Lepszy byłby martwy

Simon Fisk #1

by Douglas Corleone, Urszula Ruzik-Kulińska (Translator)

Trzymający w napięciu, zapierający dech w piersiach thriller. Z paryskiego hotelu znika 6-letnia Lindsay Sorkin. Francuska policja powierza zadanie odnalezienia dziewczynki Simonowi Fiskowi – byłemu szeryfowi, który zajmuje się poszukiwaniem zaginionych, porwanych dzieci. Simon podejmuje się trudnego zadania. Śledztwo prowadzi go poprzez ciemne zaułki jego własnej przeszłości aż do międzynarodowej intrygi.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Action

300 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2013

About the author

Douglas Corleone is the highly acclaimed and award-winning author of contemporary thrillers. His debut novel, ONE MAN'S PARADISE, introducing hotshot defense attorney Kevin Corvelli was a finalist for the 2010 Shamus Award for Best First Novel and winner of the 2009 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. Corleone's other novels in the Kevin Corvelli series include NIGHT ON FIRE and LAST LAWYER STANDING.

Douglas Corleone's highly acclaimed international thriller, GOOD AS GONE, featuring former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk, was hailed by the Huffington Post as a "heart-wrenching, adrenaline-producing adventure that...leaves the reader gasping for breath." The second book in the series, PAYOFF is due out in August 2014.

Recently Douglas Corleone was selected by the Estate of Robert Ludlum, internationally bestselling author and creator of the Jason Bourne series, to continue Ludlum's series of thrillers featuring ex-Navy SEAL and former covert government agent Paul Janson. ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE JANSON EQUATION will hit stores early in 2015.

A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Douglas Corleone now resides in the Hawaiian Islands with his family, where he is currently at work on his next novel.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone makes a “personal”rule, that they do NOT stray from following. Former U.S. Marshall Simon Fisk is no different. He now tries to retrieve children “kidnapped” by a parent and taken out of the United States. His one rule, made after a devastating loss in his past is “Do not take on stranger abduction cases.” Period. When he is detained by the French police who threaten him with incarceration if he does not used his expertise to find the missing six-year-old daughter of a very wealthy and powerful American family from their hotel room in Paris. Left with no choice, but filled with the haunting memories of his past, Simon sets out a journey filled with death and deceit, across the European continent and its underbelly of child related crime. The clock is ticking and the trail is hidden beneath layers of petty crooks, dirty attorneys and powerful mob lords. Calling on past connections, finding new allies and dodging death at every turn, Simon is now determined to at least bring the closure to the grieving family that he was denied. Will Simon find young Lindsay before it’s too late? Is there more to the kidnapping than meets the eye? Will Simon find at least a partial closure to events in his past?
Good As Gone by Douglas Corleone is a twisted maze of action, that does not quit! Not only is each scene graphic and detailed, but each character fits my mental image of the role they play. The bottom of the heap thug is brutish, the small time drug runners are creeps with over-inflated visions of grandeur. The grieving mother, facing one of the most difficult nightmares of a parent’s life will tear you apart. But it was being inside Simon’s mind that really struck a connection with me. His thoughts run rapid-fire throughout as he digested each moment and made decisions on the fly! If you like action, mystery and a chaotic thrill ride with a final 360 spin at the end, you will love Good As Gone!!

I received this ARC edition from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press
Minotaur Books in exchange for my honest review.


Publication Date: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250017208
Number of Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Crime
Audience: Adults
My Rating: 5 Stars
Available from: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced thriller, and am looking forward to reading the author's backlist. The main character, Simon Fisk, was damaged, yet very likeable. The storyline was action packed, keeping me captivated all the way through.

Simon Fisk recovers children who have been kidnapped by their own parents. Simon, a former U.S. Marshall, lost all when his daughter was kidnapped, and due to that, he never takes on stranger abduction cases. Just finishing up a case in France, Simon is taken into custody and given a choice between languishing in a French jail, or finding a six year old girl who was the victim of a stranger abduction. With no choice, Simon attempts to locate the girl in what turns into a whirlwind search through several countries with his own life, and those of the people who give him assistance, in danger. Simon races against time to find the child while he isn't even sure she is still alive.

I thought that Simon Fisk was a great character, and I enjoyed learning more about him and his past. There were some interesting secondary characters also. I liked the storyline, and hope that this book will turn into a series. I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley.

