Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Grand Central Publishing (2011), Edition: 1, 356 pages
Description
"At age 12, Gideon Crew witnessed the brutal murder of his father. More than 20 years later, Gideon gets his revenge. But then a mysterious witness steps forward to confront Gideon on his crime--and offer him the chance of a lifetime"--Provided by publisher.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Have you ever eaten instant mashed potatoes? Yeah, so have I, unfortunately. So, do you like ‘em? Ugh, me neither. I don’t think there’s a real potato within 10 miles of the factory.
So why am I starting a book review with mashed potatoes? Because the latest effort by the writing team of
What’s the disconnect? I’ve given it some thought. Back when Relic and its bastard offspring Reliquary were written, Pendergast was a supporting character. He was weird and certainly a force in Relic, but he wasn’t yet the eye of the tornado he is now. By the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, the writers knew what they had on their hands, but even then I’m not sure they knew exactly where they were going. That worked. That forced them to only give us small details; tidbits of information about Pendergast and his shadowy past. Teasing us into wanting more and more. Piling one puzzling clue upon another, leaving questions unanswered. It was one of the best sales techniques I’ve been the willing victim of. As preposterous as he is, there is enough, I don’t know, heft, to Pendergast that we (at least I) keep coming back for more.
Not so with Gideon. Him they want to force upon us fully grown and realized. As Garza says in the end, he hasn’t made his bones yet, but we are still expected to take him seriously. I just can’t do it.
The first problem is the story; Gideon’s father is framed and made the scapegoat for a dismal failure of a government project that results in the deaths of many well-placed spies. For some bizarre reason he and his mother are called to the scene where dad is holding someone hostage to make the government fix the mistake. Instead they shoot him while he’s trying to surrender. Fast forward to the present day and Gideon is about to make good on his promise to make the architect of his father’s downfall pay; one General Tucker. An elaborate and unbelievably implausible operation ensues and is over in about 50 pages. Not only does he get to the evil mastermind, but he also turns the mastermind’s most loyal minion. He does this with about 2 pages of bad dialogue. In what universe?
If they wanted to present Gideon’s initial success, they should have given it to us as back story; a fait accompli, not given us a blow-by-blow of the operation in all its unlikely aspects in 50 pages. It’s so completely stupid that I rolled my eyes the whole time. Credibility points – 0. The story is so forced, so rushed that they can’t establish any fact without just coming out and telling us. I would have rather had the General Tucker story take a whole book, keeping the watcher who appears to hire Gideon in the background; a sinister presence we aren’t sure of. Save their meeting and initial project for the second book. I could have lived with that. It would have been a better mechanism for showing us what Gideon can do.
So we’re told that Gideon is some kind of science dude at Los Alamos, has degrees up the wazoo and graduated from MIT (despite his mother being destitute as a result of dad’s death and disgrace). He’s also a master of disguise (am I the only one who pictured Inspector Clouseau?), a superb con-man, a self-affirmed wiseass (complete with full wise ass mode), is in great physical shape, has striking good looks (and floppy hair), is a gun expert, a computer hacker, a meticulous planner and makes women’s clothes drop off (but only the pretty ones). Yeah, sure, some of these super powers were shown to us, but in such an bald and factual way I don’t buy it. Oh yeah, and he also used to be Neal Caffrey. Please.
I think you get it by now…this book is unbelievably stupid. Even for these guys, who, let’s face it, write cliff-hanger pulp fiction. I enjoyed it up to now because the stuff I had to suspend my disbelief over was so big that it was easier to do so. The details were more coherent and plausible and that somehow makes the giant weird stuff easier to just go with. If I didn’t see their names on the cover I wouldn’t have believed Preston and Child were capable of this crap. Were they broke? Did they fall for some slick, bullshit-slinging publicist that said this would be ok? Whatever it was, it was a mistake. I’m not coming back for a second helping of Spud Buds.
