CRITICAL MASS CS

Rating:
Summary: Martini is one of the best
Review: ~Joss Cole is happy to have left the rat race as a Los Angeles public defender for the serene Puget Sound area. Her cases are no brainers until a group of local fishermen come down with a strange illness that Joss feels is industrial related.
Rating:
Summary: NAIL BITERS BEWARE!
Review: It's sometimes frustrating to see how some reviewers sometimes spend so much time worrying about some of the technical accuracies in a book. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Martini is in fine form in this nail-biting thriller. The characters of Joselyn Cole and Gideon Van Ry, in particular, are easily identifiable and likeable. Dean Biedel/Thorn is also an irreprehensible villain. Even though one can identify with Scott Taggart's overwhelming sense of loss, and agree with him on the ineffectiveness of our government, it does not condone his actions in killing innocent people. Written not long after the Oklahoma/McVeigh incident, CRITICAL MASS feeds on our fears of terrorism, that have even been more prominent since 9/11.
I liked this book a lot; it's ending is somewhat sad, but in light of all that goes on, appropriate. Mr. Martini has left us with a possible sequel; will it happen, oh great one?

Rating:
Summary: Martini's best ever!
Review: As much as I like his Paul Madriani character, this is my favorite Steve Martini novel. Burned-out lawyer Joss Cole heads for a quiet country life. World-shaking events converge; fall in her lap.

Rating:
Summary: A TOO-DRY MARTINI
Review: I am basically a Steve Martini fan. When he is at his best, there is none better. When he is not at the top of his form, you have a book like this: not bad, not that good. The storyline involving a missing nuclear device has been done before and better. While the book is a page turner, getting me to read the last 200 pages at one sitting, I still had no real sense of enjoyment after completing it. The characters were too stereotypical, especially Belden/Thorn and Joss, who never really came across as an appealing individual whom one could care about and really root for over the course of the novel. Maybe Martini got tired of Paul Madriani and the legal thrillers, but I hope he returns to them soon. The List was not up to his standards, neither is Critical Mass. Critical Mass was not terrible, but there is really nothing special about it. I read it, but it was just another book.

Rating:
Summary: Fun to read, but not at all plausible
Review: The exciting style kept my interest all the way through, so I enjoyed it, but the plot was so implausible that I kept gagging on it. The actions of the characters was almost uniformly stupid. I know it was just to keep the plot going, but really! Just one example, why didn't the bad guys burn the lawyer's office after they took the files! There are many worse ones from beginning to end, but I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone.

One of my pet peeves is the absolutely inaccurate science. If someone is exposed to radiation, they do not become radioactive, do not pose a threat to anyone, and do not have to be kept behind lead walls. The plutonium health effects were laughably wrong. No wonder the public is confused on the subject of radiation.

I couldn't put it down, but it was painful.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Compelling Evidence was the first Steve Martini novel I read and I loved it. I then read Critical Mass and was thoroughly disappointed. The plot was predictable, except for a surprise ending, at which point I had already lost interest. I will stick to the Paul Madriani series.

Rating:
Summary: It could happen, and in this book, you believe it.
Review: This is a real "can't put it down" book. Often, one hasn't the time to read straight through, but I had to do it on Martini's "Critical Mass." Martini's characters are real people, and his pace is breathtaking and frightening. No spoilers here, but as you read, you become aware of how real this situation is and/or could be. Martini's "take" on the conditions of government and the Law are indigenous to the U.S. but could be any government, anywhere.

Rating:
Summary: Well written and disturbingly plausible
Review: I had not previously read anything by Martini and always assumed he dealt exclusively in the legal thriller .Critical Mass does not come into this category despite having a lawyer as the heroine .Instead we get a smooth , polished and proficient international thriller revolving around the theft of nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union and the attempt by terrorists to deploy them against the USA in particular the President as he gives a key address to Congress .
It is disturbingly detailled in the way points out the flaws in the security of the weapons stockplied in the FSU and refreshingly cynical about politicians all around the globe .
Adequate characterization and a lawyers grasp of drama make for good beach or airline fodder with enough grit to resonate in your mind for some while .

Rating:
Summary: Read after 911
Review: I cannot express how happy I was to find and read CRITICAL MASS. The last two novels I started to read were so disappointing, I was unable to complete them. CRITICAL MASS was incredibly intense; I could not stop reading it. In fact, I read it to and from Dulles Airport (Washington, DC). If you ever travel to and from Dulles after 911, you'll have a greater appreciation for CRITICAL MASS.

There are several comments I can make about CRITICAL MASS that will help one decide whether to the read this book. First, I want to note that most the book reviews of CRITICAL MASS were written prior to 911. Americans had a reality check since that dreadful day. If you read the other reviews, you'll note that some commented on the unbelievable elements with the storyline. After 911, CRITICAL MASS seems VERY believable! Thus, I think CRITICAL MASS becomes much more meaningful after the events of 911.

Second, the author's writing is vivid. His writing transports me to become a witness of the events leading to this horrific terrorist attack. For me, reading CRITICAL MASS was more like watching a movie than reading a book. The skills involved in writing to this degree of vividness requires the author to be a master of the English language. His brilliance and command of written word is admirable!

The bottomline is, CRITICAL MASS is a wonderfully composed work of art. The author's skill will enable your mind to leave your body and transport it to an adventure filled with intrigue and danger.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: An overused review word, nonetheless it applies here. I read this book a year and a half ago and it still affects me. Not because of the nuclear threat, but because it was seamlessly written and works at so many levels; It hits the story 'jackpot'.
9-11 sensibilities may or may not keep it from Hollywood, but it's worthy of a great screenplay: lot's of action, very clever and with surprising plot twists. It's very factual without getting bogged down in jargon. (I assume the legal sections are accurate since the author is a lawyer). The science IS dead on.

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