[Ia Uaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Good As Gone" Reviewed by Ia Uaro of www.sydneyssong.net

Book title: Good As Gone
Series: Simon Fisk Novels (Book 1)
Author: Douglas Corleone
Publisher: Minotaur Books; St. Martins
ISBN-10: 1250017203 ISBN-13: 978-1250017208


6-year-old Lindsay Sorkin disappears in the middle of the night from a Paris resort-style hotel room. The National Police doesn’t want a media circus which will endanger Lindsay’s life as well as the country’s reputation; therefore Simon Fisk’s expertise is quietly sought.

Simon is a former fugitive hunter who now works privately retrieving children abducted by non-custodial parents. He is a very kind and sensitive man with nothing to lose. Carrying a heavy burden of loss, Simon agrees to take on the assignment to retrieve Lindsay so that there will be two less parents in the world walking aimlessly through their own hell on earth.

Simon’s clarity of mind and thought processes is astounding. He is focused, disciplined, systematic, thorough and meticulous. Like an eagle with the sharpest eyes he spots tiny details that other trained investigators have missed, while his brilliant logics connect dots with amazing precision. And all the while he hurts. He knows what the parents are going through and he feels for them. Genuinely worries about Lindsay’s welfare, Simon puts her priority in the foremost of his mind when making abhorrent decisions, such as, having to end his opponent’s life in self defence, even though, personally, in getting himself killed he has nothing to lose.

Good As Gone is masterpiece crime thriller that will keep readers on edge as Simon races against time to save an innocent life, from Paris to various international cities and alleys, dealing with dangerous lowlifes from smelly street thugs to the vilest professional criminals, and of course, corrupt law enforcers and treacheries.

Don’t mistake this as just another Madeleine-McCann-inspired story: Good As Gone is a highly original fast-paced ingenious suspense, and you will never mistake Douglas Corleone’s writing style with anyone else’s because Doug’s work is supremely above today’s other crime writers’. He is a lot like Simon Fisk:
 Doug’s clarity of mind and thought processes is astounding, delivering the exceptionally complex plot in clear voice and easy-to-follow methodical narration, which is a high achievement considering the fast pace of the intricate twists and turns.
 Doug is focused, disciplined, systematic, meticulously thorough and logically brilliant, leaving no chance for readers to become confused in a convoluted maze, taking them along with Fisk through dangers, action, and heart-wrenching pain.
 Doug has perfect knowledge of the content, either from his professional research or experiences as a former defense lawyer.
 Like an eagle with the sharpest eyes Doug spots tiny details to the tee, and this applies in both his superbly comprehensive story and flawless English, such as, though I received a review copy marked “uncorrected”, I could only spot a few tiny errors.
 And unlike the majority of today’s men-fic, Doug isn’t afraid of honesty. He shows us how men too feel, and feel deeply, even those who often have to act with ruthless brutality. He is witty and he is polite in his speech, with very rare use of strong language. (Who did say, never underestimate the seductive power of a decent vocabulary?) In Fisk, you can see Doug clearly: he is caring, and he respects women.

Don’t miss reading this book, even though I’m sure a movie deal isn’t too far away. Simon Fisk and the story are that good you’ll be glad this is going to be a series.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good As Gone is a thriller by Douglas Corleone. His protagonist is Simon Fisk. The story starts with Simon in France being arrested, but he's not being taken to jail. Instead they take him to a house where he's asked to find a missing girl who's been abducted. They ask him because they know who he is, a former United States Marshall. His own daughter was abducted and after that, he became the person who searched for children who were taken by a parent.

This child, Lindsay Sorkin, was not abducted by a parent, but by a stranger. After talking to the parents, Fisk agrees to take on the case.

At that point, the book races to the end, from town to town, country to country, death to near death. Fisk moves through nightclubs, dark alleys, and his own dark memories. The goal of all this is to find the young girl and save her from a very black future.

The story moves fast and I quickly turned pages. By the end of the book, Fisk is looking not for one person but for two. It is a very unexpected twist that will shock the reader.

I give Good As Gone a rating of Hel-of-a-Story.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good As Gone was not the corker I wanted it to be. Our protagonist Simon Fisk is a former US Marshall who specializes in recovering children from countries that do not honor custodial orders-in other works kids who have been kidnapped by one of their own parents. His own child was abducted, fate unknown, and this shattered his life so we have a kind of mini-Batman situation. This book is a collection of cliches between book covers. What kept me reading? I wanted to know the fate of the child Fisk is trying to locate. If you pay attention you can spot the Big Bad but the actually reason for this abduction is pretty original, which is what elevated this book's rating to two stars.