So why am I starting a book review with mashed potatoes? Because the latest effort by the writing team of
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Preston and Child is just like a box of Spud Buds. The time, effort, craftsmanship and possibly sheer luck are completely missing from this imitation product. It’s a bummer because I was looking forward to having another intriguing character to follow through from one impossible situation to another. Now it only means fewer Pendergast novels and more waiting. No, I won’t be following Gideon through any more of his adventures and I really hope the lamefest doesn’t spill over into the Pendergast series.What’s the disconnect? I’ve given it some thought. Back when Relic and its bastard offspring Reliquary were written, Pendergast was a supporting character. He was weird and certainly a force in Relic, but he wasn’t yet the eye of the tornado he is now. By the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, the writers knew what they had on their hands, but even then I’m not sure they knew exactly where they were going. That worked. That forced them to only give us small details; tidbits of information about Pendergast and his shadowy past. Teasing us into wanting more and more. Piling one puzzling clue upon another, leaving questions unanswered. It was one of the best sales techniques I’ve been the willing victim of. As preposterous as he is, there is enough, I don’t know, heft, to Pendergast that we (at least I) keep coming back for more.
Not so with Gideon. Him they want to force upon us fully grown and realized. As Garza says in the end, he hasn’t made his bones yet, but we are still expected to take him seriously. I just can’t do it.
The first problem is the story; Gideon’s father is framed and made the scapegoat for a dismal failure of a government project that results in the deaths of many well-placed spies. For some bizarre reason he and his mother are called to the scene where dad is holding someone hostage to make the government fix the mistake. Instead they shoot him while he’s trying to surrender. Fast forward to the present day and Gideon is about to make good on his promise to make the architect of his father’s downfall pay; one General Tucker. An elaborate and unbelievably implausible operation ensues and is over in about 50 pages. Not only does he get to the evil mastermind, but he also turns the mastermind’s most loyal minion. He does this with about 2 pages of bad dialogue. In what universe?
If they wanted to present Gideon’s initial success, they should have given it to us as back story; a fait accompli, not given us a blow-by-blow of the operation in all its unlikely aspects in 50 pages. It’s so completely stupid that I rolled my eyes the whole time. Credibility points – 0. The story is so forced, so rushed that they can’t establish any fact without just coming out and telling us. I would have rather had the General Tucker story take a whole book, keeping the watcher who appears to hire Gideon in the background; a sinister presence we aren’t sure of. Save their meeting and initial project for the second book. I could have lived with that. It would have been a better mechanism for showing us what Gideon can do.
So we’re told that Gideon is some kind of science dude at Los Alamos, has degrees up the wazoo and graduated from MIT (despite his mother being destitute as a result of dad’s death and disgrace). He’s also a master of disguise (am I the only one who pictured Inspector Clouseau?), a superb con-man, a self-affirmed wiseass (complete with full wise ass mode), is in great physical shape, has striking good looks (and floppy hair), is a gun expert, a computer hacker, a meticulous planner and makes women’s clothes drop off (but only the pretty ones). Yeah, sure, some of these super powers were shown to us, but in such an bald and factual way I don’t buy it. Oh yeah, and he also used to be Neal Caffrey. Please.
I think you get it by now…this book is unbelievably stupid. Even for these guys, who, let’s face it, write cliff-hanger pulp fiction. I enjoyed it up to now because the stuff I had to suspend my disbelief over was so big that it was easier to do so. The details were more coherent and plausible and that somehow makes the giant weird stuff easier to just go with. If I didn’t see their names on the cover I wouldn’t have believed Preston and Child were capable of this crap. Were they broke? Did they fall for some slick, bullshit-slinging publicist that said this would be ok? Whatever it was, it was a mistake. I’m not coming back for a second helping of Spud Buds.
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LibraryThing member thebookbabe
I had high hopes for this book, couldn't connect with any of the characters (except maybe for Dajkovic), plot felt chopped and put together haphazardly. Read like a Patterson: short, fast chapters, a one-seating read. I hope subsequent books are better. Preston & Child are capable of MUCH better.
