Rating: 
Summary: A book that should be read in one sitting
Review: My wife and I both loved it. It kept your attention and you wanted to keep going to get to the ending. We hope there is a movie of it, albeit that we always like the book better. We are also hopeful that the mysterious Mr. Case is working on a sequel or another book of this type
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Summary: One-line summary: Scariest book I¿ve read in a decade!
Review:
When a friend recently asked me if I'd read anything really frightening, I surprised myself by saying, "The Genesis Code." People are out there killing other people with the conviction that they are doing so in the name of God, but you're not quite sure what you would need to do -- or have already done -- to become their next target.
So why is this book whose basic plot you figure out by the time you're halfway through so riveting? Because of the way that plot develops, and the combination of religion and astonishing scientific possibility. We're all hesitant to discuss religion with the same rational detachment as science, yet to understand this plot one is forced to do just that.
And although you know the basic plot, the author is a genius at adding in ambiguity. Yes, the right-wing religious people are killing people, but exactly why this is so is not clear, even after bad guys explain it to Lassiter. The basic motive for murder seems simply to be that the traditional faith has been given a new option via genetics, because one could easily view that option itself as wonderful.
Well before the end one expects that a nice postcript ending would be for Jessie to have been a successful experiment, so that fact that he is is not what makes this part great, it is the way it is revealed.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not as far-fetched as you might think.
Review: "The Genesis Code" was a random pick...I'd heard nothing about it. I got lucky, ..the book was an excellent read. Case's novel is effective story-telling in the tradition of Ludlum. The characters might be a bit superficial, but the story-telling, and more importantly, the idea behind the plot are top-notch. The book makes you ask yourself "What could be so terrible?" Instead of being disappointed, Case came up with a premise that would indeed be frightful, and most importantly, is plausible. Michael Crichton's books, while they too may be superficial, are enjoyable because in addition to being fast, good reads, are based on good science. This book is good for the same reason. It takes "Jurassic Park" one step further. I strongly suggest you read it, but give yourself time, because once you start, you won't be able to put it down
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Summary: "As the fish swam away." What an ending!
Review: "As the fish sway away." - - Remember that line. It's the defining moment of "The Genesis Code," a gripping first novel by John Case. I found this book one evening after coming up empty on the Best Sellers shelves. As I rummaged through a stack of not-so-famous authors and titles, this book caught my eye. After reading the jacket lining and reading the advance praise from other authors on the back of the book, I decided to give this rookie novelist a shot. I was not disappointed. According to the "About the Author" page in "The Genesis Code," "John Case is the pseydonym of an award-winning investigative reporter and the author of two nonfiction books about the U.S. intelligence community. A resident of Washington, D.C., he is the proprietor of a company that specializes in international investigations for law fims and labor unions." After finishing "The Genesis Code," I am dying to find out more about this person John Case, and I will be the first in line to purchase his second novel. Case obviously knows his material - - espionage, intrigue, genetic research, and how to handle himsel in tight situations. His writing is reminiscent of Robert Ludlum, before fame and fortune killed his creativity. "The Genesis Code" begins in Montecastello di Peglia, a small, remote village in Italy. Father Azetti, the village priest, hears the confession of Dr. Iganizo Baresi, a gynocologist who has enjoyed much success as an specialist in "in vitro" fertilization. Dr. Baresi, ill and at the end of his life, makes a startling confession to Fr. Azetti, and the plot of "The Genesis Code" is set into horrible motion. The reader is not privy to the information Dr. Baresi shares with Fr. Azetti, but Case describes the effect of the confession on the stunned priest:
". . . but Father Azetti was speechless. He couldn't say a word. He couldn't even think, or breathe. It was as if he'd been plunged, chestdeep, into a mountain stream. It was all he could do to gasp, and even then his mouth was like wood, and dry." Dr. Baresi's confession sends Fr. Azetti to Rome, where he shares his starlting secret with Silvio della Torre, an aide to the great Cardinal Orsini and a member of Umbra Domini, "a sort of Catholic Hezbollah." After Father Azetti's visit with della Torre, the book abruptly shifts to Burke, "a northern Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. " The brutal and seemingly random murders of single mom Kathleen Lassiter and her young son, Brandon, set "The Genesis Code's" hero, Joe Lassiter, on a mision to find a motive and the person who caused this senseless destruction. Kathleen was Joe's sister. Brandon was his nephew. As if their murders weren't enough for the killer, a few days after the funerals, Brandon's body is dug up and burned to ashes. In searching for the killer, Joe Lassiter finds himself involved in a tightly woven conspiracy of murder, mayhem and cutting edge medical technology. Lassiter must utilize all his police and intelligence training and the considerable resources of his very high-tech investigative firm to track down clues and piece them together. Case spins a great tale, complete with religious zealots, international mercenaries, and highly trained assassins. "The Genesis Code" is a great read, but don't count of finishing it quickly. You must concentrate and you must pay attention to the wealth of informaton Case provides as you follow Joe Lassiter from Washington through Europe and finally to the rocky coast of Main for an ultimate confrontation that may cost him his life. And remember . . . . "As the fish swam away." It jolted me like no other line in recent fiction
Rating: 
Summary: It could've been so much better!
