Rating: 
Summary: Who wrote this book?
Review: I am incredulous that the author of Pillars of the Earth could turn out a book like The Third Twin. My most damning criticism of this novel is that it is NOT smart. Full of factual errors, gaping plot holes and an abundance of handy coincidences to carry along the action, it does appear to be a plot for a made-for-TV movie. My favorite howler in this book is the black WWII veteran neighbor (really knows how to throw in those cliches, doesn't he?)stating that he stole a pistol from a German soldier because black soldiers were not allowed to carry weapons (huh?). All in all, a waste of leisure time
Rating: 
Summary: Flat characters and Predictable plot
Review: A disappointment considering the author. The characters came off as flat, boring and (worst of all) stupid. Liberal bias and author commentary run rampant throughout this book and the bad guys (white males) are evil without reason. Only two things redeem this book: an interesting look at the nature vs. nurture debate and some very good chapters where an innocent man is abused by the police and inmates. The rest of the book was painful
Rating:
Summary: Find a good book to read, and don't waste your time.
Review: I think it must have taken more work for Ken Follett to write The Third Twin than it would have taken him to write something good. Nothing this bad can come naturally.
The characters are as shallow as an EPA-designated wetland. The dialogue is contrived, and the suspense is nonexistent. While the book is purportedly a novel, it is also a political polemic; all the "good" characters subscribe to the leftest of left-wing extremities, and all the "bad" ones are right-wing ideologues (at least in intention.)
I have a personal rule of not quitting a book once I've started it, and The Third Twin tested my resolve to the utmost
Rating:
Summary: Get back to writing good novels, Follett!
Review: The premise of this book about cloning held such promise. It just didn't deliver. And, it was factually inaccurate as it concerned the internet. It is mildly amusing, but most readers will figure it out in the first few chapters. Read Pillars of the Earth or A Place Called Freedom instead
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother reading this. Wait for the made-for-TV movie.
Review: I wish I had checked these reviews before I picked up the book.The jacket description promises a "contemporary thriller"but the book delivers far less. Maybe Follett was trying to turn a quick dollar on the book and sell the rights to TV, but "The Third Twin" delivers all the sizzle of "Brenda Starr." The plot is completly predictable; the characters, one dimensional; and Follett's political agenda becomes tiresome. (Actually "Brenda Starr" is better--most of the readers care what happens to Brenda.) If you want to read a good book, I suggest you forget this one and try Follett's "Pillars of the Earth."
Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF FOLLET'S WORST NOVELS
Review: The basic premise of "The Third Twin" is disturbingly interesting because the subject of genetic engineering is so much in vogue. Yet in spite of a promising beginning, the book's plot eventually settles itself into a course of absolute predictability. One hopes that in the near future Ken Follet will regain his formidable storytelling skills that have produced unforgettable novels such as "Pillars of the Earth" and "The Eye of the Needle."
Rating:
Summary: Liberal, she-woman researcher saves US from evil politicians
Review: Don't read this book unless like pasty, milk-toast endings that you can predict by reading the title. This book is so tainted with liberal innuendos and conservative slams that it left the plot somewhere in the first chapter. The author peppers the text with his personal bias on everything from gun-control to teenage kids having sex.
The cardboard characters are cut-and-pasted straight from a re-run of "Knight Rider". I'll sum it up. Bad guy: An evil republican, genetic researcher, corporate official, Cold War relic, and tenured professor who wants to be President.
Good Guy: Liberal female associate professor from a poor upbringing who wears a nose ring and stumbles onto Bad-Guy's horrible secret while "just doing her job."
Plot: Bad Guy tries to kill Good Guy and fails. The end.
I'm sure Mr. F scored big with the powers that be for writing this masterpiece. It'll probably be a Made-For-TV movie. Next on my agenda: "It Takes a Villiage"
Rating: 
Summary: YOU LOOK FIMILIAR - HEY YOUR ME!!!!
Review: Dolly the Sheep take a back seat. Talk about a novel that
has the theme of the day. A very entertaining story that takes
mistaken identity to the limit. Mr. F doesn't disappoint on
this one. Read it then keep a sharp eye out for someone who looks like you. You never can tell these days.
Rating: 
Summary: Ken Follett writes another-I can't put it down thriller
Review: In "The Third Twin" Ken Follett makes you wonder, and worry, at the abilities of modern science. The book leads you into the hallowed halls of research academia and the deceptions that go on within, as well as the scarey potential of modern genetics. Not only will it keep you turning the pages wanting more, but it asks the questions of how far can we trust scientists and the corporations that fund research
Rating:
Summary: Genetic Engineering in the Hands of the Ultra-Right Wing...
Review:
I had not read a Ken Follett novel before. A friend of mine who had read a lot of his stuff told me that, in his opinion, he had gotten worse with age. If "The Third Twin" is any indication of this degradation in Ken Follett's talents, then I will ** NEVER ** read any of his other novels becuase I will not be able to sleep until they are complete for this is an outstanding thriller.
In "The Third Twin", Ken Follet mixes many items from today's headlines -- genetic enginneering, the etchics of scientific inquiry, and the (secret) plottings of the right wing -- and creates an entralling work. The protagonist is Dr. Jeannie Farrari, an assistant professor in psychology at a university in Baltimore. Her work centers around the study of twins that have been raised apart where one is a law-abiding citizen and the other is a criminal. Things become interesting when she comes across two twins with different mothers who were born on different days in different states.
What makes this work special in my mind is the way that Ken Follett decides to tell the story. He tells it from the point where the reader knows more about what is going on than the main character(s). This is a tough way to go because the chances of boredom on the part of the reader is greatly enhanced. Ken Follett is able to get away with this because of strong lead characters, a solid (maybe underdeveloped) supporting cast, and good plot devices that keep you on you toes. It is hard for me to believe that I will ever read a thriller better than "The Third Twin"
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