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With books like this, I always feel like the author had a contractual commitment to fulfill and threw together something to satisfy their contract. Don't expect much from this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member enemyanniemae
I usually adore Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I look forward to anything and everything they write. So I was really excited at the thought of a new series. But then I read the book and was left scratching my head at the end. Has the wonderful writing team of Preston and Child finally jumped
Without going into detail, the premise of the book is this: Gideon Crew, former thief and current scientist at Los Alamos avenges his father's wrongful death and gets himself recruited to steal top secret weapon plans from a defecting Chinese scientist. Mayhem ensues.
What happened? Did my favorite authors pull a James Patterson and put their names on someone else's work? (someone doing a high school project, perhaps?) The characters were unbelievable. I have no problems suspending belief for the sake of a work of fiction. Not usually anyway. But there was so much about this book that did not allow me to settle in and enjoy the story. Nothing rang true and none of the action made sense. I didn't become invested in the story because I could not believe any of the characters. And the ending? All righty...
I did finish it, hoping that I would see a glimmer of the wonderfulness that is Preston and Child hiding somewhere. I did not. Now the question is whether or not to try book 2 or instead send it far far away and re-read The Relic...
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the shark?Without going into detail, the premise of the book is this: Gideon Crew, former thief and current scientist at Los Alamos avenges his father's wrongful death and gets himself recruited to steal top secret weapon plans from a defecting Chinese scientist. Mayhem ensues.
What happened? Did my favorite authors pull a James Patterson and put their names on someone else's work? (someone doing a high school project, perhaps?) The characters were unbelievable. I have no problems suspending belief for the sake of a work of fiction. Not usually anyway. But there was so much about this book that did not allow me to settle in and enjoy the story. Nothing rang true and none of the action made sense. I didn't become invested in the story because I could not believe any of the characters. And the ending? All righty...
I did finish it, hoping that I would see a glimmer of the wonderfulness that is Preston and Child hiding somewhere. I did not. Now the question is whether or not to try book 2 or instead send it far far away and re-read The Relic...
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LibraryThing member labdaddy4
disappointing - a poor effort by the authors, compared to previous work
LibraryThing member JeffV
As a child, Gideon Crew watched his father be gunned down like a common criminal. When his dying mother encourages him to see out the truth and avenge his father, young Gideon aspires to become a government agent of Bourne or Bond proportions. In the process of avenging his father, he becomes
Starting with the auto accident, the book flows pretty well in a standard action/suspense way. The whole back story for Gideon, including hunting those responsible for his father's death, is slow, confusing, and completely unnecessary. It is easy to see why many give up on the book early on. There's some pay-off for those who stick with it...it does get better and interesting in spots. However, the evil Nodding Crane is a much more interesting character than Gideon, who, faced with imminent mortality, lacks a lust for life that we get in the characters of Bond or Bourne.
The book ends with setting up with Gideon surprisingly offered another commission. Presumably, this is the subject of the next book, which was released earlier this year. I'll probably pick it up in audiobook form when I see it on sale; Preston/Child books are good ear candy for long runs or bike rides.
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contracted by the government to do some dirty work. With his father's betrayer's dead and Gideon told by his employers that he has a rare brain disease that will suddenly end his life within a year. a sullen Gideon agrees to do the job for $100,000. A Chinese scientist is key, but the scientist is assassinated in a messy auto accident. The killer, a highly trained hunter, Nodding Crane, now starts to hunt Gideon, knowing he will lead him to the secret the scientist so carefully concealed.Starting with the auto accident, the book flows pretty well in a standard action/suspense way. The whole back story for Gideon, including hunting those responsible for his father's death, is slow, confusing, and completely unnecessary. It is easy to see why many give up on the book early on. There's some pay-off for those who stick with it...it does get better and interesting in spots. However, the evil Nodding Crane is a much more interesting character than Gideon, who, faced with imminent mortality, lacks a lust for life that we get in the characters of Bond or Bourne.
