Rating: 
Summary: Wow! Again!
Review: The stories and characters are immensely alive, well-plotted, and consistently engaging;give yourself a gift of this (along with his other books!)...
Rating: 
Summary: Changing Identities
Review: There are many different kinds of deceptions in this thriller by John Altman. There's the deception of insurance fraud, there's the deception between lovers, there's the deception of assuming someone else's identity, and several others besides. I got this book as a Christmas present and couldn't put it down once I started it. For an enjoyable reading experience from the first page to the last, I recommend this thriller without reservation.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Read
Review: This book is pure escapism. It's a great read on a plane or on vacation. I give it 5 stars and recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: loaded thriller
Review: Though Hannah Gray found the medical insurance fraud committed by Frank Anderson, she failed to report him because of the affair they were having. When he repeats his illegal activity, she realizes she is implicated by her lack of action. Her cousin tells Hannah that she is giving up her non-refundable Adriatic cruise for a better all expense paid trip to England. Hannah sees an opportunity to escape her Chicago troubles and figure out what to do next.On the Aurora II, elderly Renee Epstein befriends Hannah, who is using the name of Vicky Ludlow. Renee lends Hannah a book that provides insight to the path the vessel is following, that of the Fourth Crusade. Renee's husband wants the book back because the mathematician has written inside the tome the formula he developed that uses black holes with a force that makes nuclear bombs look like firecrackers. However, before he retrieves the book, assassins hired by his employer kill him and his wife. Next they go after Vicky as the only logical person who could have the formula. John Altman is quickly gaining a following for his suspense-laden novels and his latest tale, DECEPTION, will enhance that reputation. The non-stop action plot never slows down, but also insures the reader understands the motives of the heroine. Though how she escaped the country so easily seems shaky and the fraud situation back home over the edge, fans will be pleased with this loaded thriller. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: Unhappily, this book start out a little slow, and the reader
will have to plow through some dialog filled with cliches
for awhile, but if you persist, the story developes into an
entertaining one.
The author must have had a girl friend like the "heroine" here,
because he invests her with so many odd, and even negative,
qualities, while making her seem worthwhile, and at times a
nice companion, it has to be difficult to have a characte with
so many divergent qualities. Most fictional characters are easily catagorized, whether good or bad, but this one keeps our
interest because at times she is very unappealing and unlikeable, but then before we can write her off, she suddenly
grabs our interest by some quick, inventive thinking that we
have to admire.
The woman is running away from trouble, and she isn't doing a very good job of it, when she is befriended by an elderly couple, and it turns out the man has stolen some newly developed scientific formula, which could, of course, change the
course of world history, and many readers will begin to wonder if they will be able to keep awake during this trite story.
But then the fun begins.
Various thieves, murderers and government agents start to converge on her, to get the formula, and she is teamed up
with different people depending on who is killing off whom,
as she is paired, usually against her will, with various survivors.
And all the time, she is trying to stay alive by her wits, when she doesn't really understand the nature of the formlula everyone wants, and at the same time, she constantly is thinking
of all the money the thing is worth, and she starts to try to
figure out how to cut herself into the payoff. So she is trying to cut herself into the deal, while at the same time she
knows she is about to be killed by any of the othe particpants.
The author does a nice job of maintaining our interest, and most
readers will want to read to the end, and that is a true mark of
a real mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Deception
Review: What an incredible ride! Altman comes through again. In A Gathering of Spies and A Game of Spies, Altman proved himself a master of suspense and period detail. In Deception, Altman delivers a compelling story with nuanced characters and a scientific riddle that laymen will understand and physicists will love. Keep spinning these fabulous yarns, John!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: What I really like about his books is that his main characters are always women -- and they're never entirely evil or entirely good. In this one, Hannah makes one mistake that blows up in her face -- and it's the kind of thing that could happen to anyone. A spy thriller with great action and suspense, but characters who remind you of people you meet in the street? Altman and maybe Ken Follett when he was at the top of his game are the only two people who I think do that.
Read it in about two hours -- it's shorter than the first two for some reason.
Rating:
Summary: The \perfect airplane read
Review: \I never heard of this author but the cover of the book was intriguing at the airport bookstore. I finished the book during a 5 hour flight and was impressed with its quality. Great action, interesting plot, fast paced and just what I needed to pass the time enjoyably. I'll be looking for this author's next books. You should, too!
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