Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Gideon’s Sword summed up in one word; Predictable.  The story starts out by introducing Gideon Crew and the death of his father that young 12 year old Gideon witnessed. Forever haunted by that one moment, Gideon vows revenge one person that took his father and ultimately his family away from him…all that just in the first few chapters.

Gideon’s unorthodox methods are noticed by a private contracting firm working closely with Homeland Security and ask Gideon, to track down a rouge scientist who is defecting to the United States from China with plans that might tip the power for world domination. Little does Gideon know, several governments want what he has yet to uncover.

Gideon's Sword is not worth the wait. Not even worth the purchase.  Recommend purchasing from used discount bin or rescue from neighborhood book burning. Waste of time unless you are desperate and have nothing else to read.

2 JAGS

Where have all the leaders gone? By Lee Iacocca/Catherine Whitney

“Where have all the leaders gone?” should be a must read before the all citizens of the United States head to the election booth in the coming year.  A candid look at the current state of our nation from one of America’s revolutionary CEO’s of the auto industry, Lee Iacocca draws from years of experience spanning many living Presidents. Lee Iacocca touches on subjects ranging from The Patriot Act, Democracy in the Middle East and the declining manufacturing in the US.

Originally dated before the 2008 election, the points made in this book are still valid today and should be addressed in the coming 2012 GOP primary and eventually the Presidential race. Iacocca delivers a simple and interesting approach at getting America back to work and on top as the world’s leading producer.  

“Where have all the leaders gone?” reminds us the limitless potential of the American spirit and how its own greatness will help right the course for the working class to reconnect with the American Dream.  The questions Lee Iacocca purposes offer simple ways to question our leaders about the decisions they are making and if it is what is right by the American people.

8 JAGS

The Hound of the D’Urbervilles by Kim Newman

When it comes to The Hound of the D’Urbervilles, quite honestly, I am on the fence. A HUGE, HUGE fan of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes series since as early as I can remember, I was ecstatic when I came across this story of Holmes’s arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty and this revamped version told from the most popular criminal genius in literature.  In the end, I only enjoyed 4 out of the 7 stories, and even then I was left wanting more.

The stories are mirrored like the Sherlock trilogy, told from the point of view from Moriarty’s partner in crime and 2^nd in command, Colonel Moran.  Instead of the inner workings and quasi intellectual behavior we read in Watson’s chronicles of Holmes, Moran takes center stage in most of the tale and little is mentioned of Professor Moriarty and his consulting circle of crime.

Hats off to Kim Newman and her attempt at recreating magic with a popular character from literature in The Hound of the D'Urbervilles, but in the end, the idea was there, but the execution was off the mark.

4 JAGS

The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Passage by Justin Cronin is 766 pages of pure story telling. Set right before the fall of mankind and then finally in a post-apocalyptic US, this story is about survival against man and its creation. A new spin on vampirism, The Passage is a breath of fresh air which stays away from the dime-store novella of typical blood and fangs.

Set 100 years into the future, this story follows the lives of a Colony and the verge of its defeat from the Dracs that hunt the remaining survivors. With little left in resources, a band of ordinary citizens and a mysterious child venture outside of the security of the walls to find other survivors.

Excellent read and hard to put down, The Passage is a great purchase.  Highly recommended and a definite keeper for your personal library.  This is a book you can revisit time and time again to reread a journey that will continue to surprise you with every turn of the page.

8 JAGS

The Last Patriot by Brad Thor

Brad Thor’s heroine character Scot Harvath is once again forced into a covert operation to protect the US in the latest installment in The Last Patriot. This espionage tale of intrigue has America facing its toughest opponent still to date, fundamentalist Islam, with a twist of US history and America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson. Scot Harvath must trust unlikely allies in a race to protect one of the world’s most important archeological finds that could help win the war on terrorism.

Standard Thor novel which is typical of a government conspiracy that beats the likes of Brad Meltzer, rivals the imagination and storytelling of Robert Ludlum, but stands alone in originality and storyline. An excellent thriller to read while waiting for the laundry to get done, or your delayed plane to arrive-A definite pick up new, used or borrow from a friend.  Brad Thor’s plausible thriller of real life issues leaves the reader wondering how much truth can be borrowed from the headlines before it becomes all to real.

6 JAGS