The book ends with setting up with Gideon surprisingly offered another commission. Presumably, this is the subject of the next book, which was released earlier this year. I'll probably pick it up in audiobook form when I see it on sale; Preston/Child books are good ear candy for long runs or bike rides.
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LibraryThing member lbswiener
Gideon's Sword is an excellent thriller. The characters themselves are believable but the situations and plot twists are fun and good. The story keeps its feel from beginning to end. Gideon is a likable character who gets himself mysteriously into some difficult situations. The book received four
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stars in this review. It is highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member dasuzuki
I am a huge fan of Preston's & Child's Agent Pendergast books and was a little disappointed to hear that their latest book was about a new character but I should have known better. This was another great book and an interesting introduction to a new series.
From the book description I thought the
I have to admit that I feel like there is something shady about this fatal condition that Gideon has and I wonder if this group set him up knowing he's more likely to take chances if he thinks he is going to die soon anyway. But that's beside the point. The characters in this book are great. Gideon is an interesting hero in that he has a PhD, is a former art thief and is a pathological liar. Still he is overall a great guy who wants to do the right thing. It's hilarious listening to some of the stories and ruses he comes up with in order to get the information he needs. Some of his lies are so horribly bad karma and yet you have to admire his tenacity and imagination.
The action and mystery writes like an action flick and will keep you flipping the pages and not wanting to stop until the end. Is some of it unbelievable? Yes. But that doesn't take away from the fun of reading this book and it leaves you wanting more. The book ends with this mysterious organization offering Gideon his next assignment and I cannot wait to see what will happen in that book.
From the book description I thought the
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story was going to revolve around Gideon trying to figure out who was responsible for murdering his father but that really only takes up a small part of the story. After he solves that and gets his revenge he gets recruited to get plans for what everyone thinks is a secret weapon that Mark Wu, a Chinese scientist, is smuggling out of China. To help recruit him this organization reveals to him that he has a fatal disease & only has about a year left to live so why not spend it doing something good for his country.I have to admit that I feel like there is something shady about this fatal condition that Gideon has and I wonder if this group set him up knowing he's more likely to take chances if he thinks he is going to die soon anyway. But that's beside the point. The characters in this book are great. Gideon is an interesting hero in that he has a PhD, is a former art thief and is a pathological liar. Still he is overall a great guy who wants to do the right thing. It's hilarious listening to some of the stories and ruses he comes up with in order to get the information he needs. Some of his lies are so horribly bad karma and yet you have to admire his tenacity and imagination.
The action and mystery writes like an action flick and will keep you flipping the pages and not wanting to stop until the end. Is some of it unbelievable? Yes. But that doesn't take away from the fun of reading this book and it leaves you wanting more. The book ends with this mysterious organization offering Gideon his next assignment and I cannot wait to see what will happen in that book.
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LibraryThing member SuseGordon
Preston & Child have created a new character to follow into future books just so you can try to learn some of his secrets! A fast paced thriller of an espionage ride!
LibraryThing member mtrumbo
New series by the authors of the Pendergast books - nice solid start, lots of breezy action and adventure, I will definitely read the next one.
LibraryThing member SuzReads
I listened to this on tape and really enjoyed it! It was full of action from the very beginning to the very end, with well developed characters and a plot with many twists and turns. I liked always being on the edge of my seat in anticipation and never quite knowing what was coming next in the
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story. The main character seems like an underdog yet he always seems to come out ahead no matter the obstacles. I would definitely recommend this book! Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
I was excited to pick up Gideon's Sword - the first book introducing what will be a new series and character. I wasn't as excited when I finished it though.
Gideon Crew was deeply affected by the violent and somewhat mysterious death of his father when he was a young boy. He grew up swearing to
Gideon is described as incredibly good looking with black hair and brilliant blue eyes. Women find him irresistible, but everyone seems to fall for his gift of gab. This seems to be his best weapon. Unfortunately I just found his glibness grating and those who seemed to fall for his increasingly obvious ploys gullible.
