Day of Confession

Rating:
Summary: Another great "Day" for Allan Folsom!
Review: Like several of the reviewers I have read so far, I, too, was a huge fan of Allan Folsom's first book, "The Day After Tomorrow", and the way his numerous diverse plot lines came together into one thrilling climax.

Folsom's second effort is a brand new "Day", "Day of Confession". While this book has many of the same elements of his first book -- cinematic European setting . . . fish-out-of-water hero perpetually on the run . . . gratuitous and brutal body count . . . diabolical and ruthless assassins -- "Day of Confession" is not simply "same stuff, different 'Day'". It stands on its own as a distinctly intriguing page-turner. (As I write this review, I'm operating on two hours sleep, because I couldn't put the darn thing down last night!)

While the central premises -- be it the greed, murder and corruption among the Pope's "Men of Trust" or the secret sexual desires of a novitiate nun -- may not sit well with many practicing Catholics, let's not forget that the book is, after all, a work of fiction, not a statement.

For intrigue lovers, the villain Thomas Kind, is as evil and relentless as they come, reminiscent of the master-of-disguise assassin with the removable legs in Folsom's first "Day". And the dwarf, Hercules, is the perfect Pancho Villa. The sheer number of key players in this thriller are sometimes cumbersome (not unlike a Clancy opus), so much so that the author has seen fit to list a cast of characters as a foreward to the book.

As thrillers go, "Day of Confession" is just about as good as it gets. True to his screenwriting roots, Folsom knows how to keep his audience wanting more until the very last page. As with his first novel, this one screams to be made into a big-budget blockbuster movie, starring, say, Harrison Ford as Harry Addison and Jennifer Lopez as Elena. Hmmm, can Gene Hackman do an Italian accent?

Rating:
Summary: a stunning page-turner
Review: Unlike most of Folsom's other fans, I read this, his second book, first and am currently devouring "the day after tomorrow". Most people liked the latter better, I disagree so far. "Day of confession" is an athmospherically dense and gripping thriller that will not let you put the book down until the last page is turned. Folsom is a gifted and well-informed writer who has no trouble creating believable scenarios on three continents at the same time. He carefully develops his charcters and puts together a complex, yet not too confusing and improbably plot that remains fast-paced until the end. Folsom's protagonist is a wealthy LA lawyer from the glitz world of movie moguls who flies to Italy in response to an emergency phone message by a brother he has not seen or heard from in years. Before he knows what hit him, he is engulfed in a major international crisis with the Vatican at the center. This book is up there in quality with Higgins' and Ludlum's finest. Don't plan anything else for the weekend once you start reading.

Rating:
Summary: wait a minute...
Review: It started of good and went downhill, even after I finished it. Folsom's first book (DAT) was very entertaining and pretty muched wrapped all the plotlines together in the end. Tis is a similar story. Lone wolf american (with his team of justice do-ers) jumps about europe seeking the answers to a diabolical plan set in motion by a sect of power hungry evil folk. It is fun to read, a metric ton of adventure and action keeps you reading. But when it is finished you realize something is missing. Then you realize NOTHING WAS RESOLVED. Only two plotlines of this over layered novel comes to an end. Actually after finishing it you come to think that the bad guys won. Mr. Folsom kind of forgot to solve the complex plot that he created. for shame allen. for shame.

if you liked DAT read this but don't expect much. except a dissapointment at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as good as the author's first book
Review: This feedback based on the abridged audiobook version...

1) Joe Mantegna does a fairly good job of acting the story out. Decent voice impersonations and emotional inflections. He did seem to lack a bit energy in the reading but then again his handling of the long Italian names left me impressed. ;)

2) This story of the Catholic Church kept me confused because I thought I was reading an Italian Mafia story instead. Maybe that was the author's intentions but it just didn't connect well with me.

3) I agree with the other reviews that Thomas Kind is the most interesting character in the book. Definitely someone to fear. Good bad guy creation.

4) The whole casual sex reporter woman, then not seeing her again for a long part of the story...then her being a key person in the resolution of the story was a bit too far fetched for me.

5) Overall if you want to read Allan Folsom definitely read The Day After Tomorrow...this story can be skipped unless you have nothing else to do with your time.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and fast-paced thriller
Review: I originally bought this book out of nostalgia, because the story took place in places that I had visited in Italy.

I really wasn't expecting much of a cohesive plot; just amusement. I was quite mistaken and got more than I bargained for.

The references to the cities and areas I am familiar with were accurate, but the story line was so engrossing that I lost sleep a couple of evenings when I stayed up too late in order to keep reading to see what happens next.

This is a "dark novel." Some aspects of the storyline strained believability. Some scenes were frightening. Some were disturbing.

But the author keeps the reader involved.

