Mystery Thriller

Even though I seem to always complain about Kuzneski’s writing style I read on and on. Now, I have read his first, originally self-published, novel The Plantation. This book got him the deal for all the sequels he wrote.

And so far, I have to say, it is his best. OK, there is one appearance of the annoying “little did he know” phrase. Apart from that, the novel has everything I look for when I am interested in a little diversion from my normal work. The plot is quite original. Kuzneski is not pushing the limits too far (as he is in danger to do or is doing with his sequels), the story and characters remain rather credible.

I have the distinct feeling that Kuzneski took a rather long time writing and polishing this novel while he rushed to finish the sequels.

Darn. I just noticed that I skipped a book in a series. I hate when that happens. I prefer to read a series in the right order. Even though, here, it does not really matter.

There are still the same main characters; there is not much development: neither the characters nor the general plot are much different from the novels before The Secret Crown in Kuzneski’s Payne & Jones series. While Kuzneski finally got rid of the foreshadowing device his characters are still engaged in their stereotypical banter. Kuzneski should put a little more effort in the dialogues.

Yet, the novel is entertaining and, indeed, at about the same level of the earlier Cussler novels with respect to literary quality (it’s low-brow entertainment to relax and unwind and that’s why I read them) and bloodshed. The background story is moderately well research. The only annoying mistake that slipped through fact-checking concerns a modern day detail. Berlin Tegel is not the largest German airport, Frankfurt is.

Given Raymond Khoury’s earlier books The Last Templar and The Sanctuary, The Sign is surprisingly secular. It still features a religious theme: A mysterious sign heralding impending doom. Yet, there is nothing really mysterious or rather mystical about it. It is part of an elaborate scheme to alert mankind to the dangers of global warming. At least, that were the original intentions of some of the involved people. So, the plot is ok, and the author’s agenda pretty clear. The do-gooder theme gets a bit laid on thick after the first half of the novel, though. This is one of the two things that may interfere with a pleasant reading experience. The second disruptive factor is the not-really-credible protagonist: An ex-con turned hero. He gets shot, endures the pain, manages to perform some super secret agent stunts, and – of course – conforming to all cliches, gets the girl in the end.

Still, the book was enjoyable. The first part much more so than the last.

Cooper’s The Thenth Chamber is mixture of historical and crime fiction, its three timelines are set some 30000 year ago, during the medieval ages, and in our current time. The quite compelling story joins a longevity theme with some conspiracy theory.

All in all, the elements of the story are not overly original. There are monks, an old encrypted text, life-span enhancing organic potions with an unavoidable side effect, and a government cover-up. Indeed, I had a feeling of deja-vu when I read the novel. Yet, Cooper’s style is enjoyably suspenseful. There is no padding. The length and the pace of the story are just about right. In short a rather good book, not exceptional but not bad either.

I did not like the plot of Wheel of Darkness. Too much mysticism, too much religion. Everything hinges on one meta-physical entity that is not explained by scientific principles at all. A feature that, otherwise, I did like about the other earlier Preston/child novels. Sure, it was often quite a stretch, here they do not even try. The story’s resolution remains completely in the realm of mysticism.

As usual for the author duo Preston and Child this novel is well written, well paced, and unfortunately full of hypocritical moral.

Reading Kuzneski’s novels in close temporal sequence definitely helps. The characters seem more better developed and more diverse than they actually are. Otherwise all the heroes seem to be modeled after the same stereotype. They may differ in skin or hair color but that’s it. Another weak spot of the Lost Throne is the lack of a reasonable motivation for the protagonists’ actions and the plethora of coincidences that link individual scenes and subplots.

On the upside, Kuzneski finally got almost rid if his nasty habit of hinting at things to come. It’s still there, he uses this ‘technique’ considerably less often, though. If it were not for the rescue mission subplot this would be Kuzneski’s best novel so far. The Interpol’s guy subplot was rather interesting and could be easily expanded to a good novel of its own. In sum, a mixed experience.