Gideon's Sword is full of action and the plot is fast paced. But is also somewhat far fetched in places. Gideon ends up with a dead man's suit after posing as his next of kin. I'm not sure why the police would not have objected as this was a murder. Gideon careens from one outlandish, improbable situation to another, talking his way through all of them. He seems somewhat callous in nature as well. He's not opposed to using unsuspecting others to further his own means. The tenderness he professes to feel for one such citizen falls flat.
I found the use of Hart Island, New York as a setting for part of the novel fascinating and went off to read more on the web.
So all the right elements are here - dynamic, good looking, intelligent bad boy does the impossible for shadowy organization with lots of hair raising situations. And yes, that is accomplished. But it just didn't make me a believer. Yes, the Pendergast novels are more 'out there' if you will. But I like Pendergast as a character and all those who populate that series and the plotlines grab me.
If these authors are new to you, I suggest you start with their backlist
Gideon Crew was deeply affected by the violent and somewhat mysterious death of his father when he was a young boy. He grew up swearing to
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avenge his death. He is highly educated but makes his living as a thief. This sets up the back story. Gideon is approached by a mysterious government agency to retrieve the plans for a new weapon before they fall into the wrong hands.Gideon is described as incredibly good looking with black hair and brilliant blue eyes. Women find him irresistible, but everyone seems to fall for his gift of gab. This seems to be his best weapon. Unfortunately I just found his glibness grating and those who seemed to fall for his increasingly obvious ploys gullible.
Gideon's Sword is full of action and the plot is fast paced. But is also somewhat far fetched in places. Gideon ends up with a dead man's suit after posing as his next of kin. I'm not sure why the police would not have objected as this was a murder. Gideon careens from one outlandish, improbable situation to another, talking his way through all of them. He seems somewhat callous in nature as well. He's not opposed to using unsuspecting others to further his own means. The tenderness he professes to feel for one such citizen falls flat.
I found the use of Hart Island, New York as a setting for part of the novel fascinating and went off to read more on the web.
So all the right elements are here - dynamic, good looking, intelligent bad boy does the impossible for shadowy organization with lots of hair raising situations. And yes, that is accomplished. But it just didn't make me a believer. Yes, the Pendergast novels are more 'out there' if you will. But I like Pendergast as a character and all those who populate that series and the plotlines grab me.
If these authors are new to you, I suggest you start with their backlist
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LibraryThing member nettie195
I am a huge fan of the Preston Child books, but this one left me a lttle flat. The story was really slow to evolve; it seemed that the authors were rushing the character development. When it was over I said to myself, "Is that all? Where are the twists and turns we are so used to?" Now that Preston
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Child have established this new character series, I would like them to take some time and create some interesting stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member twehking
I had high hopes for this book since I am a huge fan of Preston/Child, together and individually. The book was not all I hoped for. Bring back Agent Pendergast. Gideon Crew is nowhere near as compelling a character. Not a terrible book, but also not up to their standards.
LibraryThing member imjustmea
I’ve been a huge fan of writing duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child ever since I read Cabinet of Curiosities featuring the brilliant and eccentric FBI agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast. I’ve since read all the books in the Pendergast series, most of their stand alone books and a few of the
In Gideon’s Sword, the authors introduce their new character Gideon Crew. Gideon witnesses the death of his father when he’s a teenager. Years later at his mother’s deathbed, he learns the real circumstances of his father’s death and promises his mother that he will revenge his father. Gideon completes his mission to avenge his father but he’s then approached by a mysterious outfit that wants to hire him for a dangerous op. Gideon takes the job and the roller coaster ride begins!
I enjoyed the book and fans will certainly have fun with the appearance of familiar characters but I don’t think it’s up to par with their previous efforts. The book is fast-paced but I felt most of the plot was taken up by the main character making rash decisions with sometimes dubious results that I felt didn’t move the story along. I’s surprised that the revenge story line wasn’t more prominent in the book. I also would have liked more background information on Gideon Crew but of course this is a calculated move by the authors to entice us to read any future books in the series.
