Rating: 
Summary: Jeannie, lose the nose ring!
Review: On one level I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read as a mystery-thriller. But I agree with a number of the criticisms voiced already. I didn't like the main character Jeannie & I didn't like the gratuitous political moralizing where all the bad guys were conservatives. If you want to make your bad guys evil for their attempts at genetic manipulation & white supremacist rantings, fine, but don't throw in that they're against gun control & against welfare! And, Jeannie, I just couldn't warm up to. I know Follett likes his heroines feisty, which is fine, but Jeannie was just too counter-cultural for me. The swearing, the free & easy sex life, the "smoking a little weed," and, ugh, the nose ring. Is that really necessary? I also agree that Follett's presentation of academic life is unrealistic. (I am an academic.) Follett's books with a World War II theme are much better.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great BioTechnological Thriller
Review: I notice that there are two distinct groups of reviewers for this book. One group feels that it is excellent and the other feels that it is very poor in quality. However, I have found the book to be an excellent read and so have other book lovers among my acquaintances.
The story is gripping, full of suspense and with a lot of twists. I liked the strong determined character of the heroine. The characters of Steve Logan, Berrington Jones etc. are also well drawn sketches. The plot is intriguing and deals with cutting edge BioTechnology.It has been thoroughly researched as any Ken Follett novel generally is (I know Follett has a good research team to help him out while writing ) The tension is taut throughout. It is well written as any Ken Follett novel is. It has all the ingredients of a top class thriller.
The only drawback that I have noticed was the computer program that Jeannie Ferrami wrote to retrieve matches from databases. That seems a bit far fetched since the program seems to run on any platform, search any database of any type. I have not come across any program like that.
However, apart from this minor flaw, there is hardly any blemish in the book. It made me a Follett fan at once and though the other books he has written are different, I have enjoyed most of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Save your money.
Review: I haven't read anything else by Ken Follett, and based on this book, I don't plan to. The story line was unbelievable, the plot full of holes, and I didn't care about the characters. Don't waste your money buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: On a recent trip to Florida I stopped in at the airport book shop and purchased a book for the return flight to Italy. I had read Ken Follet's excellent "Pillars of the Earth" a few years ago and decided to try another of his books. This book did not even approach the level of the first Follet novel I read. Unlike "Pillars", in "The Third Twin" Follet does not appear to have done any research on his subject matter. In one section he has a character reminiscing about his father who was a SECOND LIEUTENANT in the US NAVY. The US Navy has never had second lieutenants; junior officers of that pay grade are called Ensigns. But this is only the beginning of technical errors that destroy an otherwise compelling story line. One of the main weapons of the protagonist is a computer program that she wrote to compare elements in database to develop genetic comparisons. Unfortunately, the way the thing is supposed to work is closer to something that Gandalf or Harry Potter would whip up rather than something out of computer science class. The poorly researched and unbelievable stuff goes on and worsens throughout the book. More examples - people out on bail without a security clearance wandering the halls of the Pentagon and putting magic floppy disks into the Pentagon computers - you guessed it - so they could search the databases on those computers. All in all, I was very, very glad when the book drew to its predictable close. Follet is a good writer, but he really needs to research his subjects better before writing a book.
Rating: 
Summary: An 'ok' compared to 'Pillars of The Earth'
Review: Well..Ken Follet is sure knowledgable about building cathedrals, and he shows his stuff about genetic engineering in The Third Twin. The two books are set in totally different times about totally different things,and the manner with which he portrays his characters is so different too. They are not as cut and dry.The main plot is the search of human behaviour and its causility.But we are offered some reality in this sci-fi when we see the heroine's father,(his age catches up with his mean streak). Also, because of the confusion created by twins..no triplets..no 8 clones, the characters' real behaviour are vague. We are vague about this beacuse Steve Logan is in such a state of confusion and he is bewildered about where he comes from. But in the end when he finds himself, when he realises what makes Steve 'Steve', we also see the clarity of one point i.e. the way one was raised does make a difference..not only genes. Steve Logan is proof. This book is an easy read..you can finish it in a couple of days!
Rating:
Summary: Three Identical People Are Not Twins!
Review: The Third Twin was a sort of wierd title for this book i thought. Wouldnt three identical people be triplets and not twins? Anyway, the main character is Dr. Ferrami and she is studying nature vs. nurture and how even if twins are seperated at birth they still end up acting, looking, and dressing alike. She finally meets the perfect subject with a twin that is a convicted rapist.
The story uncovers truth about three power hungry individuals and she has the power to stop one of them from getting into power. This book captures you with its story plot and vivid descriptions of their life. The plot takes a twist and keeps you in suspense.
What i liked about this book was the vivid descriptions and the plot twists. This really kept me hooked and made me turn the pages to find out what would happen next. I had totally different views of some of the characters because of the good descriptions of them.
I really hope everyone that reads this book will enjoy it as much as i did.
Rating:
Summary: far fetched and predictable !!
Review: That don't impress me much !! He could have done a better job of researching before writing this book. Jeannie is likable.
The triumvirate Berrington Jones, Jim Proust and Preston Barck are hysterical and whine throughout the book about their 'ugly secret' getting discovered. And - there are lots and lots of flaws. To name just a few - Jeannie writes a computer program which has a footprint small enough to be loaded into a floppy (yeah !!) & has the ability to search any database regardless of the OS or the hardware which it is residing on !!! Just plug-and-play. GREAT !!. If she was that capable, she could have taken up that as her main vocation and made millions. Oh no ! she has to be a geneticist, a psychologist and a kick-ass programmer at the same time. I saw in the acknowledgements section, Follett thanking some computer experts. Well, either they are all dumb or he chose the wrong 'experts'. Steve & his dad just walks into the Pentagon on some stupid pretext, plugs into their database and steal information. Then Steve pushes away the guards and escapes from there in a bus ??!! Your local Walmart would have more security ! Follett doesn't show any solid reason why Jeannie & Steve is so hell-bent in ruining Berrington's company's merger. They could have just arrested the rapist and be done with it. And The climax was lame and overdone. Now what I liked about this was the storyline. This was a nice subject which with a little effort, would have been pretty slick. There are some characters who were likable - Jeannie is ok and Dennis Pinker was nicely drawn. He sents a chill down your spine. Not worthy of precious time and effort ..I am a slow reader,so I know..:(
Rating:
Summary: Sharkey
Review: Can't believe this was required reading in a German high school English class. What is that focus? Sensationalism in pulp. Come on Ken.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Awful!
Review: What happened to Ken Follett? His earlier works, such as "The Key to Rebecca" and "Eye of the Needle," were well-crafted thrillers. "The Third Twin" is sophomorically episodic with every character as stereotypically painted as imaginable. The novel has little suspense, no interesting characterizations, with foolish plot devices and juvenile twists abound. Ken must be simply churning out the pulp to make a few bucks. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Very poor job
Review: I have read a few other of Follett's works, and have generally been satisfied with his writing. This book, however, is a major exception. The characters had no depth, the story was completely convoluted, and the writing was cliched. Further, as a psychology researcher, I was outraged at Mr. Follett's description of the research process in the book, as there is absolutely no way that a psychology researcher would ever be allowed to engage in the protocols that he created for this work (I should know, as I am a psychology researcher). Please, do yourself a favor, and don't waste your time with this book.
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