[Cheri Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won Good As Gone on goodreads. What a great win that was. I am in love with the main character Simon Fisk. Things do not come easy or always go well for Simon but he is determined to do the right thing. He takes recovering kidnapped kids to a new level and I hope this is the start of a new series. Beware, once you start you will not be able to put the book dpown.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic -- grabs the reader immediately and doesn't let up. This is the 4th book I've read by Corleone. He's a master of the genre. Without giving anything away, the climax is both nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching. Highly recommend.

[Rieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel bad for Douglas Corleone. I'm pretty sure he spent hours and hours writing and I read this book entirely in les than 24! Excellent read. Well done.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has very good elements of a man trying to help others, but what he is really doing is battling the demons of his past, plus it has a decent ending.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Fisk has lived through every parent's worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter was abducted and has never been found. His wife committed suicide but Simon,. former US Marshal, now locates children taken by non-custodial parents and brings them home. He is stopped by the police in Paris and forced to help them locate six-year-old Lindsey Sorkin. The French police don't want the scandal of losing another foreign child. Simon doesn't care about the police but he does care about the little girl.

Simon begins a chase that will take him from Paris to Germany, Poland, the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia as he tries to track down the missing child. Along the way he gets involved with the drug culture, with human trafficking, with child pornography, and with the devastation caused by the Chernobyl. He deals with corrupt police and dirty lawyers. But he also find help from old friends and a possible new love interest.

The story was very fast-paced and filled with danger and violence. Fisk is a driven hero who is still deeply damaged by his own childhood when his father took him away from his mother and sister and from the horrible loss of his own child.

Fans of fast-paced thrillers will enjoy this story and be looking for more about Simon Fisk.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thrilling Race to Recover a Kidnapped Child

Former US Marshal Simon Fisk has just recovered another kidnapped child in France and is heading home when he's detained by the French Police. Six-year-old Lindsay Sorkin has disappeared from the suite where she was staying with her parents. They are distraught. The police give Fisk an option: go to jail for smuggling the child he recovered out of France, or help find Lindsay. Simon avoids looking for kidnapped children unless an estranged parent is the kidnapper. He can't stand the reminder of his daughter's kidnapping and his wife's subsequent suicide.

With no real option, but to help the Sorkins, Fish takes off on at a high-speed chase through the seedy areas of Paris and on to Poland and Germany. Time is running out for Lindsay, and he doesn't want another dead child on his conscience.

Very fast paced thriller. If you like action this is definitely a book you'll enjoy. The plot has numerous twists The ending is a surprise, although the author is good about leaving clues throughout the story.

I highly recommend this book if you like thrillers and a good mystery.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

This is probably the most excited I've ever been to win a book from a giveaway. The plot sounded fantastic and like something I could very well dive into. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so for me. I had such a hard time getting through this book, but I decided to stick it out just because I was curious to see what would happen to Lindsay Sorkin (which I wasn't expecting what did actually happen with her, by the way.) This novel didn't seem to have much logic and Simon Fisk was far more invincible than realistic. This isn't a book I will be revisiting, however I do know a friend who would LOVE this novel. Maybe this one is just for the right person and I wasn't it.