Review: (Beware of spoilers!) This book had all the makings of a Great Read, but it was way too heavy on investigative technique and much too light on characters I could care about. If only Joe had hooked up with Marie early in the book and they had gone on the run together to protect the child! Instead, we get hundreds of pages of Joe bumbling around alone, looking for a story.
"Case" is a topnotch investigator, I'm sure. Now he needs to learn how to get his characters together before the denouement.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing. A (genetic) Protocol of the Elders of Rome.
Review: Novelist "Case" has written a disappointing, Catholic-bashing "suspense" novel. The characters lack depth, the plot is slow-moving, and the "hero" is an idiot. What really dooms the book in my mind however, is its strong anti-Catholic story line. Without giving away anything, we've heard all this before: in the place of the Catholics, you could substitute Jews, Nazis, Communists, and now aliens from Roswell, etc. running governments, businesses, etc. There are a few interesting ideas in the book, however the strong anti-Catholicism (no, I'm not Catholic) negates these ideas.
Finally, "Case" establishes at the outset that the protagonist, Lassiter, is a preeminent detective, the head of a huge, multi-national PI agency, however, the character is incapable of connecting even the most basic facts. The reader solves every mystery within the first 100 pages and has to plod through 300 more waiting for confirmation.
Ultimately disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting read
Review: When I began this book, I kept thinking that I had it figured out because of the title's reference to genetics. I read and enjoyed it anyway, so imagine my surprise when in the final chapters I realized I knew very little. This book raises timely questions about the power geneticists have
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but a great read.
Review: The thriller genre doesn't get a lot better than this. Previoius reviews have done a good job of summarizing the plot line. I found this book to be a lot better written and characterized than most thrillers, particularly the opening few chapters. It is fairly terse, but with a reasonable amount of convincing detail and atmosphere. Good presentation of the background scientific information (and I'm a scientist), without ever getting dull. The quality seemed to fall off a bit towards the end of the book, but by that time I was so caught up in the story that I didn't really care. Great first novel, though. And of course I couldn't put it down once I got started. Recommended, definitely recommended
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Summary: Could it really happen? It is too astonishing to comprehend.
Review: I couldn't believe what the author was alluding to. It kept me reading and at the same time thinking "no it can't be true". The investigation into the crime was masterfully written. Making me wonder how safe any of us are from those who want to know everything there is to know. A brutal crime involving mothers, children and the Catholic church. How much more intrigue can you ask for. All I thought of when I put down "The Genesis Code" was what other books has John Case written and when will his next book be out
Rating:
Summary: A powerful and frightening thriller
Review: As he nears death, noted scientist Dr. Ignazio Baresi confesses to Father Azetti that he has committed the worst possible sin. Stunned by the confession, the priest races to warn the Vatican of the pending doom. A few months later private detective Joe Lassiter is stunned to learn of the horrifying deaths of his sister Kathy and his nephew Brandon in a fire that consumed their suburban Virginia home. The police are convinced the fire was deliberately set by an arsonist and later on the coroner reported the twosome were dead prior to the fire. Eventually, the police give up on their investigation as nothing new surfaces.
...... Joe is unable to let it go, so he continues to investigate who killed his relatives. He quickly learns that Kathy and Brandon are only two of thirty-four victims located all over the globe. Each one had in common a link to a now burned to the ground fertility clinic ran by a deceased internationally famous scientist. As Joe learns who is behind this seeming conspiracy, he wonders if he will be the next victim to die so that a certain secret can stay buried.
...... With THE GENESIS CODE, John F. Case shows that he is one of the top writers of thrillers today. The story line is fast-paced, extremely timely in today's world, and absolutely frightening because it feels so real that this reviewer expects to see it on the evening news someday soon. This is one thriller that is worth buying.
......Harriet Klausner
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