Bottom-line, if you are already a fan of Preston & Child, it’s worth a read. If you’ve never read any of the Preston & Child books, I suggest you start with the books featuring Agent Pendergast.
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authors’ solo projects.In Gideon’s Sword, the authors introduce their new character Gideon Crew. Gideon witnesses the death of his father when he’s a teenager. Years later at his mother’s deathbed, he learns the real circumstances of his father’s death and promises his mother that he will revenge his father. Gideon completes his mission to avenge his father but he’s then approached by a mysterious outfit that wants to hire him for a dangerous op. Gideon takes the job and the roller coaster ride begins!
I enjoyed the book and fans will certainly have fun with the appearance of familiar characters but I don’t think it’s up to par with their previous efforts. The book is fast-paced but I felt most of the plot was taken up by the main character making rash decisions with sometimes dubious results that I felt didn’t move the story along. I’s surprised that the revenge story line wasn’t more prominent in the book. I also would have liked more background information on Gideon Crew but of course this is a calculated move by the authors to entice us to read any future books in the series.
Bottom-line, if you are already a fan of Preston & Child, it’s worth a read. If you’ve never read any of the Preston & Child books, I suggest you start with the books featuring Agent Pendergast.
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LibraryThing member alexann
We meet Gideon Crew when at age 12, he watches his father gunned down (with his hands up) by the supposed good guys. Flash forward 20 years, and we find the adult Gideon finally ready to avenge his father's death by cleverly entrapping the general who ordered the deed. Then Gideon is tapped to do a
Gideon is Mr. Perfect, and very unrealistic, but his life certainly is interesting. If you just come along for the ride, you may enjoy this very fast-moving thriller. Just don't expect too much!
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quick but tricky job by a firm that the CIA contracts to do their really dirty work.Gideon is Mr. Perfect, and very unrealistic, but his life certainly is interesting. If you just come along for the ride, you may enjoy this very fast-moving thriller. Just don't expect too much!
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LibraryThing member burnit99
A suspense thriller that introduces a new character, Gideon Crew, who seems like a less polished and seasoned version of Preston's recurring character, ex-FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast. Gideon Crew is a multi-talented man who has made it his life's goal to avenge the framing and murder of his
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father, a prominent mathemetician. He finally gets the opportunity to achieve this goal, and is subsequently approached by a shadowy arm of the government to obtain a smuggled technological secret of tremendous import from a Chinese scientist en route to America. The story is crisp and fast-moving, but there are a lot of plot holes and illogical turns here, and Gideon Crew bears too much resemblance to Preston's other male protagonists. Still, a decent fun summer read. Show Less
LibraryThing member jewelknits
When Gideon was 12 years old, his father, Melvin Crew, who worked for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, took a hostage at work and demanded an investigation into why 26 people died and no one did anything. When the investigation was agreed to, he let the hostage go. As he comes out
Gideon grew up thinking his father a traitor, the guy who went crazy and took a hostage. When he is 20 years old, at his mother's deathbed, he learns the truth and makes a promise the even the score with Lieutenant General Chamblee Tucker, who gave the order to fire.
After 13 years, during which Gideon has finished school and changed his unusual vocation to a more acceptable one, he gets his chance and takes care of business in a spectacular and unorthodox fashion.
He is then contacted and offered $100,000 for one week's worth of work. Intrigued, he meets with wheelchair-bound Eli Glinn, of Effective Engineering Solutions, Inc. After initially turning down the offer, a revelation about his own life causes him to change his mind.
As we follow Gideon's trail in this witty and fast-paced thrill ride, after witnessing a planned car accident which eventually kills a Chinese scientist named Mark Wu, we travel to Hong Kong, learn more about Falun Dafa (commonly known here as Falun Gong), meet a hooker with a heart of gold named Orchid, and a CIA agent named Mindy Jackson (not necessarily in that order), all while being stalked by Nodding Crane, a blues-playing, specially-trained assassin.
