did not feel hindered by not having read the sequel - the characters and plot survived on their own merit. The beginning and end were terrific, but the middle chapters were cloudy.

Paperback
358 pages
5 hours