Rules of Deception
by Christopher Reich
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Book Reviews of Rules of Deception
Book Review: Amusing thriller fluff
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this book on the basis of a positive review in the NY Times. I couldn't put it down, in other words it is a compelling read.
The more problematic aspects have to do with characterizations (or lack thereof) and plotting. You don't necessarily expect a book in the thriller genre to have subtle and well thought out characterizations, so I'll let that pass. But there are a couple of implausibilities in the plot that are, as my wife likes to put it, "big enough to drive a Mack truck through."
I can't go into details about these gaffes without being a spoiler, but they were problematic enough to degrade the reading experience for both my wife and myself. Suffice it to say: you are warned. If you buy this book (a) you won't be able to put it down; and (b) after reading it you will wonder why the author wasn't more careful with some of his premises, and also why he didn't connect the dots in the plot a bit better.
BTW - the prose is servicable but not elegant, and the James Bond style travelogue stuff (a necessity in a spy thriller) excellent.
Bottom line: I'm giving this book four our of five stars for its keep-me-awake-and-distracted readability.
Book Review: 3 1/2 Stars -- Has All The Elements To Be A Topnotch Thriller... But Overall Is Just An Okay Read!
Summary: 3 Stars
Rules Of Deception has all the individual ingredients that should have resulted in it being a surefire winning international espionage thriller -- e.g., lots of action and suspense, interesting locales, a plot based heavily on today's world events, high-tech weaponry, etc. However, Rules Of Deception, in my opinion, wound up being a just a notch above average. This is due to Reich's being just an okay writer in terms of developing multidimensional, real-life characters and credible dialogue. While Rules Of Deception held my interest from beginning to end, I rarely felt compelled to stay glued to my seat in order to find out what was to happen next, and much of what does happen you'll probably be able to anticipate well in advance. Rules Of Deception is not a bad book. In fact, it is an okay read and the type of book that would be good for a day at the beach or a long airplane ride. It, however, is not one I'd recommend that you rush out to buy and put at the top of your to-be-read list.
A book that I would very highly recommend you put at the very top of your reading list is Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.
Book Review: Take Me Along
Summary: 4 Stars
To the shore, that is. This is the perfect beach book. An international/espionage/thriller, it has all the right ingredients: a likeable hero, drawn into something he doesn't quite understand but can't resist solving/saving/defeating; exotic locales, chiefly Swiss; high-tech weaponry; interagency governmental rivalry; the risk of a nuclear exchange; a rumpled but decent policeman; a wife with a secret life; a relative who may or may not be trustworthy; horrifying agencies with bland names; snow, crevasses, and black ice; and last, but certainly not least, a confrontation between the Israelis and the Iranians. The runaway-freight train plot never lets up until the final bullet is fired, the final windshield is blown and the final wound gushes with blood. This is exactly the summer novel we've been waiting for. I held back a star because the writing is often over the top and rough around the edges, but this won't bother the majority of readers. In fact, given the overheated nature of the story, they might even expect it.Book Review: Conspiracies abound.
Summary: 3 Stars
This book has everything. Terrorists, spies galore, competing US gov't. intelligence agencies, the Middle East AND Israel AND Europe,and a hero or two and a heroine thrown in for good measure. About halfway through, the author reveals the main antagonist, and, from then on, it becomes a race against time for the good guys. It's just that I found it all a little contrived and pretty uninteresting. This type of story is not my cup of tea. Maybe this kind of stuff does go in the real world, but, if it does, of which I am not totally convinced, there is nothing I can do in my world to change it, so, I find it a little hard to relate to the story. Yeah, yeah, I know it's fiction, but I believe this book more rightly belongs in the fantasy category.
If you are reading this review, then I trust you will have read others, which may have been written by those who enjoy international spy thrillers. I do not. And, I did not like this book. End of review.
Book Review: Reads like a forgettable film...
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't read much of the spy thriller genre, but when I do, I hope that the author can match wits with the likes of someone from the intelligence community. Too much to ask, you say? Okay, well then how 'bout a little character development? How about some insightful historical context? No... ? A bit of thoughtful dialogue then, with one or two brilliant uses of descriptive "takes you there" scenery or witty turn of phrase? Alright, forget it. Can we have one or two cool spy gadgets and a wee bit of love and sexual tension?
In the end I couldn't finish it, even though I tried as it was a gift from a friend. Based on the first half though, I figure that that and the second half will probably show up on some daytime movie channel someday. Who knows, it might hold my attention until my workout's over on the treadmill...
May be a real page-turner for other folks, but it looks like Christopher Reich's works are not for me.