Rating: Summary: Wow! Riveting! Review: This is a story of crime, passion, love, hope, rejection, it is many things, and the characters draw the reader in with their complexities. It takes place in New Orleans, but jumps to other parts of the world occasionally. As a successful, professional photographer, Jordan Glass is recognized in her field, as her famous father once was. He has been missing, presumed dead in Cambodia for over 30 years. She has always missed him and never given up on the fact that he may still be alive, but has kept an emotional distance from any man she could love and possibly lose again. At 40 years of age she remains single. While in Hong Kong on a business trip she browses an art gallery and is puzzled by the gasps of onlookers as they look at her and back at a painting of a woman in "repose." As she approaches the painting the reason for the stares are obvious - the woman in the painting looks exactly like her. Is she asleep or dead? She looks dead, and it disturbs her a great deal, as her twin sister has been missing for over a year. Could she have been killed and posed for the painter? Thus begins a story with so many twists and turns that you have to keep reading it. It is very well done. There is no shortage of action once it gets moving. It involves the FBI, the NOPD, swat teams, and the reader gets well acquainted with them too. I have not read a book of this caliber for some time. The last half of the book was especially hard to put down, and kept me up many nights past my bedtime. If you are the type that has to have your attention grabbed on the first page, be a little patient with "Dead Sleep" - it will be worth the short wait. It is a good book for either a man or a woman. Give it as a gift to an avid reader, you won't be sorry, and neither will they!
Rating: Summary: Iles Impressive again Review: Greg Iles unlike some authors seems to get more and more comfortable and elegant with each novel he writes. Dead Sleep could be the best thriller writer writen by a male author from the feminine perspective ever. Jordon Glass is one of the most well rounded human characters I've met in recent fiction. Iles resists the temptation there must be to put his heroine on any type of pedastal and instead helps his character connect with readers by lending her strength because and in spite of her flaws. The plot is relentless as Photojournalist Jordon Glass helps the FBI task force try to solve the mysterious disappearance of women(including her twin sister) whose images eerily appear in art. This novel is well researched pertaining to art world and the characters esaily leap off page into readers' imagination. Iles plotting pacing and characterization in this story lead me to call him a blooming literary maestro in his field. The ending while viewed by some admittedly as being hokey and contrived i view as uplifting testament to human spirit and thank you Mr. Iles for great read.
Rating: Summary: Dead Sleep Review Review: This provacotive thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read about the journey Jordan Glass has to take in order to find out what happened to her sister. This book is the most exciting and thrilling murder mystery that I have ever read. There are many twists and turns around every corner that leaves Jordan Glass seeming that she will never find her sister. As you read on, you will find that the plot thickens as Jordan finds out more the kidnapper and the case of all the missing women that have been taken over the past couple of months by the same kidnapper. The author always keeps you reading with his awesome detials and desciptions about what is going on in the mind of Jordan and the people around her. I strongly advise people to read this if they really enjoy mysteries with twists that will leave you breathless.
Rating: Summary: I was frightened and disgusted but could'nt put it down. Review: Actually, this is the last work of Mr Iles I have read (I enjoyed his previous one's), and was so shocked by it I have for now decided to read less hard/grimm stuff. If you love Patricia Cornwell's books you'll love it, if you think "The Silence of the Lambs" was a good read before going to sleep too. Or you like Terror Movies (wich I don't). For my taste is too premeditated-crime oriented, but mind, well done/written nevertheless. Simply I can stand this kind of literature anymore (sorry for the author), I have enough sad reality with the daily press and TV. Definitly not for everyone.
Rating: Summary: I liked the book right up to the end Review: I really like this book, until the last two chapters. The ending just seemed to 'Scooby Doo-ish' for my taste. To me, it seemed like he could have done something different, a little more interesting. I didn't expect this book to have such a 'happy' and resolved ending like it did. This was the first book of the author's I have read, and if this book did one thing though, its made me at least want to check out his other works.
