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Summary: Kingom Come -- A Novel of Conspiracy by Jim Hougan
Review: Jim Hougan has written a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Full of action, plot twists, and adventure, the reader follows the harrowing exploits of Jack Dunphy as he eludes CIA operatives, Corsican mobsters, and members of a secret religious society. This novel is not for the intellectually weak; the plot includes references to Carl Jung, Allen Dulles, the Apocrypha, and religious history dating from the time of Christ. Hougan has also included elements reminiscent of the Twilight Zone involving the US military and the CIA (conspiracy buffs will enjoy this). All in all, "Kingdom Come" is a treat, best enjoyed at one sitting. If you like science fiction, conspiracy, travel through Europe, and a bit of romance then this novel is for you. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
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Summary: Took my head off
Review: Jim Hougan writes with the consummate skill of someone who's published five novels, not one. (Which makes me think he has four unpublished manuscripts piled in a closet somewhere.) His technique--dialogue, action, plot pacing, setting descriptions--are perfect, detailed and believable. And unlike other Bond-like protagonists we're used to seeing, his characterizations are three-dimensional. The book is written on many levels--intellectual down to the gut-wrenching (and gut-bleeding) physical--and thus is accessible to a wide audience. It's especially suited for those of us conspiracy theorists who search for the dark underbelly of current events; Hougan has us believing that his story could be at least partially true. The cover art is, appropriately, of a labyrinth; the main character, Jack Dunphy, is like a rat trying to navigate through a strange maze of information and danger. Reading about how Dunphy gets through it--fake passports, sneaky bank transactions, and the occasional dagger flashing from the cloak--is worth the price in eye strain and lost sleep.
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Summary: Buy this book if you like insipid thrillers.
Review: Let's see - moronic plot, chases that you've seen a million times, stereotypical heroes and bad guys, extraneous arm candy babe companion, ridiculous threats, breakins, and getaways....This is a really silly book. The main plot revolves around the existence of a secret clan devoted to allegedly other offspring of Jesus. Uhhhh, yeah, sure, ok. All of the major events of the twentieth century were manufactured by the cult to ensure that it's ancient prophecies come true. Worst of all, the author has set up the finish for a sequel to this atrocity. Don't let it happen - avoid this tree waster.
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Summary: fast paced fusion
Review: My favorite thing about this novel is how Hougan welds together the angst/power of several "genre" categories: political thriller, spy book, science thrillers and even Stephen King like "super" natural thrillers (though done concretely). Also, nobody writing thrillers today has a better, more informed view of Cloak & Dagger wielders than Hougan. He takes all that detail and ideas and melds them into a really smooth, fluid prose style. His central woman character is great, too, which always helps an action thriller. This is the kind of novel that's so unique, you remember it long after the last close of the cover.
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Summary: Interesting plot, average book.
Review: The spawn of Christ is a neat idea, but the book surrounding it has been done often & better by several other authors. Not bad for a first time author though, considering how many other terrible books get published ever year.
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Summary: A Fantastic and Engaging Story...
Review: This book kept me up way past my bed time. I finished it in just over 48 hours. It would've been done quicker, but my boss doesn't like me reading novels on the job. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller, or anyone who is interested in the ideas set forth in "Holy Blood, Holy Grail".
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Summary: An Interesting Book!
Review: This book was a tad different from your usual spy novel.Our hero Jack Dunphy gets demoted when a subject he has under surveillance is killed. Through his new job he runs upon some deeply hidden secrets that the C.I.A. wants no one to know.This leads into a wild journey for Jack and his girlfriend Clementine. They wind up in Sweden at a secret C.I.A. compound where many stunning secrets are stored. Dunphy ,after his hitch at the compound is forced to go on the run. Every knid of phenomena on earth has been done by the C.I.A. The existance of a secret society is also brought to light. Buy this book and you will be treated to an interesting read.
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Summary: hang on for a wild, surreptitious, conspiracy trip!!!
Review: This novel, my first by Jim Hougan gives incredible insight into what goes on behind the scenes at a big ticket, powerhouse agency like the CIA. Jack Dunphy, an agent becomes a hot topic in his own company when a teacher who has been under his surveillance is brutally murdered. Jack is sent back to the states so that they can sort things out, and to get him out of the picture, and hopefully, to force him out of the Agency with a boring job. Instead his burning desire for what happened and why, and who was behind it leads him on an entangled journey of an old conspiracy. Meanwhile the CIA is after him--with a vengeance. They want him, and they want him dead. At their first attempt, they find a discreet, pernicious Dunphy that is very hard to subdue. The turn of events lead up to an atiquated story, twisted, and lurid, all at the same time, with an end that will entice you to keep reading until the last word.
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Summary: Kingdom Come: A Must Read
Review: This thriller by Jim Hougan is a must read-but be prepared to burn the midnight oil as it is difficult to put down and has your mind turning even as you sleep. Likeable charachters, interesting locales, a terrific plot, and a wonderfully handled unfolding of this tremendously intriguing thriller all add up to a winner of a novel. Simply terrific.
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Summary: Poorer Man's DaVinci Code
Review: Whether writting under his psuedonym John Case with his wife, or going solo, Jim Hougan has a definite gift for creating likeable characters who get caught up in the unexpected while carrying out seemingly dronelike yet out of the ordinary jobs. Hougan's main man in "Kingdom Come", Jack Dunphy has been relegated to glorified information gopher at Langley after having been pulled off an undercover assignment in London after the death of an Oxford Professor of Jungian psychology whom he had under surveillance. Dunphy's annoyance at being yanked from his cozy nest with British sweetie Clementine enhanced by the frustratingly endless grunt work of public information gathering lead him to buck the system and uncover the relevance of the professor's death. What he discovers is a Gordian knot of intrigue that eventually threatens his life and the lives of anyone with whom he comes into contact.
As Dunphy plows through clues that take him all over Europe, the reader breathlessly turns page after page, liking Dunphy and his cohorts immediately. The facts that he uncovers make for fascinating reading---puzzlers will enjoy being thrown information seemingly straight out of left field. Unfortunately, as the story leads into its ultimate denouement, it becomes choppy, the ending sequences beginning at the estate within the Swiss National Park and the ending voyage at sea seem rushed and not fully thought out, as if the author had run out of steam and simply wanted to finish the story under 400 pages. The last paragraph leads the reader to believe some sort of transference has taken place, but obviously this is certainly not developed and there seems no hint of a part two where the reader can stretch his imagination further.
Kingdom Come utilizes themes that have become familiar territory after the publication of the very popular "DaVinci Code". But in as much as that novel also rushes the reader in and out of intriguing snippets of history replete with secret societies, it does come to a fairly complete, if not predictable, conclusion--not so with "Kingdom Come"---the protoganists accomplish their missions, but the ending seems to grasp at something not quite touched upon in the main body of the work. I would have liked to have read more information regarding the gentleman introduced at the tail end of the novel, perhaps even a concurrent historical story running parallel to the actual action tale. Perhaps then, I would have felt that the ending had some meaning in terms of this gentleman's characterization and overall fit into the overall scheme of things. The focus should have been on him and not the Pound/Dulles affair showcased by the author. As with the "John Case" selections, Hougan again seems to fall into the trap of simply using his book to over-instruct his readers on trivia that while fun has little to do with the overall outcome of the story. Providing a reading guide at the back of the book would definitely be a plus for those readers who want more information and do wish to read further.
Nevertheless Hougan presents a great page-turner for at least 7/8's of the book's journey and I will recommend it with some reluctance to anyone who likes a quick read with some fun historical mysteries thrown in.
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