The Medici Dagger

Rating:
Summary: Great script, OK novel
Review: Yes, folks, it's another Da Vinci Code wanabe. Although Mr. West delivers a fast paced, entertaining novel, he does not deliver a novel that is as thought provoking as it could have been. It's clear that this novel was written to be just a few stage directions away from being an action packed box office draw.

The concept is interesting, that Da Vinci produced a dagger out of metal that is so advanced that he feels that he must hide it in case it is used for evil purposes. And Reb (our hero) seems to be the chosen one to rediscover it and . . . . and what kind of falls away, since obviously the real purpose of this book is the action. And of course, we have a great supporting cast of the beautiful woman that needs to be saved, the crusty curmudgeon, and the ever present Viet Name vet. The book is certainly not that well researched. Many of the details of Leonardo's time and life could be found in just a few hours of research in the library or on the web.

Also, we're led to believe that this is supposed to be a real accomplishment to decipher the writing and figure out the secret. I'm not very good at brain teasers or riddles, but I figured out over half of the clues before the hero did.

Where the book does seem to shine is in the stunt screens. This book as a movie is a real stunt man's dream. They'll get to slide under buses on busy streets, have fight scenes on the edge of cliffs, and get to sling around lots and lots of nifty firearms in the process. Much of the book is truly written for a visual interpretation. And who can resist all the beautiful location shots in Venice, Rome and the coast of California.

If this does make it to the silver screen with a decent cast, it could very well be a case where the movie may be better than the book.

My star ratings:

One star - couldn't finish the book

Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author

Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.

Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.

Five stars - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.