Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Despite its' name, this novel is predictable and too long. This is the first Case novel I have read but he has a habit of telegraphing his next move and gives hints which allowed me to figure this out halfway through. It might have been a little better if he developed his characters fully. Adrienne is especially dry and I found it hard to believe how she could be so businesslike in dealing with the death of her sister then witnessing the brutal murder of her friend. The ending was anticlimactic and not very satisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, nothing great
Review: First off, as another reviewer pointed out, "John Case" is just a pseudonym for writer Jim Hougan and his wife. Using his real name, Hougan wrote another thriller called KINGDOM COME which is one my favorites of the last several years. Definitely get that one if you haven't already.And I have to say, it's better than this one. I thought THE SYNDROME was a decent enough read, but nothing spectacular. Interesting ideas that aren't developed into anything more. And I found myself constantly irritated by the characters' lack of worry -- big obvious clues turn up that things are amiss, yet the characters either dismiss or ignore them (I guess a forced way to maintain 'suspense'?) But there isn't much suspense, because Case made a major mistake with his opening prologue. He gave it all away. If he had just left that part out, the story which followed would have been a lot more mysterious. As it is, the reader is always several steps ahead of the characters and pretty much knows what it's all about. Not a good sign in a suspense-thriller. I'd recommned you pick up KINGDOME COME before this one. Then try Case's first book, GENESIS CODE, but avoid his second, FIRST HORSEMAN. That had the same kind of half-developed quality this one has. One last thing - this book features a plot-point involving a website. Try logging onto it -- fun stuff (but remember that access wasn't obvious in the book nor is it in real life).
Rating: 
Summary: A Good, Fun Read
Review: I enjoyed this book, however I agree with other reviewers that Case's previous novels (The Genesis Code, The First Horsemen) were better. Having said that, I still really liked this book and it made for an exciting read. I would recommend it to others.
Rating: 
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: I enjoyed two of John Case's other novels, but this one was a big let down for me. Case spends way too much time describing minutia and details that aren't relevant to the story line, and it makes the book a chore to pour through. The dialogue isn't very believable. i was looking forward to this book, but it will keep me from reading any more Case material.
Rating:
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: I enjoyed two of John Case's other novels, but this one was a big let down for me. Case spends way too much time describing minutia and details that aren't relevant to the story line, and it makes the book a chore to pour through. The dialogue isn't very believable. i was looking forward to this book, but it will keep me from reading any more Case material.
Rating: 
Summary: A spellbinder the ENTIRE way through!
Review: I listened to unabridged audio version, which is 10 cassette tapes in all, during a long driving trip. When I picked up my daughter (in DC) at the beginning of Tape 6, she was hooked within minutes! She was so captivated that she who loves to drive said, "[As you know], I can't drive and listen to a talking tape at the same time, so why don't you drive until the tape [book on tape] is over," and I did. When I picked up my father, and my sister, (in Toronto, Ontario, Canada), halfway through Tape 8, to my surprise even they became hooked. I have played audio tapes on auto trips with my father for years; he usually isn't interested. In contrast, as I switched from Tape 8 to 9, my father and sister immediately bombarded me with a raft of questions about the part that they had missed. We arrived at our destination at the beginning of Tape 9, Side B, and spent four days there. On day five as soon as we started back, dad said, "Let's hear the end of book!" put in his hearing aid, which he doesn't like to wear, and we did. One particularly effective subplot is hearing the hero's (Duran) therapy session with Heinrich("The Worm") DeGroot twice, first when it happens and then several tapes later as Duran and the heroine (Adrienne) play it back AFTER they've both learned that Duran is not who he thinks he is. Due to what has transpired in the intervening 4 tapes or so, the second time around I understood that session in a whole new light. 8/24/01 addendum: Other reviewers have stated that the plot is implausible, unbelievable. As a 30-year veteran of Information Technology, it is as plausible as the genetic engineering premise of Jurassic Park. For example, about a year ago I read in the Washington Post that some group had enabled a person, (he was paralyzed, I think), probably with the aid of surgery, to move a cursor using only his brain waves.
Rating:
Summary: Psychological Thriller, doesn't
Review: I was really hooked into this book in the beginning, however it took 3/4 of the book for anything to really start happening. With so much time spent developing the characters, the ending was anti-climactic. And, predictable. Dare I say disappointing? I realize this is fiction, but shouldn't it seem plausible? Couldn't the bad guys have tracked them by credit card transactions? How could people on the run and in hiding have so many fancy dinners? Isn't it amazing how they escape every bad scenario without a scratch? They kept returning to locations they were known to frequent or would likely be and these places were never staked out. Why didn't Dr.Duran suffer any long term effects from having his brain messed with so substantially? Everyone is so multi-talented as to be sickening. The premise of the book was excellent and worth the read if only to broaden your mind as to how freaky things really are in the world. But, once you get halfway through, figure it out your self and put the book in your yard sale box.
Rating:
Summary: John Case does it again!!!
Review: I was really pleased when I saw that John Case had another book out, I was not disappointed. It is an exciting read and I couldn't put it down. There is something about normal people put in unusual or impossible situations that can grab a reader, and this book grabs you from the very beginning.Read this one, and if you havn't read the other John Case books, go back and read them!
Rating:
Summary: wow!
Review: I was unfamiliar with the author, but wow! I finished this novel in a single day, I just couldn't put it down. It has a great mix of thriller, conspiracy and chaos tightly woven together.
Rating:
Summary: A chilling thriller
Review: In Washington DC, Adrienne Cope blames clinical therapist Dr. Jeffrey Duran for the suicide death of her half-sister Nicole Sullivan. She hires a private sleuth, Bonilla, to investigate Duran. He learns that the real Duran died several years ago at the age of two and that the good doctor never went to Brown or Wisconsin Universities as he claims. When confronted Jeff is stunned and thinks Adrienne is a quack and Bonilla a professional forger. However, he follows up and sees evidence that leaves him shaken. He takes a lie detector test that proves he believes he is Dr. Jeff Duran. Not long afterwards, Adrienne asks to see Nico's file, but nothing is inside stunning Jeff further. Two individuals claiming to be detectives arrive and Bonilla challenges their credentials. One of the phony cops kills his partner and Bonilla, but Adrienne and Jeff escape, which is not easy for him as he suffers from agoraphobia. As they try to learn the truth, they are targeted for death by a conspiracy that threatens the future course of the world. THE SYNDROME is an exciting thriller that never slows down on the accelerator. The key to the novel is the reactions of the cast which seem so genuine they take the story line to incredible levels of entertainment. John Case, known for THE GENESIS CODE, employs the concept of whether a person's memories are real or borrowed implants as the basis for a fabulous novel that will garner the writing team many new readers and accolades. Harriet Klausner
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