Rating: 
Summary: The word for the day is "potboiler"
Review: Ridley Pearson cranks out detective-thriller novels at a breakneck pace, and in doing so consistently demonstrates above-average skills in terms of crafting interesting plots that always include some exciting twists and turns. He also manages to make his characters seem truly human, and to his credit, even goes to some lengths to "get inside the heads" of his female characters as well as the males, something that a lot of male detective writers simply fail to do. So far, so good. The problem is that although Pearson is a decent enough writer, the overall style of his prose is very simple with almost a "dumbed down" quality to it. I suspect that this is not because of any intellectual shortcomings on his part (he spent some time at Oxford, apparently), but is a deliberate gambit aimed at broadening his audience and hence maximizing the sales of his books. That's fine, I suppose, but I finished the book with a feeling that the writing was uninspired and calculatedly middlebrow. Consequently, overall Pearson's work suffers by comparison to such gifted contemporary mystery writers as Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane. The story itself in this book is quite gripping, as it deals with issues surrounding the sabotage of airliners and the security apparatus designed to prevent such acts of terror. What I did not care for was Pearson's creation of villains whose terrorism is carried out in the name of the "green" cause. Whether this is intended or not, Pearson succeeds in making "radical environmentalists" appear dangerous and looney, a theme that plays right into the hands of contemporary politicians who would love nothing more than to have environmentalism generally discredited.
Rating: 
Summary: Pearson's Best
Review: Ridley Pearson's "Hard Fall" was the first on many that I have had the pleasure of reading. The novel takes off from page one and continues to fly all the way to the suspenseful ending. The premise revolves around FBI agent Cam Daggett trying to stop terrorist Anthony Kort. Kort is a German explosive expert known for a series of plane crashes, on in which Daggett's parents were killed and his son left handicapped. Kort's experience allows him to disable the cockpit crew and use the plane as a missle to crash on a main target. The action and excitement are pure joy as Pearson slowly brings both Kort and Daggett together. The opening sequence at Dulles Airport is a true nail biter. The character development is very solid down to Daggett's partner Lynn Greene, Daggett's girlfriend Carrie and his son Duncan. For William Goldman fans look for the a chapter that is truly reminiscent of the novel "Marathon Man". This quick read should be on any Suspense/thriller novel lovers book shelf or to read list.
Rating:
Summary: Pearson's Best
Review: Ridley Pearson's "Hard Fall" was the first on many that I have had the pleasure of reading. The novel takes off from page one and continues to fly all the way to the suspenseful ending. The premise revolves around FBI agent Cam Daggett trying to stop terrorist Anthony Kort. Kort is a German explosive expert known for a series of plane crashes, on in which Daggett's parents were killed and his son left handicapped. Kort's experience allows him to disable the cockpit crew and use the plane as a missle to crash on a main target. The action and excitement are pure joy as Pearson slowly brings both Kort and Daggett together. The opening sequence at Dulles Airport is a true nail biter. The character development is very solid down to Daggett's partner Lynn Greene, Daggett's girlfriend Carrie and his son Duncan. For William Goldman fans look for the a chapter that is truly reminiscent of the novel "Marathon Man". This quick read should be on any Suspense/thriller novel lovers book shelf or to read list.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Up To The Author's Standard
Review: The hero detective chases a man who booby traps airplanes and causes crashes. Maybe this is a more true-to-life story than most I've read since the hero's girlfriend is seduced by the villian and the end of the story tells you that the bad guy may well get away with his depredations - BUT - I get enough of that kind of disillusion in real life. I don't need it in my fiction where the good guy is supposed to win and the evil twisted genius is supposed to be punished. Pearson writes real well; he just didn't write a book that I liked.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally awful
Review: The very start has an egregious writing fault: Cam Daggett shook his watch, questioning its accuracy, and glanced a
quarter-mile ahead at the dirty, exhaust-encrusted sign that indicated the
lane change for National Airport. Heat waves rose in fluid sheets from the
pavement, distorting the distance, carrying gray exhaust into the canopy of
smog. Given this traffic, they would never make it in time.
News radio explained that . . . (etc) First the minor stupidity: 1/4 of a mile is 440 yards, I'd like to know how
he could even read a sign from that distance, let alone see that it was
'exhaust encrusted'.
Secondly, heat waves cannot distort 'the distance' they distort your view of
distant objects.