[Dotty Morefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning -- don't start GOOD AS GONE at night or you'll be losing a lot of sleep. This is one of those books that you simply have to read "one more chapter" all the way to the end. Simon Fisk is as real, believable and vulnerable as any character you're likely to find. His race across countries, and against time to find a kidnapped child will have you holding your breath -- and the climax will come as both a shock and surprise. GOOD AS GONE is as good as it gets. Can't wait for the next one. Remember the name - Douglas Corleone - you'll be hearing it a lot!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten years ago, Simon Fisk’s six-year-old daughter Hailey was abducted from the family home, never to be seen again. Devastated by grief and guilt, his wife Tasha committed suicide a short while later. For the last ten years, Simon has tried to outrun his demons by tracking down children unlawfully abducted by non-custodial parents, wanting to spare others the grief of losing a child Simon had to experience himself. However, he has never had to deal with abduction by strangers, so when he is approached by French authorities to help locate a six-year-old American girl taken from her parents’ hotel room in Paris, he has serious misgivings about getting involved. To rescue little Lindsay Sarkin, and save her parents the unspeakable pain Simon has had to live with for the last ten years, Simon must risk his own life to discover why Lindsay was taken, and who is behind the abduction – and time is fast running out. In a desperate man-hunt which will take Simon across several European and Eastern-block countries, he tries to outwit ruthless killers who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Good as Gone is a fast-paced, action packed thriller which gripped me from the very first page and kept me entertained until the very end. Simon Fisk, the solitary vigilante fighting for justice was both an intriguing as well as an enigmatic protagonist, and I found myself wanting to know more about him. Fisk, with his US Marshall background and a painful past, which reads like a parent’s worst nightmare, is a moralistic character in the vein of Jack Reacher – a man who will stop at nothing to get justice and who is not afraid to risk his own life for it, perhaps because he has nothing to lose. In Good as Gone, his mission takes on a new perspective when a woman he feels attracted to joins him in his mission, and Simon faces the moral dilemma of putting her in the path of danger. The small element of romance hinting at the possibility for Fisk to move on and find love again took some of the edge off the sadness prevailing in his life, and introduced a touch of hope and warmth in an otherwise grim situation.

Good as Gone is entirely propelled by fast paced action and suspense. As the body count mounts on the side of the “baddies”, whose untimely demise is always justified by being rightly deserved, Fisk narrowly escapes being one of the casualties himself despite a few flesh-wounds along the way. Although well-plotted, a few crucial developments in the novel hinge on some convenient coincidences which necessitate the reader to suspend disbelief for the sake of reading pleasure and entertainment. Normally a bit anal about such matters, I usually roll my eyes and mutter “yeah right” under my breath, but the fast pace of the novel and Fisk’s mission were enough to get me so caught up in the storyline that I managed to overlook these flaws in an otherwise very compelling story.

From child-pornography to sex-trafficking, from drug-dealing to arms-secrets, from underworld criminals to political corruption – all these issues and more feature strongly in Corleone’s latest thriller. And whilst one easily gets swept up in the action, the novel also raises some very topical issues and gives food for thought. For example, the poverty in Eastern block countries giving rise to exploitation of women and children in a perverted sex-trade, even involving whole families. Or the fate of residents of the Belarus region, who still suffer from the after effects of the Chernobyl disaster and have to watch their children die from horrific birth-defects or thyroid cancer. Even Fisk’s missions always have a shadow-side, as a previous case leading to the death of a girl he tracked down in Germany for her custodial parent shows. The ending of the novel, too, throws into question the black-or-white, right-or-wrong aspects of situations, and the final twist came totally unexpected.

Good as Gone is an action-packed adventure thriller which should appeal to both genders and to readers across many age-groups, providing readers can suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment value. Especially parents will be able to relate to Fisk’s driven nature on account of his traumatic background, and find his latest mission very compelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note that the final published copy may vary from the one I reviewed.

[Laura Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astounding read. By far the best Thriller I've ever read.

Simon Fisk is a former US Marshal now chasing after children who have been abducted by a parent, much like he had been as a child. What he doesn't do, however, is involve himself in cases where a stranger has kidnapped a child, because it is much too painful. His daughter was taken from him years ago by a stranger, and his wife soon committed suicide. When Lieutenant Davignon threatens him with prison if he doesn't take such a case, however, Fisk is pulled into trying to find Lindsay Sorkin, an American girl taken from her parents while on vacation to France.

In the past, I've had bad experiences with so-called Thrillers. They've always bored me, and occasionally I haven't been able to finish them. This book was different though. I wouldn't say that I 'couldn't put it down,' but it definitely kept my attention. I'm not one for action-packed, but this book fits that description.

One of the best things about this book was the fact that the protagonist had a heart, and not just for Lindsay. Many times, Fisk tries his hardest not to kill unless self-defense makes it necessary. It would be all too easy for a man who has lost his daughter like that to want to obliterate any person involved with child-kidnapping, but he shows mercy again and again.

I liked the book from start to finish, but once the end was in sight I felt like I had solved the puzzle, and was disappointed. It almost seemed too easy, too obvious. The closer I got, the more obvious it seemed, and I was beginning to think that the book wasn't as good as it seemed.

But it was too obvious, and of course I was wrong.

I won't reveal the ending, but it was stunning and heartbreaking, while being immensely satisfying. I couldn't have asked for a better ending, and I would recommend this book to anyone, mostly, but not only, because of the ending.

