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From:Christopher Reich , Doubleday ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#9954 |
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2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Is this well-crafted Christian bashing?, 2008-09-23
Reading Christopher Reich's Rules of Deception, I was very impressed with how he could write such an artfully-crafted story. By far, it is the best written work of fiction that I've read in a very long time. Excellently executed. The story line was engaging -- if not captivating. The skill in the use of language could set the standard of how language should be used in fiction. It was masterful.
However, besides how skillfully Christopher Reich constructed this book, the thing that stood out to me after finishing it was that, in a book filled with assassins, terrorists and rogue spies, the only truly, thoroughly, absolutely evil character in the book -- the only person beyond redemption, in some manner -- was an evangelical Christian. This perplexes me.
Admittedly, some of the most horrendous things done since the beginning of time were done in the name of Christ. Truly awful things have been done for the sake of a twisted apocalyptic vision. But, for the life of me, I can't explain the absolute evil of this book's main bad guy except in terms of simple Christian bashing.
I am a Christian, but I can readily see why some people don't like Christians. I'm not very sensitive or thin-skinned on the subject. Whatever bad things anyone has to say about Christians, I could probably find more points of agreement than not. But, it just seems over-the-top to make "the Christian" of this story the only purely evil character. I can see how "the bad guy" had to be a Christian (can't say more without giving away the story), but did he really have to be Evil incarnate?
So, despite how skillfully this book was written, it left me with a rather sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
2 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
 Gave up half way through, 2008-09-21
I'm not sure that this book is that terrible (it isn't laughably silly or anything), but I stopped reading half way through (well, technically I stopped 'listening' half way through - it was an audio book). I'm mystified by the positive reviews for this book and the praise that has been lauded on the author. There's just nothing here to engage the reader. The biggest problem is the flatness of its characters, particularly the leading man Dr. Jonathon Ransom. Reich's characters aren't just one-dimensional, they're lifeless and uninteresting.
True, it's possible to enjoy a novel with cardboard characters but the author has to bring something else to the table. A unique story concept, an intriguing plot, white knuckled suspense, or a healthy dose of humour are all examples of qualities that can overcome poor characterization. But Reich offers none of these things.
The story concept is nothing new. The plot is plodding and predictable. I didn't finish the novel but I have a pretty good idea what will happen. It's painfully obvious, for example, that Ransom's wife faked her death on the mountain (this isn't a spoiler, because I didn't finish the novel and don't actually know what happens. I could be wrong - although I doubt it.) The predictable and uninspired plot, combined with a lack of engaging characters, results in a complete lack suspense. I can't even say the novel had its funny moments. It's humourless.
I gave up near the end of disc 7. With five more discs to go, I just couldn't stick with it. I honestly don't understand why there are so many favourable reviews for this book. Maybe the novel gets better. Maybe there are clever twists and turns in the story that I would have enjoyed. Maybe Jonathan finds a personality somewhere along the way. But I doubt it.
Rules of Deception isn't terrible - it's just devoid of entertainment value.
7 of 8 customers found the following review helpful:
 Starts well, but the plot is too complicated and it all gets silly, 2008-09-21
When I started reading "Rules of Deception", I was immediately hooked. I wanted to know where the story was going to go and it felt like I was in for a great ride. Dr Johnathan Ransom is devastated when his wife is killed in a tragic skiing accident. However that evening he receives baggage checks in an envelope addressed to her, which leads him to a bag than contains another woman's clothing, the keys to a luxury Mercedes, an enormous wad of cash and a passport in an unfamiliar name but with his wife's photograph. Before he can even process this discovery, he finds himself a wanted man on the run - pursued by the police, but also by a mysterious assassin called The Ghost. There are multiple layers to the story and at least one major twist that completely took me by surprise. The story is very current and feels well researched.
The main problem with this book is that the plot tries too hard to be clever and thus becomes overly complicated and convoluted. There is more than one set of villains and keeping so many players juggled means that we don't spend enough time with Ransom, who is easily the most involving character. There's such a large cast of bland characters and I was always struggling to remember who they were and where they fitted in to the story. The plot also has some major plot holes that simply don't stand up to logic. Ultimately it all gets a bit silly. Instead of being gripped as the tension builds towards the climax, I found myself getting less and less interested.
This is a perfectly readable and mildly diverting thriller, but it's not as good as you think it's going to be when you start it.
Good story, poor printing, 2008-09-17
An interesting and well written mystery account. However, the book itself was poorly printed. Torn pages, pages folded and stuck together, overall a mess. Wait for the paperback.
1 of 5 customers found the following review helpful:
Good Read, 2008-09-08
Good espionage novel with some interesting plot twists. One of the best books I read all summer.
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