Rating: 
Summary: Looking for love in "Death Match" by Lincoln Child
Review:
In his recent novel "Utopia" Author Lincoln Child envisioned a theme park that used state of the art computer technology to entertain the masses. Computer technology that was so sophisticated, it could and did kill under the noses of the operators. The same idea is behind the latest book, "Death Match."
In this case, the sophisticated computer technology is at work in "Eden, Incorporated." For a $25,000 application fee Eden, Incorporated will provide the ultimate in match making services. An incredibly secretive company led by the reclusive Richard Silver, nobody outside the company knows how it works, but it does as literally tens of thousands of people can attest from all walks of life and all races. In some cases, six to be exact, the system has found the ultimate perfect match where couples were 100 compatible in every single testing point.
Those 100 perfect matches are known at Eden as the "super couples." One such super couple was Lewis and Lindsey Thorne. They were the first perfect match and like all the Eden clients followed extensively after the match to make sure everything was fine. By all appearances and testing criteria everything was fine. That is until both were found dead in what appeared to be a double suicide leaving their infant baby daughter alone in the world. Dr. Christopher Lash, once a forensic psychologist with the FBI with an impressive track record, both positive and negative, is brought in to provide a quick impartial investigation to determine what went wrong and if Eden's extensive profiling and tracking systems failed.
His access is limited at first and Dr. Lash is unable to find anything. His frustration is compounded by his slow realization that this case is so similar to the events of three years ago that ultimately destroyed his family, his FBI career and nearly took his life. Unable to explain why the first couple died, he pushes for and is finally granted full access on the news that a second super couple has died, also victims of what appeared to be a double suicide.
As Lash delves deep into the hidden world of Eden, Inc., he discovers that everything is not nearly as perfect as they would have the public believe. While the technology is advanced, it is built on the mind of man and every person has flaws hidden deep below the surface. On the hunt for a killer, he is slow to realize that his past can be exploited by a killer who believes Lash is a target that must be stopped before the secrets are uncovered. Anything, no matter what, when cornered will fight back which is something Dr. Lash never considered to his own peril.
Much like "Utopia," this novel is primarily an action adventure read with a constant viewpoint that technology is limited by the vision of the humans that create it. The characters are somewhat stereotypical and remind the reader heavily of those who populated "Utopia." Again, there is the reclusive genius, the hard edged security chief who means well and has absolute loyalty to the reclusive genius, and the deeply troubled outside expert brought into research the problem. Then there is the clear and very obvious nod to a certain episode of the original Star Trek, intentional or otherwise, which to divulge more would ruin the book.
At the same time, despite its limitations, this is another fast and fun read through the 356 pages. While the secondary storyline is weak and should have been given a little more depth and instead is barely noticed through much of the novel, the overall read keeps the reader heavily engrossed in the twisting chase. As such, like "Utopia" this novel is still worth the read and seems perfectly suited to be synthesized down into a movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun science fiction / suspense
Review: Lincoln Child has written a fun sci-fi suspense thriller in "Death Match." The basic plot line is simple. People are lonely and lonely people will pay a lot to find their "perfect match." Thus t is that a reclusive computer genius has launched Eden, an incredibly sophisticated matchmaking service.
All is not well in paradise, however, as Christopher Lash, "a gifted former FBI forensic psychologist" soon learns. Summoned to Eden, he is told that Lewis and Lindsay Thorpe have committed suicide. What makes the Thorpes so special to Eden is that they are one of six couples Eden believes is perfectly matched, so happy they could not have committed suicide. Lash receives a handsome retainer to set aside his private practice and find out why the Thorpes did themslves in.
You guessed it, of course: Lash after pursuing all the threads suspects that it is murder, not suicicde. His theory gains strentgth when a second perfect couple apparently commits suicide.
The story is just plain fun. Suspects abound. The Eden vice-president who seems aloof and openly opposed to Lash. The beautiful, but reserved and cold Eden security operative. The super-genius who has devoted his life to building the super-computer that makes Eden possible. The plot is equally fun. Yes, you do have to swallow once in a while as you learn that Eden keeps track of all its applicants, successful or rejected, with an access to information that should land everyone connected to it in prison.
If someone of lesser talent were doing it, all the loose ends would probably sink the story. But Child pulls it off, delivering a sci-fi thriller that is just plain fun.