I won the book through Goodreads, but I'd gladly pay for it if I had to.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance readers' edition of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

This book was a pretty quick read with action from the start. The narrator, Simon Fisk, puts the reader into the mind of a man who lost a part of himself when his daughter went missing. The similarities that he mentions between his wife and Lori Sorkin (the woman whose daughter he is looking for) tell how painful it still is to think about the disappearance of his daughter, Hailey.

This book was excellent and kept you guessing the whole way through.

Spoilers below!
There are two reasons I didn't give this novel five stars.
The first was because it was sometimes a little difficult to follow because of all the foreign names. I found myself reading a couple chapters being too easily confused by the countless European names.
The second is that we never find closure with Hailey. Simon talks about her too much for us to not find out what happened to her. I understand that this is meant to show how many abduction cases end up; without a proper conclusion, but the book feels incomplete without any hint as to what really happened to Simon's daughter.

[Colleen Estep · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! A fast paced, page turning thriller that kept me involved from page 1. Meet Simon Fisk, who use to be a US Marshall, he now finds children who were abducted by a parent and taken out of the country. While on one of these retrieval missions his own 6 year old daughter is taken. The man who could find other missing children could not find his own. This leads to the suicide of his wife that he loved so much.
Now a couple are vacationing in Paris and their 6 year old daughter is taken from their hotel room, can Simon do for them what he was unable to do for his own family. It takes him to several country's and keeps him just a few steps behind the abductor's. This is a great read and keeps you on edge and holding your breath that he can stay alive and find Lindsay before its to late.
Thank you to Good Reads and Douglas Corleone for making it possible for me to enjoy this book.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review: http://bit.ly/1evXSEZ

My opinion: While I felt this book was entertaining, fast paced and action packed, I did find it a bit too "melodramatic" for my liking. Think 70's private eye TV show, where the detective is way to cool, easy going and, basically, bullet proof. There was almost a feel of cliche to his character. While I will say that, I wont' say that it went as deep as downright cheesy.

On that note, I have to say that I whipped through the book because it kept me entertained. His ability to write a stunning, inviting scenery and an engrossing story was phenomenal. I would definitely read more by this author, but please write a protagonist that has at least some kryptonite.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very exciting thriller that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Simon Fisk was a great character who brought so many intense feeling to this reader. The other characters were well written & made you love them or hate them. I stayed up all night to finish this book & would recommend it to other. I am now a fan Mr. Corleone!

[April Thompson Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read, but a complete let down. Majority of the story, I felt bored. Perhaps I expected more from a novel that claimed to be a thriller. There was not much that thrilled me throughout the book. I knew I continued to read until the end merely to find out if the main character Simon was able to locate the kidnapped child.

[Kyle Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good and interesting. This book instantly pulled me in and I didn't want to stop reading it. When Andrew Gross says it goes from zero to sixty in under six seconds and doesn't let off the gas, well he is right. I wasn't expecting the ending to the book, but I was happy with the way it ended.

[Laureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tense and exciting. The book wasn't stuffed with nonessential stuff, and everything served to push the story forward. This was excellently written.

(Read more.)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down! It takes the reader on the most exciting trip through Eastern Europe and constantly keeps you guessing. Can't wait to pick up the next book in the series!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought it was one of the best thrillers i have ever read.

