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The Devil's Code

The Devil's Code

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Nice Departure From The Prey Series
Review: John Sandford's Prey Series has been becoming more and more stale with each book. Easy Prey which was released earlier this year was by far the worst book yet. That is why I was amazed to hear that Sandford was releasing another book so soon. I was expecting the worst. However, I was pleasently surprised to learn that The Devil's Code was actually the third Kidd and Luellen book. I grant you that this one was not as good as the first two(The Fool's Run and The Empress File) but it was still enjoyable. This kind of book is exactly the kind of change of pace that all authors who write a series should write. I agree with some of the other reviews that Lucas Davenport is a better character, but let's be honest have any of the recent Prey novels come even close to some of the earliest books like Rules Of Prey and Eyes of Prey? Take this book for what it is, a very good departure form a great author. The plot drags at some points but overall it is an interesting suspense story. Now let's hope Sandford breaths some life into that other series or we all be hoping for more Kidd novels instead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Popcorn Read
Review: The Devil's Code is the equivalent of an early-summer movie: long on special effects and action; character development and thoroughly coherent plotlines, not so much.

Although I'm a long-time fan of Sandford's Prey series, this is the first of the Kidd novels I've read. I must say I really liked it. (...) Kidd has a more upbeat outlook on life than Davenport, although both share a dry, sardonic wit. Davenport and Kidd also share uncanny instincts and surround themselves with colleagues who excel at what they do - Davenport: police-work; Kidd: crime. Minneapolis-St. Paul only briefly provides a setting for this book, then it's off to sunnier, warmer climes in California and Texas.

For the most part Sandford does well in crafting this departure from his normal fare. He slips here and there (Santa Cruz, for instance is on the other side of a mountain range from Silicon Valley), but does a pretty good job of getting most things right. I liked the detail he went into as Kidd and LuEllen went on their heists (whether he got everything right or not, I don't know; it sounded convincing at any rate). The light tone and humor are well balanced, never crossing over into Carl Hiaasen absurdism (I'm not knocking Hiaasen, he pulls off that style exceptionally well).

I look forward to reading the other Kidd novels. Several reviewers here have suggested the earlier books are even better than this one. If that's the case they must be very good, indeed, as this book was quite a ride.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: I was excited to find this book on sale as John Sanford is one of my favorite authors and I love the suspense of his Prey novels. Wish I could say the same for this Kidd novel. I have to say I thought the characters were shallow, and Kidd was a pig. I had trouble getting past Kidd's behavior. The plot was ultra-slow to develop and very scattered. I'd recommend skipping this one and reading the edge of your seat Prey thrillers with characters that you can route for.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Light Hearted Romp
Review: I decided to give The Devil's Code a whirl because I am a big fan of John Sandford's Prey series. I'm glad I did. If you enjoy a light hearted romp through intrigue, mystery, suspense, sex and high tech complexity, you would be well advised to do the same.

Granted, The Devil's Code doesn't have the intensity of the Prey series. This is the story of a part time artist, part time criminal and part time computer hacker who gets dragged into a high level political investigation that involves the FBI, CIA and other law enforcement agencies. Although he is completely innocent of any involvement, Kidd -- the book's main character - needs to find the real criminals before the investigation leads to him. His mysterious and talented sometimes partner, LuEllen, shows up to help him and add spice to the narrative.

While the Prey books deal in realism, The Devil's Code is pure escapism. One of Kidd's hacker friends is murdered and his (the friend's) sister asks Kidd to help her find the murderer. This sets off an action-packed chain of events involving espionage, conspiracy, violence and suspense. But it's all fairly superficial. From virtually any phone booth or motel room, Kidd is able to access a complex network of computer hackers to get the information he needs. No dial-up problems, no slow network speeds, no disconnects - just instant response with the answers Kidd needs. For a heavy Internet user this seems a bit fictional, but that is what this is, fiction.

And the criminal plot that slowly unfolds before us is truly ingenious. The bad guys have devised a way to access highly sensitive government information for great monetary gain. But I won't reveal what this is because it would ruin the story. Read it, and have fun!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not bad for my first look at the 'Kidd' series.
Review: Most readers of John Sandford are fans of the 'Prey' series featuring Lucas Davenport, but the Kidd series is a change of pace but still features the same action-packed pace that we've come to expect from Sandford (with a higher concentration on technology).

This was my first taste of the Kidd series and it was actually a good read. Kidd, the lead character, is a part-time painter, part-time hi-tech hacker/thief, who always seems to get dragged into the government's business...and not the good part of the government. Along with his partner, and sometime lover, LuEllen, they get in and out of messes several times over.

While there are a couple of lulls in the action, this is still a very well written book with an interesting, hi-tech plot that remains very easy to follow whether you're computer literate or not. THE DEVIL'S CODE may not be at the top of you "to read"
list, but it should be there somewhere. If nothing else, read it so you'll have a good level of familiarity with the Kidd series before you start on one of the great books of the last couple of years, and the fourth Kidd series book, THE HANGED MAN'S SONG.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Couldn't Wait for it to End
Review: Many readers on various book sites would tell me, "you've gotta read the Kidd series by Sandford." This was the first that I read and it was a bit of a snore. This Kidd individual seems pretty shallow as his character has no depth or reality to it. LuEllen was a more interesting person than Kidd and maybe it would have been better if the story centered on her. Don't waste your time with this one. Sandford should stick with his "Prey" series.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: John Sandford Breaks the Code
Review: Because of my love of Hanged Man Song which was fabulous. Cause me to seek his other books with the characters such as Bobby,LuAnn and others. While the book itself has a fantastic plot. It took a long time to get there. But it is still a good read. I can't wait to read Empress File.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Out of Sequence, but I'll fix that
Review: This was my first read of the Kidd Novels and I really enjoyed it. The author provides just enough hints of the plot to keep you guessing. The ending is satisfying and leaves you hungering for more. I will now order the other two Kidd novels and have them digested in time for the new one in November. I also have ordered all the early Prey novels. I'm looking forward to good reading.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sandford - The Devil's Code
Review: The Devil's Code is the third and latest installment in Sandford's LuEllen/Kidd series. While not as good or impressive as his Prey novels, Sandford delivers a strong and entertaining novel.

Readers are treated to a fast-paced techno-thriller that doesn't seem nearly as dated as previous efforts. Yet little new information is revealed about our heroes. One of Sandford's most impressive talents with respect to the Prey novels is writing a back story just as engaging as the main body of the novel - familiar characters and places come back and are developed, issues and questions are resolved. Unfortunately this series just doesn't have that strength going for it.

All-in-all, however, its an entertaining read.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disapointing read, it happens. Author of LAST CALL
Review: Kidd is a interesting enough character but the story was sad. I only read this book all the way to the end because of my faithful following of John Sandford. Devil's code has a lot going on but the attempts made to grab my attention suffered severly.


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