Third, and worst by far, the last NOUN mentioned is the heat waves carrying
the gray exhaust. Then he writes 'they would never make it in time'. What?
The heat waves would never make it in time? What bloody tripe. The writer,
three sentences later, talks about the car occupants who must be 'they' but
you can't relate a pronoun to a LATER sentence, that's a basic mistake.
Maybe his editor was on holiday all the time this book was being produced. .
. Page 3: Dagget was thinking: To come all this way - to within a mile or two of
finally interrogating Bernard - and now this loaf taps me on the shoulder
and steals the dance.
** LOAF? Maybe he meant to write 'OAF' instead. Ever been tapped on the
shoulder by a loaf? It's terribly overwritten. Page 2: Impatience gnawed at Daggett like a stray dog at the mailman's heel. (THE
mailman? When were we introduced to the mailman character?) Page 4: He grabbed for the button but missed, which held significance for him. (Pardon? what "significance"? Perhaps Pearson's readers are prescient.
This reader isn't.) Frankly this novel is absolutely unreadable. Besides the crummy plot, the
cardboard characters, the overwriting, the cliches, and the stereotypes, it
is heavily loaded with passive voice and wishy-washy 'to be' verb
constructions. This writer should find another occupation, one that doesn't
involve inflicting rubbishy sentences on unsuspecting readers. Unbelievably
he has published 5 other books. What a waste of paper.
Rating:
Summary: Totally awful
Review: The very start has an egregious writing fault: Cam Daggett shook his watch, questioning its accuracy, and glanced a
quarter-mile ahead at the dirty, exhaust-encrusted sign that indicated the
lane change for National Airport. Heat waves rose in fluid sheets from the
pavement, distorting the distance, carrying gray exhaust into the canopy of
smog. Given this traffic, they would never make it in time.
News radio explained that . . . (etc) First the minor stupidity: 1/4 of a mile is 440 yards, I'd like to know how
he could even read a sign from that distance, let alone see that it was
'exhaust encrusted'.
Secondly, heat waves cannot distort 'the distance' they distort your view of
distant objects.
Third, and worst by far, the last NOUN mentioned is the heat waves carrying
the gray exhaust. Then he writes 'they would never make it in time'. What?
The heat waves would never make it in time? What bloody tripe. The writer,
three sentences later, talks about the car occupants who must be 'they' but
you can't relate a pronoun to a LATER sentence, that's a basic mistake.
Maybe his editor was on holiday all the time this book was being produced. .
. Page 3: Dagget was thinking: To come all this way - to within a mile or two of
finally interrogating Bernard - and now this loaf taps me on the shoulder
and steals the dance.
** LOAF? Maybe he meant to write 'OAF' instead. Ever been tapped on the
shoulder by a loaf? It's terribly overwritten. Page 2: Impatience gnawed at Daggett like a stray dog at the mailman's heel. (THE
mailman? When were we introduced to the mailman character?) Page 4: He grabbed for the button but missed, which held significance for him. (Pardon? what "significance"? Perhaps Pearson's readers are prescient.
This reader isn't.) Frankly this novel is absolutely unreadable. Besides the crummy plot, the
cardboard characters, the overwriting, the cliches, and the stereotypes, it
is heavily loaded with passive voice and wishy-washy 'to be' verb
constructions. This writer should find another occupation, one that doesn't
involve inflicting rubbishy sentences on unsuspecting readers. Unbelievably
he has published 5 other books. What a waste of paper.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book destined for the Movies
Review: This book has all the elements of a solid movie: Hero, lady friend, lady friend, disabled son, almost-but-not-quite sympathetic bad guy also with lady friend/accomplice. In the tradition of Stephen Coonts, Dale Brown, and Tom Clancy, Ridley Pearson has crafted an edge of your seat thriller. I literally did not put this book down if I had even a minute of spare time to read! The only weakness I found is that it simply wasn't long enough! I wanted more.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, an exciting thriller!
Review: This is a very fast paced novel. I would rate it as Pearson's best! The story centers around a FBI Agent who is out to capture the terrorist bomber who blew up the plane carrying his parents and young son. The terrorist is out for his own type of revenge!
Rating:
Summary: Hard Fall hard to put down!
Review: This is the first Pearson book I have read and found the book hard to put down. Each chapter was a rush. At times a bit "far fetched" however exciting enough to keep me reading on. Many twist and turns in the story make for a wild ride and a race to the finish line. Worth the read!!
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