[Timothy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It ticks all the thriller boxes: there’s a missing girl—in this case a nine-year-old girl. A ticking time clock. A hard-bitten detective. A chase across Europe. A healthy dose of violence that never descends into Ludlumesque violence porn. So what sets this story apart? Because rest assured, this story is a cut above from your formulaic thriller.
It’s heart, and not just a dollop of syrup on top of a stack of tropes. There’s heart right at the heart of this story, if you’ll forgive the expression.
Let’s go back. Simon Fisk, on his way back from Paris to the U.S., is pulled into this kidnapping because he has a certain skill: finding children kidnapped by an estranged parent. But Lindsey has been kidnapped by strangers. Just like his own little girl, years ago—whom he never found. Whose face he sees in every girl on the street, everywhere he turns. So when he reluctantly takes on the burden of the chase, he’s willing to risk lives, including his own, to find this girl.
And he’s up against a rogue’s gallery of international criminals who trade in children like others trade in drugs or guns, who only want Lindsey for the money she can bring them—so why isn’t there a ransom call?
This is where the story expands beyond the thriller, because it’s not just about the kidnapped girl, or Fisk’s lost daughter, but about every child whose childhood’s been betrayed by their families and loved ones, bought and sold, left unprotected, all around the world, from the victims of child pornographers to the victims of Chernobyl, to the victims of their own parent’s selfishness. You’ll meet them along the way, and be haunted by them.
And in the end, to save a life, Fisk has to make a choice as searing as Sophie’s choice.
If you’re looking for a thriller that you can read and forget, this one isn’t it. Good As Gone will stay with you for a long time afterwards.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Good As Gone” is a fast-paced action thriller which sees the hero, former U.S. Marshall Simon Fisk, gallivant across Europe and further afar, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.
Ten years ago his daughter disappeared and no trace of the child was ever found. Shortly afterwards his wife took her own life.
Since then he has worked privately to re-unite kidnapped children with their parents.
At a loose end in France after the conclusion of his latest case he is strong armed by the authorities to find a missing child, Lindsay Sorkin, 6.
There's no ransom demand and no clue as to why she was taken, but it could have something to do with her father's work in developing high-tech weapons systems.
Along the way he picks up a beautiful assistant (she comes in handy in Eastern Europe because she understands the lingo) and whenever the trail goes cold the bad guys can always be relied upon to reveal themselves.
There's a peculiar plot twist at the end which turns everything on its head – it all relates to a hanging thread near the start of the book (I'd noticed it but didn't attach much importance to it at the time).
Because of the fast pace there's not much time for character depth – much of the time it is like watching a 'Die Hard' movie.
3 Stars.

[Serena Wurmser · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Ok so I'll admit it, I totally judged this book by its cover. At least, at first. I was browsing the Mystery/Thriller books at my local library and this one caught my eye, so I decided to give it a shot.

It was kind of a waste of time.

Ok, so I had several main issues with the story:
1. There's no logical plot! No clues that tie together at the end, no arc to the story. It's just jumping from one clue to the next and following this across Europe. If everyone were that good at always finding the perfect clue, I suspect the world would be a lot more criminal-free.

2. The writing was mediocre at best. It felt really detached and at times paragraphs were awkwardly phrased. Honestly, it was pretty distracting sometimes.

3. There was a whole lot of (sometimes unnecessary) killing for a main character that claims to dislike violence. And almost no repercussions for it, despite the fact that he's not a part of the police and really shouldn't kill half a dozen men in the span of 10 days, even if it is to find a kidnaped child and they're technically the bad guys.

To be fair, I did find the book enjoyable to read at times. Just not most of the time.

[Boni Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very "manly" I never thought that that is possible to say about a book, but it is. Many descriptions he gives include examples such as: "He blew his brains out" (referring to a suicide) or "He was blown to a million pieces" (referring to a man that had a bomb attached to him). The main character is invincible, always escaping unscathed (or almost always). He jumps rooftops, climbs the sides of buildings like spider man, knocks down I don't know how many doors with his foot, it was way over the top for me. Not to mention all the people he killed along the way (although he claims to be a nonviolent man). He also saves his new lover about 3 times from being kidnapped while with him, which got old. It was not for me. The only reason for the bump to the two stars is that the story surrounding the kidnapping was surprising and different.

[Pammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon the tragic kidnapping & apparent death of his daughter, a former US Marshall devotes his life and skill sets to tracking down and recovering children kidnapped by their own estranged parent. He's quite good at this, even though he often operates outside the laws of the land.
The story line has Fisk (the Marshall) maneuvered into helping a kidnapping done with neither parent guilty of the act. The scene unfolds in Paris and takes Fisk across the continent as he follows one clue after another.
It's a decent enough book, full of twists and turns that propel Fisk in a race with time to save the little girl.

[Sarah Kraemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannendes Buch mit krasser Thematik!

Douglas Corleone hat einen sehr makaberen Schreibstil, der für einen Thriller sogar manchmal etwas zu humorvoll rüber kommt. Er weiß aber trotzdem genau wie er seine Leser kriegen kann! Man wird über Höhen und Tiefen, Grübeleien und mehrere Länder geschickt, um der Geschichte auf die Spur zu kommen und trotzdem bleibt es sehr interessant.
Auch die Charaktere kommen mit den eigenen Hintergründen gut zur Geltung und es liest sich sehr flüssig.

Ich war sehr gefesselt.