An unfocused story that’s hampered, in part, by its portrayals of female characters.
A dentist invents a device that revolutionizes espionage, which leads to the discovery of a plot to destabilize America’s economy.
Reggie Nelson is a man of many talents. He has a history of athletic prowess, got his pilot’s license at age 16, plays piano, attended Dartmouth College, and has a track record of incredible popularity with women. Now in his mid-50s, he’s a successful dentist in a loving 20-year marriage to Becky Wright, a vice president of a major insurance brokerage house. When Reggie decides to take up karate (again), he becomes close friends with instructor Ashonte’, who used to be a CIA Black Ops agent. Reggie tells Ashonte’ about his high-tech idea that could change spycraft: a micro transmitter secretly placed in a target’s dental filling. Ash brings the idea to his CIA contact, Lance Wood, and soon Project Loudmouth is underway. In his new Dubai clinic, Reggie implants transmitters into the teeth of Saudi Arabian oil moguls whom the CIA suspect of terrorism. Soon, the bugs pick up a plot to destroy the American economy. Author Nelson, who shares a name with his main character, presents a novel about patriotic men eager to serve their country. However, much of the book feels more like a list of actions and activities than a novel with immersive scenes. Frequent tangents about hotels, geography, oil, and characters' backstories make the pace drag. Also, narrator Reggie goes on vitriolic rants about his ex-wife, whom he characterizes as a sexually withholding pathological liar, and a female divorce-court judge: “The courts are not places for men when they are up against women in a dispute!” he says. Other women in the story, including Becky, seem to exist only to validate their spouses and serve as objects of male lust, and a major Arab character has a connection to terrorism. Readers may be amused at the various pop culture references, including a reenactment of a combat scene from the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, this doesn’t make up for the book’s problematic elements.
An unfocused story that’s hampered, in part, by its portrayals of female characters.Pub Date: June 30, 2021
ISBN: 9781647538521
Page Count: 302
Publisher: Urlink Print & Media, LLC
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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