Rating: Summary: Gripping page-turner marred by a ludicrous ending Review: Photojournalist Jordan Glass is trying to recover from having witnessed too much horror when she visits a gallery featuring a series of paintings of women who may be asleep - or dead. One of the paintings is of her missing twin sister, and when Jordan contacts the FBI she learns that the paintings appear to be linked to a number of kidnappings over the prior 2 years. She becomes involved in the investigation, battling not only the kidnapper but also her own inner demons. Author Greg Iles keeps the suspense tight as the case, and the multifaceted characters, unfold. You'll have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit (Is Jordan for real? Would the FBI really let her become so involved in their case? Does anyone really talk that much during sex?) but it is worth it almost until the end. My advice: read the first 24 chapters, then put the book down, and make up the most trite, ridiculous ending you can imagine. It won't be as bad as what the author is about to inflict upon you.
Rating: Summary: Good But Not Stunning Review: I had no trouble getting into this book, read it in only two days, and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, in my opinion it isn't nearly as good as Mortal Fear. There were times when I forgot Jordan Glass wasn't a guy. I believe that it is possible for an author to write from the perspective of the opposite sex, but it isn't easy, and Greg Iles hasn't quite managed yet. However, I did enjoy it that he brought Baxter and Lenz back from Mortal Fear and that they had not changed character at all. Good carry over job. The ending was difficult to believe and left me with a lot of questions. In fact, I skipped several of the next-to-last chapters. All told, a good book. But if you really want to be blown away, read Mortal Fear.
Rating: Summary: TEN STARS REALLY! Review: Rarely does a book come along that is so intelligently written, beautifully paced, and so hard to put down. It's one of those books that when you've finished, you want more of the people you've spend a few hours with. Greg Iles "Dead Sleep" is quite an exceptional work. Instead of reiterating the plot (which is superb in itself), I want to share with thoughts on things that happen in this book that are quite outstanding. First, the characterizations: I have never read a more touching and realistic love scene than the one Jordan Glass and John Kaiser share in this book. Both of them carry scars from the past and they have shared these scars. Now, the time has come for them to consummate the relationship they've developed. Even though John has just received a serious bullet wound to the leg, his love for Jordan transcends this, and what results is a mature, poignant, and downright touching scene. Instead of the usual focus on the sexual side of this lovemaking, Iles takes us into the hearts and souls of Jordan and John, and we feel for and with them in this moment of passion. It's amazing how Iles can write from a first person POV as a woman. He certainly does seem to understand a female's thoughts, and that's rare in writers today. Next: The brief, yet powerful, description of Jordan and Jane's "makeup" when Jordan is injured and estranged twin Jane comes to visit and take care of her..it's truly an accurate portrayal of the familial bond that very few events can shatter. The tragedy of Jane's disappearance/death is brought home even more vividly when Jordan visits her sister's husband and his two children. The children,of course, see Auntie Jordan as their mother, since they look so much alike. Even distraught husband Marc has a hard time separating. The ensuing scene where Marc gets drunk and wants to spend one night with his sister's identical twin, is heartwrenching, incredibly realistic, and an astounding writing feat. Another powerful scene is between Jordan and suspected murderess Thalia. Their conversation which reveals a terrible secret in Jordan's past unites them in a closeness that regardless of the outcome is something they both will remember. And, finally, Iles has done something I've never experienced in serial killer novels: I do feel the symmpathy and empathy for the murderer in this one. This is because Iles has so carefully constructed this madman, and his revelation of his youth and past is so gut-wrenching and plausible, you can't help but feel pity for him, regardless of what he's done. You don't condone or appreciate his evil; but you can certainly understand it. The final scenes are both joyous and sad, and the novel's resolution is fitting, and you feel like applauding. I wish Greg would bring these characters back in a sequel; they are rich, beautifully embodied, and a pleasure to have known. Thank you, Mr. Iles, for such a beautiful and entertaining novel! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating: Summary: This one is a page turner.....without a doubt. Review: Greg Iles was a new author for me and this book was given to me as a gift. I finished it in 2 days. I am the type of person who can read all the comments on the covers and still wonder, "yeah but am I going to like it?" This book without a doubt is a great read if you want something fast. The story line flows well, the writing is easy to follow and the characters are beliveable. The suspense is great and mixed with just enough mystery and action...perfect. I will go out and buy his other works...hope they are done just as well.
Rating: Summary: GOOD, PAGE TURNER, INTRIGUING PART II Review: Sorry, Santa Fe Rules is by Stewart Woods, not James Woods. I highly recommend his books.
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