Rating: 
Summary: I wish there were TEN stars!
Review: If you've been waiting for a new voice to fill the void left by Ludlum's laziness, Follett's failures, and DeMille's dame-chasing detective, look no further than Steve Samuel. In this debut, Samuel has crafted a story with every essential element necessary for a heart-pounding thriller! He's got a cracker-jack Secret Service agent with a tragic past -- he's added really powerful bad guys with their own evil agenda tied to international bad guy Saddam Hussein -- there's the kidnapping of a very rich and powerful man's only child -- and he's even given his readers an insider's look at the true seat of power within Washington's beltway. The terms "page turner" and "heart stopper" are overused in the publishing world, but they're the words that come to mind after finishing this story! I read the book in one sitting -- didn't plan it that way, but once started, I could not put the darn thing down. I'm very curious to know how quickly Hollywood will snap up the film rights! It'll make a blockbuster, for certain! Buy this book. Then, tell all your friends and relatives to buy the book. The reading world needs more writers like Steven Samuel! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Decent Thriller
Review: A good story on the life of Sarah Peterson in her Washington adventure. Good story-line involving the higher ups in government. The villans get tamed and the sake of good display the way to achieve the greater good. Lots of interesting twists, some can be predicted, others a surprise. Revenge, high stakes and motive play a key role.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous thriller
Review: Couldn't put the book down-took it everywhere with me in case I had a few minutes to read. Can't wait for this author to write another
Rating: 
Summary: Good first novel, looking forward to the next.
Review: Did not read this in the airport waiting for a plane, but on the bullet train to Hiroshima, and I could not put it down! Steve Samuel - new author on the block - has made a good start with his new book, and looks a credible challenger to the military/ political techno-fiction genre that Tom Clancy, Larry Bond and others seem to be struggling in now, and could even reach the level of John Grisham or Robert Ludlum. He has a good plot, and some strong characters; Sarah makes a credible secret service agent, seeking the truth about her father, while Jack Montgomery and Buck Perry represented the epitomy of the evil military-industrial complex that dominates US policy and industrial thinking. Sam Baldwin, though was closer to Citizen Kane than Jack Welch, and too much the omnipotent industrial mogul. Passing references to the Warren commision and past presidents made you wonder if would you would get to really know who killed Kennedy as you read through the book. His knowledge of modern computer systems and techonolgy was up-to-date (take note Mr. Clancy!) and glimpses of what the NSA/ FBI and others could and probably does do were accurate. References, though unnamed, were made to Echelon system and the Dictionary programmes that the NSA/ GCHQ computers use, as well as the TRW birds looking down upon us, and vacuuming all our communications into their voracious buffer memories. The plan to smuggle bombs (or missiles) to the Middle East to get rid of the mother of all despots was a litle weak, with no mention of delivery systems - if they were bombs who and what would deliver them, and if they were missiles who would fire them? Maybe I missed it, but the Middle East aspects of the book were probably the weakest part. There was plenty of room there to extend and further the plot, but the characters there just ended up as the region's sterotypes. The rogue special forces agents were running true to form and training, and providing an interesting twist to the tale, but the usual "ex-special forces-now-available-for-hire" types who cleaned up the mess were only two dimensional. What is it about American's fascination with special forces, name tags and ID cards? The ending was too quick, and the contents of the anonymous letter at the end should have been integrated and developed into the book, and gradually revealed. The decision not to launch based on Middle Eastern instability following the loss of the Tikriti leader was too quick, and needed to be more convincing, after all it's a big deal. Steve could really have done with another 200 pages to fully develop the characters and the plot, and provide a more lasting ending to the book. But all in all, it's a good book, hard to put down, quite tightly written. Sarah looks a promising candidate for a sequel, and I look forward to his next novel, hopefully a fuller one.
