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ayaktruk's review
1.0
Gave Brad 100 pages. Let me down somewhat. Really anticipated this to be right up my alley, but the rambling beginning lost me right off.
mamap's review
3.0
a grisham style book. father/son tension that isn't well defined. a quick adventure with lots of plot twists. a little too much sexual tension. and yet, the end. very thought-provoking. the end makes the book worth the effort.
katemoxie's review
1.0
Interesting premise, but as much as I enjoy Meltzer's TV shows, his writing is still sophomoric.
kellytyrrell's review
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Very bad. What is this even about? No book should have 80 chapters. What was the point? Do not recommend.
scheu's review
2.0
I chose to read this book because of Meltzer's research into the events behind the creation of Superman. This research would have made a very interesting nonfiction book, but the author chose to surround it with a thriller.
I've determined that I really hate thrillers, because they seem to be universally terrible, and not written for people like me. Somebody can come along and write a thriller about everything I love in the world, and I will refuse to read it. I have a closet stuffed with better options.
I've determined that I really hate thrillers, because they seem to be universally terrible, and not written for people like me. Somebody can come along and write a thriller about everything I love in the world, and I will refuse to read it. I have a closet stuffed with better options.
blairconrad's review against another edition
2.0
Not terribly-paced, and there were some interesting ideas in here, but the end was pretty predictable and the characterization didn't do much for me.
kstumpf's review
1.0
I have read the Culper Ring books and could not get enough. This book of lies is aptly titled, I feel like I was lied to by the description. This book is TERRIBLE. It is almost as if Mr. Meltzer started the book, then had a different idea for another book and instead of finishing book one? he simply threw the new ideas into this book and mashed the stories together. I will HOPE this is an anomaly because I enjoy Meltzer's work in print and on TV, but this one will take some time from which to recover.
pickleballlibrarian's review
3.0
It broke my heart when Brad Meltzer left legal thrillers to become a comic book writer. While fans like myself are pleased when he occasionally pens a thriller now and then, it's tragic that they never come back to the level of his earlier books.
gaderianne's review
3.0
Despite the fact that this book is a little grim with violence and murder, it ultimately has a powerful and uplifting message about the importance of a relationship between generation and passing the stories of your life along to the next generation.
The book itself was an interesting concept - a father and son are reunited after years apart (because the father was imprisoned) when a quest to find the murder weapon that Cain used to kill Abel lands in their laps. However, it was a little too far fetched for me to buy into - especially when the plot became centered on the creator of Superman and comic books. I think the author wanted to write a book about his theories surrounding Superman's inception and he should have just written that book. It didn't quite make sense for me to connect the two. Plus, the book felt choppy to me as every chapter switched into a different voice. Sometimes first person, then first person with another character, sometimes third person, sometimes in the past. While I've read books where this can be done incredibly well, this one was not one of them.
However, it was not a horrible read and I did find myself drawn into the plot (however far-fetched) wanting to know what happened next and found myself invested in the characters.
The most lasting part of this book for me was in the author's note at the end when Meltzer wrote how he's drawn to Clark Kent because of "the idea that any of us, in all our ordinariness, can change the world." While I'm not a fan or Superman or Clark Kent - that is a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agree with!
The book itself was an interesting concept - a father and son are reunited after years apart (because the father was imprisoned) when a quest to find the murder weapon that Cain used to kill Abel lands in their laps. However, it was a little too far fetched for me to buy into - especially when the plot became centered on the creator of Superman and comic books. I think the author wanted to write a book about his theories surrounding Superman's inception and he should have just written that book. It didn't quite make sense for me to connect the two. Plus, the book felt choppy to me as every chapter switched into a different voice. Sometimes first person, then first person with another character, sometimes third person, sometimes in the past. While I've read books where this can be done incredibly well, this one was not one of them.
However, it was not a horrible read and I did find myself drawn into the plot (however far-fetched) wanting to know what happened next and found myself invested in the characters.
The most lasting part of this book for me was in the author's note at the end when Meltzer wrote how he's drawn to Clark Kent because of "the idea that any of us, in all our ordinariness, can change the world." While I'm not a fan or Superman or Clark Kent - that is a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agree with!