Rating:
Summary: Ambitious, High-Class, Slam-Bang Thriller
Review: Truly imaginative story (perhaps cautionary tale) involving the little known & sometimes frightening magnitude of the power & influence concentrated in the Catholic Church. Coincidentally topical with all the recent revelations of the extraordinary high-powered legal & other resources that the church has successfully (until recently) brought to bear in the long-term cover ups of various crimes by priests. Deftly manages to present horrors by individuals within the church without bashing the institution itself. This is not anti-catholic propaganda.
The action in this book was well paced, scary, believable & very entertaining. While the some of the actual plotlines strain credibility a bit in an effort to up the horror quotient, what makes this book a cut above the usual potboiler was the thorough fleshing-out of the diverse cast of characters and their interaction. This reminded me of an Elmore Leonard book, the way he'll draw up these amazing, very likeable (or detestable!), totally different characters, set them across purposes - then put them in a room together, sit back & watch them try to figure each other out (& wait for the fireworks to start...!) Criticizms: The two brothers are almost a little too perfect, and the more gargantuan horrors that occur are largely ignored at the end, so no 5th star, but I did thoroughly enjoy this thriller. Let's hope we hear more from Roscani!!

Rating:
Summary: Ambitious, High-Class, Slam-Bang Thriller
Review: Truly imaginative story (perhaps cautionary tale) involving the little known & sometimes frightening magnitude of the power & influence concentrated in the Catholic Church. Coincidentally topical with all the recent revelations of the extraordinary high-powered legal & other resources that the church has successfully (until recently) brought to bear in the long-term cover ups of various crimes by priests.
The action in this book was well paced, scary, believable & very entertaining. While the some of the actual plotlines strain credibility a bit in an effort to up the horror quotient, what makes this book a cut above the usual potboiler was the thorough fleshing-out of the diverse cast of characters and their interaction. This reminded me of an Elmore Leonard book, the way he'll draw up these amazing, very likeable (or detestable!), totally different characters, set them across purposes - then put them in a room together, sit back & watch them try to figure each other out (& wait for the fireworks to start...!) Criticizms: The two brothers are almost a little too perfect, and the more gargantuan horrors that occur are largely ignored at the end, so no 5th star, but I did thoroughly enjoy this thriller. Let's hope we hear more from Roscani!!

Rating:
Summary: Bad, Bad and getting worse
Review: Those of you who read "The Day After Tommorow", a brilliant thriller, were probably waiting an amazing punch-line in Folsom`s latest release as well....
...Well, don`t hold your breath, it`s disappointing, dull and pointless....same as most as the book.

Sorry, Mr. F., loved your first, hope you`ll do your magic again on your next novel.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: I read the first 100 pages of this book and was disappointed, put it down for a few months, and then picked it up again and got into it much easier. Once the plot finally gets rolling, it is a great ride at times. But I would have to agree with those who say this book is not as good as Folsom's previous effort - The Day After Tomorrow.

I guess my main problem with this book is that, for me at least, it more or less just ends. I was expecting more from the ending, considering all the possibilities laid out during the story.

The romance between protagonist Harry Addison and nursing sister Elena Voso seems to come out of nowhere. The author tells us of her strong feelings for Addison, strong enough to make her break her vows, but he doesn't really show this.

Although I enjoyed this book for the most part, it also at times seems almost like a "write-by-numbers" imitation of The Day After Tomorrow, with a somewhat conflicted, but still truly evil murderer, an incredibly high body count (including characters who seem to be introduced solely to add to the carnage), and just a sense of missed storytelling opportunities.

Rating:
Summary: Nice fast read -- but not as good as the Day After Tomorrow
Review: I can't remember how many times I went into the book store looking for Allan Folsom's follow-up to 'The Day After Tomorrow' easily one of the best action/adventure/spy novels of the past decade only to come up empty...that is until I saw 'Day of Confession'. I just KNEW that my long wait was going to be more than worth it...I was just plain wrong.

Let me start off by saying I am NOT Catholic, but even I felt more than a little surprised at how some people beat up this religion endlessly. Have a few members done some unpleasant things? Yes, some have been downright horrific. But I don't necessarily hold the entire Church responsible for the actions of a few. This is where Mr. Folsom makes his effort here. He doesn't pin the absolutely horrible plot that a few higher-up leaders of the Church are planning to pull on the shoulders of the Pope...however I just couldn't see it. I am willing to put aside my believability meter when I crack open a LOT of novels, but for some reason, this plot seemed to go a little too far. According to most novelists these days the entire world is in no short supply of people who are willing to sacrafice hundreds to millions of lives in order to get ahead in life, and for the sake of making a story more entertaining I guess that's okay, but Catholic Leaders knowingly pulling off this kind of stunt to gain a foothold in China is a bit farther than I'm willing to go. I can't say WHY it rubbed me the wrong way, but it just did.

With that aside, I STILL enjoyed the vast scope of this particular conspiracy. I'll give Folsom credit for being ambitious with his ideas, if not too outlandish. The story rarely (if ever) let's up in pace and if you want action, there is plenty to spare here. The inevitable comparisons to 'The Day After Tomorrow' are impossible to ignore. His 1st novel was simply wonderful. Intense. Fast. Thrilling. Chilling, and most of all: FUN. I could put aside almost every single bit of the implausibility because it was just bloody good fun. I'm sorry to say I wasn't able to do that with this one.

I anxiously await Folsom's next novel to see if this was indeed a Sophomore Slump. I very much hope that is exactly what it was.