Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Riveting
Review: Another spin on the duel for possession of the atomic bomb told with edgy characters in a Hitchcock-like plot. The fate of World War II hangs on two people, each driven by conflicting obsessions, and the playout overturns the reader's expected resolution. The hero is a potty professor and the villain is a seductive murderess--these contrasts alone transgress the usual images of high-flying spies and evil Nazis, but they do set up intriguing pawns in a game of wits between sides within their own ranks. For a first novel, it is outstanding, and stands amongst the best of Follett, Le Carre and Silva.
Rating: 
Summary: Page-Turner
Review: A Gathering of Spies is your basic run-of-the-mill spy novel. Through the chapters, we are introduced to many
characters, such as the intriguing "Katarina" and an older spy, Winterbotham. As the plot unfolds, it becomes
thicker. The reader is taken to different locales, including the U.S., Germany, and Britain. The best-written part in
the book is definitely the character of Katarina. She is very cunning, and the reader will see this young spy go
through a sort of "change" through the book... in other words, she softens up, and soon becomes sick to the
stomach when she is forced to murder someone or witnesses a gruesome sight.
The only put-down was the cliché ending. Lots of fighting, lots of spies and groups who all ended up being at the
same place at the same time... imagine that! Also, the reader may become bored during the tedious duration of
numerous talks between countries that occurs throughout the book.
I would definitely recommend A Gathering of Spies, and don't get me wrong, I am definitely planning to read John
Altman's second novel as well. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: I have always been a fan of Michael Crichton's books because of the way they make you think and teach you at the same time as it excites you. If you like books of this nature a gathering of spies is the greatest book you can buy. It is right up there with Timeline in the greatest books out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun but could have been so much better
Review: The few negative reviews on this book are actually right on the koney. The plot is a joke. But Katrina makes the read so entertaining -- especially if you were disappointed by the lousy "Unlikely Spy" in which a very similar character also named Catherine gets treated pretty horribly in the end.Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Goofy of tons of fun
Review: The plot totally doesn't bear scrutiny but Katrina is a terrific character. Hopefully the author will bring her back -- on our side this time.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: I picked this book up at the airport and it kept me engrossed from Denver to New York. It's got well developed characters and a fast moving, intelligent plot. Lots of historical detail and plenty of, perhaps a bit too much, violence. I'll look for this author again.
Rating:
Summary: John Altman creates a great spy novel
Review: OK, we know there are a few implausibilities. How does Winterbotham get to be such a good spy? Why do they recruit a guy with questionable sympathies in the first place? How does Katarina survive all those injuries and keep killing so many people? (Paging Linda Hamilton!) But who cares? This is a great spy novel, with plenty at stake (just the fate of the world, no big deal!), and characters on both sides to root for. Yes, you WILL find yourself at times rooting for Katarina. Eveyrone has their agendas, and Altman makes it fun keeping track of them all, seeing how the agendas weave together.
Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe it got published
Review: For starters, Katrina Heinrich is an idiot. She obtains the atomic bomb plans in Los Alamos and kills her way to New York so she can get out of the U.S., go to England and from there reach Germany. Los Alamos is, of course, in New Mexico. Why didn't she simply skip across the border to Mexico (a neutral country in WWII) and just hand over her info to the German embassy? But let's assume there was some reason she couldn't do that, let's accept she has to get to New York and catch a ship out of the States. Why go to England? Why not take a ship to Portugal or Spain (both Nazi-sympathizing countries)? Shipping lines were open between America and Spain. Why go directly into the hornet's nest of England? Author John Altman does offer some goofy explanations, but essentially if she had his story would have been over. These snags are just the beginning in a tale that stretches credibility at every turn. "Gathering of Spies" is a disturbingly close rip-off of Daniel Silva's "The Unlikely Spy" which in turn was a copy of "Eye of the Needle." What Altman has going for him, at least, is Katrina. Despite the stupidity inflicted on her by the author, she's an enormously entertaining superwoman, so much so that one wishes she had more of an arc. Katrina never develops as a character. She kills everyone and everything in sight, often feeling remorse but doing it anyway. Altman seems to have been inspired by Besson's La Femme Nikita, but in that film the protagonist discovers her humanity in the midst of her brutality. No such change for Katrina; she's little better than a serial killer. Interestingly, both "Gathering of Spies" and "Unlikely Spy" would have been better if they had switched endings. Silva's sympathetic Catherine Blake deserved better than the cruel fate her author had in store for her whereas Altman's Katrina is treated awfully mercifully in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Spy Thriller
Review: I'm pleased to have discovered this new author who has written an excellent spy thriller. It's atmospheric, fast-paced, and a great read! Bring more on.
Rating:
Summary: great Christmas gift!T
Review: This book has it all - a fast paced plot, great characters, historical intrigue. It makes a great Christmas gift. Can't wait for this author's follow up book!
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