Jerry
Rating:
Summary: Bad Code
Review: "Death Match", Lincoln Child's second effort, is a compelling and entertaining page-turner. The theme - a modern day dating service - could hardly be any less promising as the backdrop for a techno-thriller. But Child spins a tale with the aplomb of Michael Crichton, while bringing the often terrifying cyber-future of William Gibson to a broader audience. "Death Match" is the story of Eden, a high-tech match making company whose coupling of singles has extraordinary results - for an extraordinary price of $25,000 per person - launching Eden and reclusive founder Richard Silver to an American icons and Wall Street darlings. Darlings, that is, until some seemingly well adjusted couples start committing double suicides. Enter Christopher Lash, former FBI psychologist and profiler with his own baggage, called in by the Eden brass to get a handle on these unlikely suicides. The ultra-secret, ultra high security Eden must increasingly reveal their matching methods to Lash as another couple dies and the need for damage control escalates. Child does a masterful job of making an engaging story of arcane psychobabble, complete with actual Rorschach inkblots and IQ tests. He dives deep into founder Richard Silver's neural-networked supercomputer, the core of Eden's success, as Child unravels the mysteries databases, avatars, and other geek-speak into a who-dunnit even your grandmother would understand and enjoy. For the "black helicopter" crowd, there is enough bizarre conspiracy theory and "big brother" to keep the Internet chat rooms buzzing, while the more skeptical reader can still enjoy Child's fantasy of an industrial-government tryanny with nothing better to do than invade individual privacy. In short, slickly plotted, believable (if thinly developed) characters, and steady action make "Death Match" the best solo effort I've read of either Child or Preston, and definitely up to par with some of their more popular team efforts. A good bet for the big screen, this fiction is a frightening as it is imaginative; the perfect read for a lazy day or long flight.
Rating:
Summary: anti-climactic
Review: As another reviewer pointed out, this book started out fast and then sort of faded out. For the first half of the book, I couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen next. But during the second half, it began to drag, and I just wanted to finish it so I could move on to another book. I have to admit that I was surprised to discover who was responsible for the murders, though. I thought it was a little far-fetched, but I must admit that I didn't see it coming.
All in all, this book isn't bad. This is what I would consider a "beach read" or summer book. Nothing too thought-provoking or deep, just an entertaining (for the most part) book. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Death match made in heaven?
Review: Eden, Inc. can match couples so that they will live a deleriously happy life. But 2 double suicides of their 100% match supercouples causes the company to call in Christopher Lash to figure out what went wrong. What lies in store for their other 4 supercouples? Lash is not so sure that it is suicide. Could a murderer be out there? Enter the world of an
incredible computer system, the brainchild of Richard Silver.
Over 100,000 couples have been matched to over 90% perfection. But what has gone wrong with the 100% matches? Lash, in the meantime, is the victim of identity theft.
Oh, this one will be a 2-day read...guaranteed!
Rating:
Summary: Trouble in matchmaking paradise
Review: Eden, Incorporated is a huge corporation that promises to find the perfect love match for each of its applicants. These matches are performed using a powerful artificial intelligence-based computer called Liza. The matches are so accurate and the resulting partnerships so idyllic that not a single client has ever claimed a refund from the money-back guarantee. When two of Eden's "perfect match" couples are found dead of double-suicide, a former FBI forensic psychologist, Christopher Lash, is brought in to investigate whether Eden has failed to predict a psychological instability when it performed its thorough personality testing of each applicant. Lash finds nothing in the psychological profiles of the four suicides and he suspects foul play. Could this be homicide made to look like suicide, and if so, why? Could it be a disgruntled former Eden employee? Or could it be a rejected applicant for Eden's services? As Lash is granted complete access to the mysterious workings of Eden, he finds that someone is out to stop him from discovering the perpetrator, and soon Lash finds his reputation and his life in jeopardy.
Having read Child's previous novel "Utopia," I found a lot of similarities between the two books. Both feature a large and highly successful corporation engineered using next-generation computers and incredibly futuristic technology. Both companies are being undermined, and ultimately threatened, by evildoers. In both cases an outsider is brought in to investigate the problem. Both investigators are drawn into the dangers and must race against the clock to save the lives of innocent people, including themselves. Both stories are fast-paced, suspenseful thrillers. The main difference is that "Death Match" has several plot twists and turns before the mysterious perpetrator is unmasked, and its ending is not as satisfying as that in "Utopia." This novel is still a worthwhile read, whether or not you have read its predecessor.
The book's details on psychological testing and profiling are quite interesting, although I cannot judge how accurate they are. The story also made me ponder the nature of attraction that people feel for each other, how its characteristics could be scientifically quantified, and whether there is such a thing as one or more "perfect matches" for every individual. I recommend this story for those who enjoy high-tech thrillers and cinematic action.
Eileen Rieback
Rating: 
Summary: I AGREE WITH OK BUT. . .