This was a fast, fun read. It's a thriller, but it does have a bit more in terms of character development than many other thrillers have. Gideon is eminently likable, even while doing things we don't approve of, and he manages to get himself into and out of very sticky situations with skill.
If you like Preston and Child, make room for this new series on your shelf; I for one, definitely look forward to Gideon's next adventure.
QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):
She lay in intensive care, her bleached-blond hair spread over the pillow, showing an inch of black roots, her skin raddled. A sad, inept attempt had been made to apply eye shadow; it was like painting the shutters on a haunted house.
"Like I said. You look good with a cigar."
"Let's just hope I don't get cancer and they have to cut my lips off."
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Characters: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 4 out 5 stars
BOOK RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
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of the building with his hands up, he is gunned down in front of both Gideon and his mother.Gideon grew up thinking his father a traitor, the guy who went crazy and took a hostage. When he is 20 years old, at his mother's deathbed, he learns the truth and makes a promise the even the score with Lieutenant General Chamblee Tucker, who gave the order to fire.
After 13 years, during which Gideon has finished school and changed his unusual vocation to a more acceptable one, he gets his chance and takes care of business in a spectacular and unorthodox fashion.
He is then contacted and offered $100,000 for one week's worth of work. Intrigued, he meets with wheelchair-bound Eli Glinn, of Effective Engineering Solutions, Inc. After initially turning down the offer, a revelation about his own life causes him to change his mind.
As we follow Gideon's trail in this witty and fast-paced thrill ride, after witnessing a planned car accident which eventually kills a Chinese scientist named Mark Wu, we travel to Hong Kong, learn more about Falun Dafa (commonly known here as Falun Gong), meet a hooker with a heart of gold named Orchid, and a CIA agent named Mindy Jackson (not necessarily in that order), all while being stalked by Nodding Crane, a blues-playing, specially-trained assassin.
This was a fast, fun read. It's a thriller, but it does have a bit more in terms of character development than many other thrillers have. Gideon is eminently likable, even while doing things we don't approve of, and he manages to get himself into and out of very sticky situations with skill.
If you like Preston and Child, make room for this new series on your shelf; I for one, definitely look forward to Gideon's next adventure.
QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):
She lay in intensive care, her bleached-blond hair spread over the pillow, showing an inch of black roots, her skin raddled. A sad, inept attempt had been made to apply eye shadow; it was like painting the shutters on a haunted house.
"Like I said. You look good with a cigar."
"Let's just hope I don't get cancer and they have to cut my lips off."
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Characters: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 4 out 5 stars
BOOK RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member cwlongshot
I like the Pendergast series by Preston & Child, so it's nice to see them team up on a new series (I assume there will be more). This book is a twist on the standard amateur spy thriller. The lead is smart and tough but not endowed with virtual superpowers like Bond or Bourne. Some of the secondary
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characters are one dimensional, but that goes with the genre. I thought the book got better as it went along, so I'm expecting that a second book would be even better. Show Less
LibraryThing member Timothy_Dalton007
Quickly put, this is by far does not come close to the caliber of most of the Pendergast novel. Don't get me wrong, it has a few good moments, but based upon the information that the reader is given early on in the book, I'm not too sure where the authors are heading when it comes to future
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installments. The slight twist at the end wasn't a complete "shocker", but I guess there needs to be an act 3 twist at some point. Anyway, I will definitely read move of the Gideon Crew series when they are released, but I will be more excited to read future Pendergast novels instead. I personally think that Gideon's Sword is eligible for 3.50 stars, but due to this site not allowing for such fractions I don't think it deserves the 4 star rating. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
The story opens with Gideon Crew seeing his father being gunned down in a conspiracy that he learns of later at his mother's death bed, reforming himself from an art thief and avenging his father. Normally this would be a whole book on it's own but this is only the first 53 pages of my edition.
Then he settles into his life, a little restlessly, is offered a challenging mission while also being told that he is suffering from a terminal brain tumour (which he doesn't get double checked at all!) and this leads him into an investigation that challenges his wits against a Chinese assassin.
