Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Mr. Steinberg is a capable writer, but the action and the characters in this book are dull -- a sin in a thriller. I couldn't care about the Corsican cartel, the humiliated congresswoman, or the missing college student. I will try another of his novels since his writing flows. But this book was mediocre.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written thriller; implausible in parts
Review: My first Steinberg book was NOBODY'S SAFE, which I still regard as his best. However, this book shows that his writing skill has continued to improve in the intervening time. Even though many of the action scenes are implausible (though not so much so as THE GEMINI MAN), his characterizations and scene settings are excellent. The main characters' motivations seem a little indistinct, but Steinberg successfully maintains tension between the two 4-phase men right up to the end of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: very entretaining but ...
Review: Overall, I did find the book very entretaining with lots of suspense: a good political thriller, but the devil is in the details. Almost all the spanish and french sentences in the book are wrong and filed with basic mistakes. The editors should have corrected that. The Corsicans speak Corsican and French, they don't speak Italian (although the Italian in the book was mostly correct). The main avenue in Paris is not "les Champs de Mars", but "les Champs-elysee". All these little details should have been checked and could have been checked rather easily. hopefully, these things will be corrected in subsequent editions.
Rating:
Summary: Freshman year revisited
Review: Richard Steinberg went back to his freshman year and scripted another winner. After his last book (a stinker that made me struggle through it), I was a little leary. I thought that maybe Gemini Man would be his only good novel. I was wrong. The 4 Phase Man is an incredible book. Schaeffer is correct (see other online reviews), the novel is a modern remake of the classic spaghetti western. This is significant in that you may not like the book if you're not into westerns. I am and I loved it. His 3rd novel doesn't offer the new ideals or cerebral massaging that Gemini Man does, but it's a killer novel just the same. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes covert-ops style books. Great read!
Rating:
Summary: Freshman year revisited
Review: Richard Steinberg went back to his freshman year and scripted another winner. After his last book (a stinker that made me struggle through it), I was a little leary. I thought that maybe Gemini Man would be his only good novel. I was wrong. The 4 Phase Man is an incredible book. Schaeffer is correct (see other online reviews), the novel is a modern remake of the classic spaghetti western. This is significant in that you may not like the book if you're not into westerns. I am and I loved it. His 3rd novel doesn't offer the new ideals or cerebral massaging that Gemini Man does, but it's a killer novel just the same. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes covert-ops style books. Great read!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe the hype
Review: So I met this guy at a book signing and asked him about his books, if he writes good books like John LeCarre or Len Deighton or if he writes throwaway ... like James Patterson. He said his books are similar to Deighton. No way! Deighton's protagonists are men of substance who have fear, cynicism, and are well drawn. For example, Bernard Samson from the three series of books Deighton wrote. Another good character would be ANYONE in LeCarre's Cold War novels. The protagonist of this novel is some superguy with no flaws, who, as we are reminded ad nauseam, puts fear into other men. Oooooooh! As it is, this book is terribly stereotypical, evil plots, one man stands alone, the Corsicans are all hidden and dangerous ( Ludlum has been there and done that! ), the hero is burned out, etc etc etc. This book is like a happy meal, the parts are there but it is shallow fulfillment, requiring no active thinking at all, just passive chewing. I prefer a meal from a five star chef, so give me LeCarre, Deighton, Gerald Seymour, Frederick Forsyth, or Craig Thomas for espionage/intrigue novels. This book did have some neat tricks as to eavesdropping or breaking into places, otherwise, a totally predictable yawner. If you want advice on good books by these authors, email me at ....
Rating:
Summary: A Dastardly Plot By The Chinese
Review: The story's plot is fairly simple. A retired secret agent comes out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a friend's brother. During the investigation, he uncovers a plot by the Chinese to use their mole, a member of the American President's cabinet, to install the mole as President and take over the American government. To do this, they use a hit team headed by another former secret agent, a rival of our protagonist. Although battered, burned, and shot, our hero defeats the hit team and saves the nation. If you like a story with lots of graphic violence, this is the book for you, with a hero who is a cold killer. The book is short on style - I had trouble picturing the scenes - but is heavy on action.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Western
Review: This book is a more modern version of the old gunslinger who used to do unspeakable acts for his Country and then figured out the difference between working for his country and working for ambitious men. So acts of contrition and soul searching follow. But there's always someone who wants him to come out of retirement but it requires balancing "the morality scales", i.e. unspeakable acts have to be committed against him before he'll "strap on his guns again" and seek vengeance that just happens to benefit the country's needs (in the author's view).The style is an old style of writing. Lots of filler. Lots about someone that after their story is told, they get their throat cut. Lots of flashbacks. And of course, even after the head of the Medusa is chopped off, tentacles remain: a follow up? He's a better writer than I am, but I'm not a writer. This book is formulaic and predictable....
Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Western
Review: This book is a more modern version of the old gunslinger who used to do unspeakable acts for his Country and then figured out the difference between working for his country and working for ambitious men. So acts of contrition and soul searching follow. But there's always someone who wants him to come out of retirement but it requires balancing "the morality scales", i.e. unspeakable acts have to be committed against him before he'll "strap on his guns again" and seek vengeance that just happens to benefit the country's needs (in the author's view). The style is an old style of writing. Lots of filler. Lots about someone that after their story is told, they get their throat cut. Lots of flashbacks. And of course, even after the head of the Medusa is chopped off, tentacles remain: a follow up? He's a better writer than I am, but I'm not a writer. This book is formulaic and predictable....
Rating: 
Summary: A winner.....
Review: This book was about an ex-soldier who's reality and nationalism was shattered in a startling revelation. He tries to let go of the past, but it soon catches up to him. He is asked to help a friend on a simple tracking job, but this job leads to an intricate conspiracy. I really liked the depth of this book, about warfare and how he realizes that he was just a pawn all his life. It goes on to talk about how he is haunted by the things he has done and is seeking forgiveness. This wasn't one of those shoot 'em up kind of books, although it did have many fast-paced action scenes in it, it actually had a very interesting story filled with sorrow and regret. I liked this book so much that I'm going to go and buy "The Gemini Man" which is also by Richard Steinberg.
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