Review: first let me say I am a big fan of Childs and Preston, but I agree with an earlier reviewer that this book is a little heavy on the the tech lingo, and if you are not fluent in this language the book will be hard for you to read. I was lost with all the tech talk. I am sorry to say this does not measure up to Child and Preston's earlier works. If you are a big fan you will still probably want to read this book, but if youir new to these authors you should start with something else, like maybe "Relic". Also check out "A TOURIST IN THE YUCATAN" Intriguing archeological thriller!
Rating:
Summary: (3.5)The perfect love match, with a few minor glitches
Review: For his solo novel sans writing partner Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child tackles computer matching services, the latest cyber-world craze. In our current multi-tasking society, people are turning more frequently to computers, with their immediacy and convenience. Stepping off from this premise, Child takes it one step further: suppose a company, dedicated to matching the most compatible couples, was so successful that they could afford to charge $25,000.00 for their services? Entrepreneur and child genius Richard Silver, the founder of Eden, Incorporated, appears to have met this daunting challenge with brilliant success. After years of refining the process and adding to the base of his super-computer, nicknamed "Liza", Silver charges this exorbitant rate simply because the end results are so remarkably successful. The process is exhaustive, but well worth the investment, as new subscribers line up for consideration, checks in hand. Eden has its standards as well, with substantial testing before accepting candidates. Inside the company, the buzz is all about the so-called Supercouples, a small percentage of almost-perfect matches that are the darlings of the system and a great source of pride for Eden, Inc. Imagine the chagrin when the very first Supercouple commits double-suicide. Eden is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this shocking anomaly and blight on their perfect record. Enter Dr. Christopher Lash, formerly an FBI profiler, now in private practice. If Lash has a few skeletons in his closet, he doesn't believe there are any obstacles in locating the systems error that resulted in the tragedies. As an independent contractor and in an effort to replicate the Eden experience, Lash undergoes the same testing process as the other successful applicants, seeking specific flaws in the system. Then things get dicey as yet another super couple self-destructs. Meeting with Richard Silver, Lash is impressed with the man behind Eden's success, and the computer Silver painstakingly put together over the years. Lash is struck by Silver's genuine altruism, concern for the couples who are matched via the company. But Lash is shocked by the intrusiveness of Eden's testing procedures, both psychological and physical. The data retrieval alone suggests interfacing with computers that the general public could never access, a fact that raises Lash's suspicions. Lash has immediate results in his investigation, confident he has located the person behind the suicides of the Supercouples. Unfortunately, complications arise and Lash finds himself on the defensive, with dangerous implications for his personal safety. He is in a desperate race to remove the sudden suspicion cast on his motives and the revelation of his questionable past history. Childs proves himself a capable writer in this singular effort. In this cutting-edge techno-mystery, Childs finds his Crichton-esque voice, pulling out all the stops, projecting the complexities of a world run almost exclusively by technology. In Death Match, Child steps comfortably into his métier as a mystery novelist. Luan Gaines/2004.
Rating:
Summary: A solid solo effort
Review: I am a huge fan of the Preston/Child coauthored books. Individually, I have never found their books to be quite as great. I believe this is a great writing duo because they apparently fill in each others' weak spots brilliantly. But Death Match, to me, is the best of their solo efforts. I will not sumarize the story as it's been done numerous times previously. Unlike Utopia, which had a brilliant premise that I felt was not developed as fully as it could have been, Death Match does fully explore the premise of this book. The premise however, is not nearly as exciting as that in Utopia (Child's former solo effort). The characters in Death Match were better written and unlike other reviewers I found the tech talk believable and not overly complicated (and I am no techie). This book moves at a furious pace although the stops into Lash's past seem unneccessary since it never does develop into anything. The ending is predictable and gives you a sense of deja vu to many other books and movies where humans build a too powerful computer. But, overall I enjoyed the book for what it is a fast thrill ride into the near future that is not beyond believabiility. I recommend this book to anyone with a few hours to kill. I am anxiously awaiting the new Preston/ Child colaboration Brimstone.
Rating:
Summary: OKAY, BUT....
Review: I am an avid fan and follower of Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston's works. I have all books, even the obscure ones, but this latest I put at the end of the shelf. If you are a 'puter techie and know all the jargon you will LOVE this book. Being only elementary level on that knowledge I had to skip over the "tech talk" and stick to the character plot. It was good - it was excellent in Child's own imaginary way --- but not up to his usual. I am looking forward to their new one, Brimstone, in August - but this one was only so so if you have read the rest. Still - if you are a collector --- BUY IT!
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