A Walk In The Darkness

Rating:
Summary: Silly and far-fetched
Review: The notion that the Swiss Guards of the Vatican contain a bunch of latter-day Knights Templar who operate as commando assasins in defence of the Church, to the extent that anyone who even suspects the existence of an ancient scroll that "debunks" Christ's ressurrection must be exterminated, is too goofy to take seriously. The idea that the whole of Christianity would be turned on its ear because an ancient historian scribbled some notes about a Jewish/Roman conspiracy, as though everyone in the world would instantly take that bit of crumbling parchment as irrefutable gospel, is much too weak a nail on which to hang the majority of the ponderous plot. If this book were deliberately tongue-in-cheek and over-the-top, I could accept characters who are actually just caricatures, but Land is no Ian Fleming; he seems to expect us to take these people <seriously>, even if they have all the depth of a cardboard cutout. The protagonists struggle with tedious introspections and dreary memories when they're not too busy with international chases, kidnappings, exploding oil rigs, dangling from helicopters, grappling for the detonator...you get the idea. A heap of cliches, topped with a thin sauce of Mid-Eastern politics.

Rating:
Summary: garbage and antisemitism all in one
Review: This book is the last book I ever read by this author. The writing ability is poor, the characters caricatures stemming from a mean spirit. It is vapid and insipid and moronic. This novel has got to be the best example of what pulp fiction is at its worst. The plot is inadequate for cartoon network( this in response to other reviewers calling it cartoonish- please don't insult cartoons by comparing this to a cartoon. Cartoons can be enjoyable.)An utter waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: Silly and insulting
Review: This is one of the worst novels I have picked up in a long time. The action scenes are cartoonish. The characters are unrealistically smart and ridiculously stupid, sometimes on the same page. The author seems to have developed his Middle East perspective in the propoganda office of Yasser Arafat. While most insulting to Jews, Mr. Land appears to be an equal opportunity insulter. Palestinians and Catholics will likewise be displeased in the way Mr. Land portrays them. Mr. Land has a childishly unrealistic view of the current political scene in the Middle East. I am sorry I wasted my time on this silly, poorly written, poorly researched work.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Action Book!
Review: This was a unique twist in the Jon Land series that stars Ben and Danielle. In stead of being investigative officers they take on the role of action heros. The Catholic Church has a secret Army(Knights Templar) who have killed an American archeological team who undercover an ancient religious secret. Add in a radical Jewish religious order who want the Palestinians out of the area To fininsh up the interesting cast of characters add Shin Bet. Ben and Danielle spend the entire book in battle with all of the forces that have been mentioned. Ben and Danielle also do a lot of world traveling. All in all a well done book. It is definitely a page turner. You will not be dissapointed.