It's not the worst thing I've read but I felt no connection to any of the characters and didn't really care if Gideon survived.
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Then he settles into his life, a little restlessly, is offered a challenging mission while also being told that he is suffering from a terminal brain tumour (which he doesn't get double checked at all!) and this leads him into an investigation that challenges his wits against a Chinese assassin.
It's not the worst thing I've read but I felt no connection to any of the characters and didn't really care if Gideon survived.
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LibraryThing member ct.bergeron
I liked this book, it was fast pace and entertaining. A friend of mine actually mentionned it made her thing of the bourne identity... I can see why. Gideon Crew is a man of all trade, that gets enrolled to find mysterious plans from a Chinese scentist. Things obviously don't go so smoothly when
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the Chinese scientist gets killed in a car accident and a mysterious assassins start chasing Crew. Show Less
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
Stuff happens very fast - the first of the book is about Gideon avenging his father and I thought, at the beginning, that this was the story - it was not, it was just some sort of add-on, perhaps to set the stage, but I never did figure out why it was there other than to show how JamesBondy Gideon
It's not a very deep book by any means, and a lot of stuff happens without much detail around any of it - this makes it fast but fluffy. It's not particularly violent or gory either... and Gideon does "get some" but no details on that either. I might pick up the next in the series though, for when I want some fast action without any detailed thinking required.
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is.It's not a very deep book by any means, and a lot of stuff happens without much detail around any of it - this makes it fast but fluffy. It's not particularly violent or gory either... and Gideon does "get some" but no details on that either. I might pick up the next in the series though, for when I want some fast action without any detailed thinking required.
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LibraryThing member everfresh1
Very disappointing! It's like reading Alex Rider novels that my children like (with a tiny bit of adult spice). This book is completely missing that pseudo scientific supernatural mystery athmosphere that is typical of other novels by these authors. Gideon is an empty character. Just another
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mediocre thriller. Show Less
LibraryThing member MickyFine
At twelve years old, Gideon Crew saw his father shot down and later labelled as a traitor. At twenty-four, his mother summons him to her deathbed and informs him that his father was framed for his crimes and makes him vow to take revenge. Gideon slowly crafts a plan to avenge his father and take
I stuck this book on the TBR list after reading a positive review of it on one of the book blogs I follow. After reading it, I'm not sure why I felt I needed to put it on there. It's not a bad book by any means, but not anything earth-shattering either. It's full of action and intrigue mildly reminiscent of Bond but with the modern requirement of believable technology. In my opinion, a total "boy book" for adults. Not what I typically would choose for brain candy but not bad either. My only issue is I was never really attached to Gideon or felt particularly concerned for him. Also, I can't figure out how the title actually relates to the story (and as an English major, that really bothers me). Fine if you want some cloak-and-dagger intrigue to fill up an afternoon or two but not anything you should feel concerned about missing.
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down the true criminal but a shadowy organization is watching him and pulls him into a larger mission that will require all his skills to make it out alive.I stuck this book on the TBR list after reading a positive review of it on one of the book blogs I follow. After reading it, I'm not sure why I felt I needed to put it on there. It's not a bad book by any means, but not anything earth-shattering either. It's full of action and intrigue mildly reminiscent of Bond but with the modern requirement of believable technology. In my opinion, a total "boy book" for adults. Not what I typically would choose for brain candy but not bad either. My only issue is I was never really attached to Gideon or felt particularly concerned for him. Also, I can't figure out how the title actually relates to the story (and as an English major, that really bothers me). Fine if you want some cloak-and-dagger intrigue to fill up an afternoon or two but not anything you should feel concerned about missing.
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LibraryThing member OzzieJello
I have been a big big fan of the Preston/Child team since "Relic." I buy their books on name only, because I know I'll get a good read. This book was somewhat disappointing. It was fun, it was ok, but it wasn't up to the calibre of the Pendergast novels. A good premise, but it really didn't go
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anywhere I expected it to go nor where it could have gone. For the first time, I sold one of their books back to a used book store. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2011-02