The Eighth Day

Rating:
Summary: GOOD ENTERTAINING BUT NOT REALLY SMART
Review: Dan Cray gets himself into trouble, the problem is we see it comming much before him.
In Case's novel, Cray becomes (a la Ludlum) an international target. He is involved (a la Dan Brown) in what could be a religious conspiracy. The scientific mystery behind the plot is (a la Crichton) in nanotechnology.The novel, so, can be said to remind any of those authors. Only it doesn't, Ludlum persecusions are smarter, Crichton's scientific plots really have to do with the book's story).
The Eight Day has a smart prose (much better than the overpraised Brown), nice descriptions and some good moments, but it is full of deux es machina solutions (that credit card near the ending, that simpatetic truck driver) and predictable turns (the blackmail, the torture, even the uzi).
Nevertheless it is an entertaining read, just don't ask for more.

Rating:
Summary: A highly entertaining yet potent thriller
Review: Danny Cray is a part time investigator hired by a wealthy lawyer, Jude Belzer to look into why an Italian billionaire is the target of a smear campaign. Cray, a bit cash starved, jumps at the chance in that he will be very well paid for what appears to be fairly easy work. His investigation takes him to the death of a suspect who commits suicide by entombing himself. He builds a brick wall around himself. The death is highly suspicious. As Cray continues to investigate the case, which takes him all over the world, he begins to strongly suspect that he might be working for the bad guys.
John Case delivers a highly entertaining and potent thriller that will never fail to please. The pacing eventually becomes relentless as Cray initially the hunter, becomes the hunted. It is a story of a relatively normal guy getting into something way above himself. Of course, the villain is over the top as is the plot, itself. Yet, given it's primary function to entertain, it succeeds quite easily.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Run Through Rome, Siena, Istanbul and Eastern Turkey
Review: If you like your suspense hero to be a globe-trotting ingenue, then Case's Danny Cray is definitely your man. All of Case's books, 'The Genesis Code', 'The Syndrome' and 'The First Horse' as well as this one, utilize the same winning formula which seems to be working so well for Dan Brown in 'The DaVinci Code' and "Angels and Demons." A little technology is combined with myth, religion and human greed to create a fast-paced page-turner that is sure to please most recreational readers.

In this offering, Case launches artist and part-time investigator Cray into the spheres of influence controlled by a Turkish billionaire---the trail begins with a professor of ancient religions committing suicide in Washington DC and quickly leads tracking a laptop computer to the Eternal City, meeting the billionaire at a fabulous party during the famous Palio in Siena and then proceeds at a lightning pace in a run-for-your-life dash for Istanbul and Eastern Turkey to uncover a plot that leads back to the mysteries of the Silicon Valley in California.

I found the Italian and Turkish portions of the book thoroughly enjoyable; the science presented during Cray's dinner in California interesting but a little secondary to the overall plot---I felt as if the authors wanted to get in a little something about nanotechnology---which they do very well, but needlessly, as the science itself has little to do with any pivotal moments in the storyline.

As other reviewers have commented, the authors stretch the limits of coincidence, their melding of science within the plot was shaky and Cray's most perplexing moments (i.e. puzzling out the professor's password)were annoying to read as they were easily remembered by the reader.

But like "The Da Vinci Code", this book is out and out fun to read. Cray is likeable, we find ourselves rooting for him; we want him to convince his girlfriend of his innocence and we want his art show to be a success because we know he isn't a very good private investigator.

Recommended to anyone who found "The DaVinci Code" enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: PHEW! Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Thriller!
Review: What a wild ride! This was one of the most intriguing, fast-moving, exciting, enigmatic plots I've read in many years. Artist and part-time P.I. Danny Cray takes a job doing a little investigative work for the devil, I mean, a mysterious billionaire in order to make some quick cash. But as he gets deeper and deeper into his investigation, he realizes that everyone connected with this man has either committed suicide (one guy by entombment) or been murdered. The plot is thicker than cajun gumbo and covers the globe, from the Middle East to Norway. I highly recommend this well-written book. Just be prepared to lose some sleep because it's unputdownable. Fabulous story, Mr. Case!!!!!