Midas

Justin Westwood #2

by Russell Andrews

After a series of suicide bombings in New York, police officer Justin Westwood discovers that the perpetrators did not have Middle Eastern ties and that some of the nation's most powerful figures are being targeted.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

A pseudonym used by David Handler with Peter Gethers

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about conspiracy stories is that you have to have a secret admiration of and faith in the competence of the conspirators. Now, I, being a realist, know perfectly well, that no group of people in government or business, have anywhere near the requisite skills to pull off fixing a tricycle let alone manage a widespread conspiracy involving hundreds of people, most of whom have difficulty tying their shoes and holding their beer, let alone keep a secret.

Now that I have that off my chest, I'm as bad as the rest of you, and love a good conspiracy story where the little guy takes on the world and beats everyone even though he (rarely a she) has one hand tied to an ankle and with the opposition holding a firm grip on his (see why it's not a she?) testicles.

Maybe it's all the nifty details about planes, bombs, etc. that I always enjoy. Or the idea of a police sergeant (female) in a tight uniform, and a small town police chief who is friends with a mob hitman. Did I mention, it's good to suspend rational thinking?

Ah, hell. It was a hoot. Nice fast, fun read. And I have no idea what genre it belongs to. Grin.

[Lisa Molch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein selten spannendes Buch! Es zieht einen von der 1. Minute an in den Bann!

Es ist ungeheuer fesselnd mitzuerleben, wie diese ganze Verschwörungsgeschichte aufgedröselt wird.

Von diesem Autor werde ich mir sicher noch mehrere Bücher zulegen!

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell Andrews has had an impressive string of very good books.

[Tobias · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot sets itself up to be quite complex, but the way it resolves itself unfortunately is not. I struggled to complete this one.


Note that I read this book in German.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2005. Conspiracies abound in this novel.

[AnonymousReaderPerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

At its core, this novel isn't much more than an overdone premise executed in a somewhat nonsensical fashion, mired in a handful of cliches, with an excess of fortuitous resources at the protagonist's disposal. But it's at least a smooth read, and the first half succeeds in creating that Classic Concentration vibe, where you get little snippets of the picture and thirst to figure out how they fit together. And the writing, while not spectacular, does carry that intriguing quality to the author's voice that you can't completely quantify.

Most of the red herrings are telegraphed. I picked up on the two biggest ones before they came to fruition. I'm not necessarily saying that makes me super smart, but it dulled the excitement a bit. There also seems to be a political statement imbedded here about post-9/11 America. Maybe that wasn't the author's intention, but intended or not, it takes on that appearance.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police / Political suspense novel. Jimmy Leggett is the chief of police in a small Long Island town and he is having lunch in a popular eatery when he sees a man in an overcoat carrying a briefcase enter the building and head for a table where three men are sitting. He sets down the case and starts to walk away when his cell phone rings. Chaos ensues as the case explodes. Jimmy is one of the casualties and Justin Westwood is suddenly the new chief with a lot on his hands. Before the bombing is barely over a small plane crashes a short distance away and Justin hurries to the scene to find a dead pilot with no ID and he learns that someone was in the plane after the crash. While questioning this person who claims to be with the FAA, an ambulance arrives and whisks away the pilot. As things add up Justin starts to suspect that all is not as it seems and when another bombing takes place in NYC he starts putting things together. There is a lot more going on, but you will have to read the book to find out all the twists and interconnections as well as the betrayals on the way to the climax.
ISBN - 9780892967919, Suspense, Pages - 371, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.5
All books reviewed are from the library or purchased by the reviewer.

[Bernadette Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second novel in which we meet Long Island cop Justin Westwood. The first being, Aphrodite which has apparently received rave reviews. Sadly, I've not read Aphrodite but this book can be read as a standalone.

I really enjoyed this thriller and it's a while since I've read a thriller. While the pace started a little slowly to drag you the reader in, once it got going I found that I didn't want to put it down.

Justin Westwood is a cop with a very inquisitive mind and as he starts to solve the connections between a series of deaths and situations, he realises that he isn't sure who he can trust. Who or what is MIDAS? I found him to be a cop who doesn't like to give up and is dogged and determined in his investigations. As he realises that his actions are having an effect on people around him, he becomes more determined to solve the case. Full of conspiracy theories and lots of twists and turns, you'll be guessing all the way as I was.

This is the first book I've read by this Author and I will keep an eye out for others by him. 8/10 for me.

[Carl Alves · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conspiracies abound in this novel, which starts off with a suicide bombing at a restaurant in a Long Island beach town. This is then followed by a plane crash. The sheriff, Jimmy Leggett believes these two events are linked. Leggett starts an investigation, which leads him to Islamic terrorists and members of the US government. This novel was a complete disappointment. It is overloaded with the writer's political agenda, silly conspiracies and plot lines that don't make any sense. There was virtually nothing credible in this novel. It was not particularly well written, and all together forgettable. This is the first novel I've read from Russell Andrews, and I don't plan on reading any of his novels again. This is one to skip, unless you like your conspiracies to be utterly unbelievable and your plot to move into oblivion.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable follow up to Aphrodite - the 1st book to feature Justin Westwood.

Clever plot around terrorist bombings in & around NYC with some good twists, I'm warming to this series & like the Westwood character & indeed sub-characters. I found this a better read than Aphrodite & would rate 3.5 stars if possible.

Glad to see there is a 3rd in the series & will gladly purchase - I would recommend the Justin Westwood books to fans
of Nelson Demille's John Corey series - different type characters but similar plots.

[Frank Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, great story for any lover of conspiracy theories, well written and the only really complaint is during a part of the story that takes place in a 'prison' and how it dragged out the main characters thoughts processes, taking the reader through EVERY possible scenario he thinks of and analysis of each. I can understand how it might be necessary in order to make the plot jumps after more believable, but think it could be done in much less time\writting than it was here.
Still a great book and can't wait to read more from Russell Andrews.

[Kaylol · Rating 4 out of 5]

What struck me most was the main character - claiming to be numb and not to feel real feelings but still seeming to do the right thing. I was lost a bit in all the conspiracies and things but I still couldn't stop reading. I loved the fact that the story has a real closure, not some enigmatic ending.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows a local cop as he searches for answers to what he believes is a murder. Justin Westwood trudges through the murk similar to Harry Bosch as he investigates a case that no one wants him working.n A little different from the other Andrews novels I've read, but still good.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't grab me. It didn't seem to hold any of the intensity that the previous books I read had. I did finish it because even though it wasn't grabbing it still had aspects that made me want to finish it.

I did enjoy the ending. What a nice little twist.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't even finish. Some in my book club enjoyed but not me!

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read.

[Richard Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! (Not his best though)

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the story. Very plausible for the conspiracy theory. Hard to put down, action keeps story moving.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why isn't this writer more well known? This was an excellent political thriller with lots of human interest too.

[Chanda Valis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read author/ #2 in series

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He was much more interested in justice than the law. And justice, he understood, came from within. It was a belief, not a prescription for how to behave."

[Julia Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story line in this book. The surprises kept coming. Although necessary to the plot, I did however find small descriptive parts tedious.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first that I have read by this author. Gripping read, will read more by him.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conspiracy at its best. Did enjoy the final twist, did not see it coming!

[Carlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy page turner but not worth a recommendation

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't realize it was abridged but that explains why it was overly simple and then overly complicated minutes later. Most of it pretty obvious as well.