Rating:
Summary: A fun and exciting read
Review: For the most part, Political Thrillers are not my normal genre of reading but after a recommendation by the author himself, I felt I'd give this one a try. And I must say, that I was pleasantly surprised by Rock, Paper, Scissors. The story really grabs your attention at the beginning with a horrific murder of a father with his daughter. We then move to the present where this little girl, Sarah Peterson, has grown up and become a secret service agent as her father was. She's hired to protect a shady government official and when she digs a little too deep into his life, she finds her own life in danger as well. This book reads extremely well with great character development and an interesting story to go with it. I haven't seen any other books by Steven Samuel but will definately consider them if I do. Well worth the read. Thanks for the recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: A fun and exciting read
Review: For the most part, Political Thrillers are not my normal genre of reading but after a recommendation by the author himself, I felt I'd give this one a try. And I must say, that I was pleasantly surprised by Rock, Paper, Scissors. The story really grabs your attention at the beginning with a horrific murder of a father with his daughter. We then move to the present where this little girl, Sarah Peterson, has grown up and become a secret service agent as her father was. She's hired to protect a shady government official and when she digs a little too deep into his life, she finds her own life in danger as well. This book reads extremely well with great character development and an interesting story to go with it. I haven't seen any other books by Steven Samuel but will definately consider them if I do. Well worth the read. Thanks for the recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I could not put this book down. The storyline was great and followed through excellently. I agree with the statement lightning-paced and pulse-pounding. I look forward to reading future works from Steve Samuel. I hope this becomes a movie.
Rating:
Summary: A complex and intriguing book.
Review: I did not think I would like this book based on the title; I was wrong. From the very first scene I was captured and could not put the book down until I had to. It is sheer energy and excitement all the way through. Not only are the characters fully developed, but also I cared very much what happened to them. Five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical tale of political intrigue
Review: Samuel used a common theme, one that has been written about by numeroud other political intrigue authors, and reiterated it. There were no new plot twists, very few coincidences that quicken the pace of the book and very little to recommend this book at all. The ending could be guessed at by the middle of the book and even the manner in which the plot would play out was conventional and boring. The only reason I gave the book a "2" was because its main character is a rather sharp, thirty-something year-old woman with enough balls to face the male dominated world of federal enforcement. The book is also remarkably well-written and easy to understand and avoids the major failing of most books in this genre: becoming overly engrossed in technical details. This would make a good book for someone stuck on the tarmac at JFK, but definitely not something with which I would curl up.
Rating:
Summary: Five-Star Political Thriller
Review: Sarah Peterson was only three years old when she sat strapped into a playground swing and watched helplessly as a stranger assassinated her father, a young CIA agent, right before her eyes. She innocently beckons her father to "wake up" as she watches his blood pour all over the ground around her. The playground is in an isolated location (their secret hang out spot) so no one comes to her aid right away. She is left there, all alone with her father's dead body, until late at night when her mother and the police finally find her. When I finished reading this opening chapter I was convinced that Steve Samuel is an absolute genius, a feeling that has remained with me long after I finishing the book. This the most riveting opening chapter I have ever read. As the plot continues it is three decades later, and in an effort to find the truth behind her father's murder, Sarah becomes a Secret Service agent, and quickly rises to the top of her field. While conducting a training class for new recruits, she is unexpectedly summoned to the Oval Office by the President. He requests that she take on a new job as personal security chief to Secretary of State Jack Montgomery, a man with his own agenda...one which directly conflicts with the President's foreign policy. Sarah reluctantly accepts this new assignment, all the while remembering a mysterious note she received just a few days prior warning her against doing so. When she secretly tapes a clandestine meeting between Montgomery and two other men, Sarah comes face to face with a kidnapping victim and her billionaire father, past demons that return to haunt her in a vicious manner, and a tangled web of espionage at the highest levels of government. Ten hours after I began this novel I was greedily soaking up the last few sentences and noticed the hairs on my head were still standing. Samuel writes with exquisite energy, genius and wit. The characters are magnificent, the plotting was thick with surprises, and his narration is flawless. Even the dialogue manages to jump off the page, adding depth and dimension to the characters. Saddam Hussein makes a brief cameo appearance, but that is enough to make him the central character in the storyline. I found the kidnapping scenes to be the most vivid and disturbing I have ever read, and I particularly liked the 3-dimensional character of Sam Baldwin. There was a surprise around every corner, and an ending that was just as mysterious and intriguing as the opening chapter. 5 stars. Be warned...This one is sure to cost you some sleep.
| 
