The List

Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: As one who likes political, legal, and espionage thrillers, I was not quite sure what I was getting when I bought this Martini opus. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a plot which held my attemtion. Admittedly, the premise is somewhat bizarre -- a writer adopting not just a pseudonym but a pseudoauthor. However, it had the advanage of being different enough to make it highly readible. Martini goofed on some technicalities, such as the requirement for a passport to the Virgin Islands, but the story line, characterization, and twists, overcame the errors. "The List" is not great literature, but it is good popcorn reading.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: This was the first time reading anything by the author and I am ready for more. I could not put this book down! The story was spellbinding and filled with surprises from beginning to end. And the ending...well let's just say I wasn't quite prepared for what was in store. Thanks for the ride Steve!

Rating:
Summary: I winced throughout the book
Review: Too many cliches and stereotypic characters. The story either dragged or raced. The pacing was really off. I think it would have been better if some of the foreshadowing had not been included. It made the ending too predictable. I would like to know how long it took the author to write this book. It seemed he was in a hurry to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Big Fun
Review: Fast, clever, and full of surprises. I loved this departure from his other books.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: Predictable plot, wooden characters, bad dialogue, and careless research ruin an exciting premise. Besides the author's confusion over geography and passports, there are some really stupid sentences like (and this is an exact quote) "She gave Morgan an incredulous look like she didn't believe this." What does Martini think "incredulous" means, anyway? Did an editor even look at this mess?

Rating:
Summary: Wow! What a ride!
Review: This is the first book I have read by Steve Martini anddefinitely plan to read other material by him. Within a week, I was incold and damp Seattle, bustling New York City in the office of an overly-plastic literary agent, a grand old South Carolina plantation home, a lavish whirlwind publishing convention in Chicago, the San Juan mansion of a rum czar, and a cozy, tropical beach home nestled in an exotic resort in St. Croix ... all without ever leaving home! Steve Martini painted nearly vivid pictures of the many settings in this book and I felt like I was actually there. When you think you know whodunnit, you realize you're wrong. The plot develops into a frenzied outcome and you won't be able to put it down. After reading this book, I said to myself, "Wow! What a ride!"

Rating:
Summary: GREAT THRILLER!
Review: "The List" is a great thriller that will surely entertain you. I wasn't able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment from an otherwise brilliant novelist
Review: As a novelist myself who is a fan of Steve Martini, I was dismayed and let down by The List. He seemed to have dashed it off in a hurry, giving us a cliched formula plot with too predictable, hackneyed scenes and not very interesting characters. Research was also lacking in some areas. Steve: stick to the court room.

Rating:
Summary: Having a Martini with Martini
Review: Okay, so I have been reading the other on-line reviews of this novel and they seem pretty mixed. I would like to sit down with Steve and have a Martini and congratulate him.I personally thought that the book was a very entertaining page turner. I am a little confused about how everyone else says that they knew who the killer was from the beginning. Martini kept me guessing until the very end. It was one of the very first books that I have ever read that I didn't predict the outcome of. I thought, although it might not be a piece of literary artwork, that Martini did a fine job. He is a very engaging author. He kept me on the edge of my seat...turning pages as fast as I could!

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad read!!
Review: This was the first book of Martini's that I have read. It was pretty good, but I knew who the killer was right from the get-go. I am going to check out some of his others.