The Last Sanctuary

Rating:
Summary: A good read, but lacking after River Sorrow
Review: Holden has a great grasp on the tragic American hero and is also able to spin highly-infectious stories. The resultant combo is best displayed in The River Sorrow. While this book starts strong and has a vice-like hold on the reader through the middle sections, I found the last section to be predictable, and even a bit corny. I was downright disappointed with Holden on this latest offering, but as I hold him to an exceptionally high standard, I still must give the book a decent review. A great one to bring to the beach; make sure you apply enough suntan lotion before starting the book as you'll have a hard time putting it down for much of the story

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as The River Sorrow
Review: I liked Craig Holden's first book, The River Sorrow, so this was something of a disappointment to me. The plot is interesting, the characters are quirky and innovative, and the action's good enough to keep your interest, but somehow the sum added up to less than the parts.

Joe Curtis is trying to go to Seattle to bail his brother out of trouble when his car breaks down. He decides to hitchhike the rest of the way, and winds up getting picked up by a couple. The male half of the couple robs a convenience store, shoots three people, and then tries to frame Joe for the killings. The three of them then split up, and the chase begins.

There are several characters in the story, including a Native American ATF agent, an Asian one too, members and a leader of a strange religious cult, and other interesting people. Somehow, none of them are particularly compelling. You don't care, really, if any of them live or die, and you don't wonder what's going to happen to them. When the action begins, you're uninterested in what's going to happen next.

I enjoyed The River Sorrow, and I suppose someone else might be more interested in this than I am. There are several annoying errors also (the Branch Davidians didn't have a .50 cal. MG, as the ATF alleged) and they detract from the story. I wouldn't recommend this book unless the person was aware of what they were getting into.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining!!
Review: This is a good read. The characters in the story are very three dimensional. I especially like the FBI agent RedFeather. The ending is a bit surprising, but I don't like it. Apart from that the whole plot is quite well-organised. Read it on the beach, or during a long flight. You should not be disappointed!