Panama

Rating:
Summary: A charmer!
Review: A stellar effort for Zancey's debut. Taking place in 1892 the story is a mixture of fact and fiction. Henry Adams is an American historian whose descendants include two U.S. presidents. He becomes fascinated with the story surrounding the Panama Affair which is where the French royally messed up the building of the Panama Canal due to poor planning and widespread corruption among government officials. While in Paris a woman is pulled from the Seine named Miriam Talbot. This is someone Adams has befriended a couple of months previously and he goes to identify the body. It's not her but she has gone missing. He then starts his own amateurish investigation. We then get to see the quirkiness of his character and the humourous and uncomfortable situations he gets himself into. We get wonderful descriptions of Paris circa 1892 and meet some wonderful characters on both sides of the law. We get into the beginnings of forensic science and become acquainted with power hungry French politicians such as Loubet, Delahaye and Clemenceau. Adams is constantly at odds with himself also. Why is he pursueing this dangerous escapade? Is it for adventure and to fill the void of his wife Clover's suicide seven years ago? He observes the encroachment of the industrial age and wonders if it is destroying man's moral fibre. Overall the story is so vivid, each conversation and confrontation can be clearly imagined. It's not a page turning suspense thriller but it is a rich experience that leaves you feeling very satisfied. Stick with it through the first 50-60 pages and you will be generously rewarded. A charming, intelligent read.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: As a big fan of historical novels I started this book with excitement. I very quickly became bored and found myself seeing how many more pages were left so I could start reading a different book. I'm not sure what the expert reviewers were thinking about when they gave this novel such high praise.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD HISTORICAL MYSTERY
Review: AS MOST OF THE REVIEWS HAVE SAID, SIMILAR TO THE ALIENIST. PANAMA IS A GOOD MYSTERY EVEN IF A LITTLE SLOW. THE INVENTION OF FINGERPRINTING WAS GREAT. THE BOOK TAKES PLACE IN 1892 IN PARIS BUT GETS A LITTLE TO DESCRIPTIVE.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD HISTORICAL MYSTERY
Review: AS MOST OF THE REVIEWS HAVE SAID, SIMILAR TO THE ALIENIST.PANAMA IS A GOOD MYSTERY EVEN IF A LITTLE SLOW. THE INVENTION OF FINGERPRINTING WAS GREAT. THE BOOK TAKES PLACEIN 1892 IN PARIS BUT GETS A LITTLE TO DESCRIPTIVE.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent literary thriller.
Review: As you will see from many of the customer reviews, this historical thriller is not a purely plot-driven page-turner, a la Robert Ludlum or Ken Follett. If that is what you are looking for, you will be disappointed. Rather, the author takes the time (and, yes, forces the reader to do so) setting a mood, at the same time capturing the spirit of the age and the tormented inner spirit of the protagonist (Henry Adams). This is first and foremost a book about Adams' emotional recovery, so, no, it is not as fast-paced and action-packed as The Alienist. (I liked both books very much, but they are different--perhaps the marketers are at fault for raising false expectations.) But, so long as you are willing to savor a mood, and to arrive slowly at your destination, this is an excellent read.

Rating:
Summary: Boooring.
Review: I have read more than my share of critically aclaimed long novels that other readers give up on and I usually love them. This one is not all that long but after 150 pages it sure felt like it. Tossed it in the trash in the Atlanta airport and stared at the wall instead. Less tedious that way.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time!
Review: I only made it through the first 45 pages before I decided that there were better ways to spend my time. The author's need to describe every detail really bogs the story down and challenges the reader to stay interested. If you're looking for a better story, read "The Alienist".

Rating:
Summary: Not worth much of your time.....
Review: I read Panama for my high school book club, and frankly found it quite short of my expectations. The writing is very hard to follow sometimes. Zencey goes into these philosophical musings that seem to have very little to do with the subject at hand. Also, the female characters are very poorly drawn. It's hard to see why the main character Henry goes chasing after a woman he only saw twice, and when there also seemed to be little affection or attraction between them. The end is very unsatisfactory - anti climactic in a way. In all, the novel fails to really draw me in, and is not very satisfactorily written. If you are really looking for a good historical mystery, you'd be better off reading something by Ellis Peters or Glen Davis Gold.

Rating:
Summary: Not a comic book, a true literary novel.
Review: I read this book several months ago and so I don't remember all the details of it. I do remember that it was a very enjoyable read. The plot is very clever and complex, the characters are interesting and well defined, and there is some action and suspense in some parts. The best thing about this book is its atmosphere; you really feel transported to late nineteenth century Paris. I wouldn't say that it was an outstanding novel, but it definately deserves a lot more than the one star some reviewers gave it.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining historical mystery
Review: I read this book several months ago and so I don't remember all the details of it. I do remember that it was a very enjoyable read. The plot is very clever and complex, the characters are interesting and well defined, and there is some action and suspense in some parts. The best thing about this book is its atmosphere; you really feel transported to late nineteenth century Paris. I wouldn't say that it was an outstanding novel, but it definately deserves a lot more than the one star some reviewers gave it.