Rating: 
Summary: Political Thriller Not To Be Missed!
Review: 'The Fourth Perimeter' by talenter writer Tim Green is a political thirller not to be missed!An intriguing tale of high-tech billionaire entrepreneur Kurt Ford (one-time Secret Service agent) uses all his money and power to find out who is behind the murder of his son -- a death the police have ruled a suicide. A story that will entertain the reader from the first page on.
Rating: 
Summary: A real disappointment
Review: After hearing Tim Green over the years on NPR, I have been impressed by his wit and intelligence. I eagerly picked up this book after hearing him discuss it on Weekend Edition. I was frustrated by the simplistic dialogue and a major character flaw in the beginning that nagged me throughout the book...any man so passionate about clearing his son's name would certainly spend at least a few minutes of mourning before meeting people in bars to pursue leads!
Rating:
Summary: How could anyone see this book as a bore?
Review: Being a diehard West Virginia football fan, I'm tailored to not be too fond of the Syracuse Orangemen, but Tim Green is OK in my book! (Green was a former Orangemen football player) Some seem to see Kurt Ford as predictable and one-dimensional in this book, but I see those traits as DETERMINED and FOCUSED and I'm sure you will too while reading. I read this book in less than two days and I was enthralled by it. It is a true page turner and has movie written all over it (Jerry Bruckheimer stay away...we don't need explosions). All along you think you have it all figured out until Green throws a monkey wrench into it and it just makes you want to keep reading. First class job by Mr. Green!
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining but not noteworthy by any means
Review: Green provides another far-fetched plot but, since it is a little different from his previous works, it is still relatively entertaining. The Fourth Perimeter starts off well enough but steadily loses steam through the conclusion. Again, predictability is not the best trait a book can have, yet quick diversions have their merits too.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining
Review: Green provides another far-fetched plot in The Fourth Perimeter. Because it's a little different from his previous works, it's pretty entertaining by comparison. The book starts off well enough and has a decent hook, but it steadily loses steam through the conclusion. A little too predictable but a fun journey nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Oh well...
Review: I don't know. The concept of this story felt contrived and the rest of the book was trying to convince me that it wasn't. You could almost hear the author asking the 'What ifs' that gave him something to write about. 'What if a former secret serviceman...', 'What if the former secret serviceman wanted revenge against the President...', 'Let's see, Ok, what if that former secret serviceman's son was...' That's it. Write it down. And it isn't a terrible story. It was fleshed out pretty well, but never enough meat to become fully convincing. I couldn't pinpoint what 'The Fourth Perimeter' lacked until I started reading, Paul McElroy's 'TRACON', which had everything this book was missing... the intimate details about the subject that allows a reader to truly experience the events of the story. Maybe if we could have had more inner workings of the secret service and a better portrayal of Kurt Ford's business operations as he divested himself of his software security company, I would have cared more. As it was, the focus is on Kurt Ford's barely contained lunacy while the author tries to hold our interest with justifications for Ford's actions. It didn't work for me. Made me wonder if I could write a better story. Heads 2 stars, tails 3 stars... tails
Rating:
Summary: mediocre thriller
Review: I grabbed this book at an airport when I'd run out of reading material. In a sea of thrillers I grabbed this one because the premise was interesting. It's the first novel I've read by Tim Green. I'd say the author has good ideas and he tries to add depth to his characters, but his writing style is not very good. I admit I like Jane Austen, so my demands are high, but his prose is often bland and occasionally clunky. For example: "With a razor, he slashed them open one by one to reveal an ensemble of underwater equipment, all of which was midnight blue and smelling of fresh paint. He had known exactly what he needed and ordered everything over the Internet in a matter of a few hours. Even though he could have any number of people who worked for him around the house unpack the gear, Kurt had given every one of them including Clara the day off." Clunk. I'm notoriously bad at figuring out mysteries and thrillers, but I got this one right away. There weren't many surprises, though there were good ideas. My impression is that this would be a great second draft, but it is not a novel yet. Maybe Green needs a different editor. It's the first novel I've read by Tim Green. I don't feel a great urge to read another, though other reviewers suggest his other books are better, and I might pick up one based on the author's interest in his characters and his ideas, but I'd rank this effort as only average.
Rating:
Summary: mediocre thriller
Review: I grabbed this book at an airport when I'd run out of reading material. In a sea of thrillers I grabbed this one because the premise was interesting. It's the first novel I've read by Tim Green. I'd say the author has good ideas and he tries to add depth to his characters, but his writing style is not very good. I admit I like Jane Austen, so my demands are high, but his prose is often bland and occasionally clunky. For example: "With a razor, he slashed them open one by one to reveal an ensemble of underwater equipment, all of which was midnight blue and smelling of fresh paint. He had known exactly what he needed and ordered everything over the Internet in a matter of a few hours. Even though he could have any number of people who worked for him around the house unpack the gear, Kurt had given every one of them including Clara the day off." Clunk. I'm notoriously bad at figuring out mysteries and thrillers, but I got this one right away. There weren't many surprises, though there were good ideas. My impression is that this would be a great second draft, but it is not a novel yet. Maybe Green needs a different editor. It's the first novel I've read by Tim Green. I don't feel a great urge to read another, though other reviewers suggest his other books are better, and I might pick up one based on the author's interest in his characters and his ideas, but I'd rank this effort as only average.
Rating: 
Summary: Shame on me!!
Review: I kept hoping it would get better - perhaps the characters would develop... perhaps there was a great twist in the plot. No such luck. The story is weak, the characters weaker and the "twist" was laughable!
If you really want to read it, get a copy from your local library and save your money for a really good book!
Rating: 
Summary: Really Quite Good
Review: I know that title doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, but except for a period in the middle of the book when the chief character is both going through a plan for how to assasinate the President of the United States and deal with his relationship with the woman he hopes to marry and take into exile afterwards, this is a pretty well written and interesting novel. The scenario is that your son, a Secret Service agent has apparently committed suicide. You are a former SS agent who has become a very successful corporate type - worth a billlion or so. Your wife has died; you have fallen in love with a subordinate employee; and you have to deal with this suicide when you least are prepared to do so. However you recognize that it could not be such - a friend in the service confirms that and identifies the person behind the killing. i.e. the President of the United States. Your focus is to kill him and to do that you have to penetrate the Forth Perimenter of his security. You lay out a plan to do so and survive and after doing it things start to unravel. How they unravel and how that is delt with is the stength of the novel. It is a fine read.
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