Rating: 
Summary: A riveting thriller and so much more.....
Review: I thought I knew what was happening in this book. There are some files, dangerous files containing explosive information that could topple corporations and governments. The rich and powerful men of the ultra-secret group known only as The Coil want those files. And they think Liz Sansborough knows where they are. After all, the files belonged to her father, the notorious assassin known only as The Carnivore. Sounds pretty simple yeah? Rich bad guys want files, they go after our heroine to find the files, chase, escape, yes yes, I can see where this is going. But I was wrong. The book constantly surprised me. Yes, it rockets along as any thriller should, ratcheting up the tension with every new page, but there is so much more. Every time I thought I knew where the book was going, it took me in an unexpected direction. Who is good? Who is evil? You can't always tell, and those added layers of complexity and ambiguity make this novel a richly satisfying read. Lynds' clearly puts an incredible amount of research into this book, and her deep knowledge of places, institutions, and history add yet more to the story without slowing down the plot for an instant. I haven't read Lynds' work before, so I am excited to find that she's written other books, I can hardly wait to read Masquerade!
Rating: 
Summary: Mysterious case of misleading advertising
Review: I was intrigued by description of the author as "Mrs Ludlum" and am very disappointed. Bought the book expecting Ludlum but got very average story instead. Basic premise is indeed ludlumesque but the writing just doesn't hold it. I wish books were like any other merchandise because then I'd be first to line up and demand my money back. My advise for readers: do not read if you're expecting Ludlum. For publisher and author: drop references to Ludlum, because it is misleading advertsisng.
Rating:
Summary: Non-stop excitement
Review: If I had covered over the author's name on the title and began to read this book, I would have truly believed that Robert Ludlum was working again. There are so many of his writing traits noticeable in this work, and that's a good thing, I might add. Ludlum was always one of my favorite authors, and I devoured his books almost at one sitting. This book is just like that, with the non-stop action and excitement, the tour of European cities and locales, and the shadowy world of agents and spies, not to mention Mr. Ludlum's fixation on secret cabals of rich corporations and high-minded men ready to do venal things to accomplish their ends. The usual cannon fodder characters were about, and I found some loose ends not quite tidyed up, but who cares! The "special surprise" came as no shock to me even though I'm not the kind of reader to delve into the book for answers before they are revealed. It's just that this one was left hanging out there too easily and too early, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.Initially, I was a bit lost becasue this is a sequel, of sorts, to a book that I hadn't read, and the author was very tight with clues from the prior book which might have made some initial problems disappear. All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and eagerly look forward to more works from this most talented writer.
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Summary: Nobody is who they Seem and Everything is a Lie
Review: Liz Sansborough has been leading a quiet life, teaching at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She's also has been producing a successful cable show about the cold war for the last couple seasons and now her show is starting to gain recognition. Then someone tries to kill her. She tells her lover Kirk, then calls the cops. However the officer that arrives isn't who he seems to be. Meanwhile in Paris, Liz's identical cousin Sarah is kidnapped and Sarah's husband Asher is shot and wounded during the abduction. Liz comes to believe that Kirk and the cop were CIA watchers, as she's ex-CIA herself and also the daughter of the international assassin known as the Carnivore. All along she thought she'd been making it in the world on her own, but now she feels betrayed when she finds out the CIA had set her up with a cushy life and a wonderful job. She's furious. Anger changes to worry when she finds out about Sarah. She flies to Paris, meets Asher in the hospital. It seems the Carnivore had files about who had hired him and who they'd wanted eliminated and apparently his files read like a who's who of several prominent people. A lot of folks want those files, least of all the secret society known as The Coil. Liz sets of with her younger cousin Simon Childs, sort of a rogue MI 6 operative, in search of Sarah. Then she finds out her boss at the university and her lover Kirk have been killed. Then her CIA minder is killed. Then she finds out they weren't CIA at all. Then Asher is kidnapped too. Throughout all this there has been tremendous pressure on Liz to pick up a gun, both for defense and offense. She's an expert, after all, but she's come to believe that someone has to take the first real stand against guns and gun violence and that someone is her. However when she finally has a chance to rescue Sarah and Asher, she can't, no gun. This changes her mind and we have a new Liz Sansborough. One who is going to shoot first, ask questions later and get to the bottom of who kidnapped her cousin, who wants her father's files, who has them, and just what is this mysterious organization known as the Coil. Reading this book was a thrill for me. It almost seemed as if Robert Ludlum were still alive, so convincingly has Gayle Lynds become at writing about spies, lies, secret societies, rogue agents both good and bad, chases, more chases, shootouts, tradecraft and what could happen to this good old world if we're not careful. Five stars from me for this one. Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Rating:
Summary: strong espionage thriller
Review: Liz Sansborough has come out of the cold to make a life for herself as a psychology professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She feels that her past as a CIA field operative and the daughter of the notorious Cold War assassin Carnivore is yesterday's news. However, though she believes her heritage and work experience is ancient history, others disagree starting with an assault while riding her bicycle. Afterward, she learns that someone has kidnapped her cousin vacationing in Paris. The ransom is the lost files of Carnivore that allegedly contains numerous murders of prominent people. The problem for the beleaguered Liz is that she does not even know if they exist or are just an urban legend. As she reluctantly returns to her former occupation teaming up with British undercover agent Simon Childs, they begin to uncoil the Coil, but as they get closer to these bigwigs the danger rises and the death count grows. Though one must wonder how Liz can go about her espionage work refusing to carry a gun in spite of swimming in a sea of red, fans will enjoy her sense of humor that surfaces at odd moments to lighten an intense story line. The plot moves at a rate faster than the speed of light so that even Robert Ludlum would be amazed. Espionage thriller fans will want to go along for the ride that returns a great protagonist (see MASQUERADE) whose past will not allow her to hide in the pillars of academia as she prefers. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Suspense... Intrigue... Immediately Gripping...
Review: My Own Created Quote: The Coil is taut, it slackens and releases its tension... not knowing how stretched the coil can become... nor when it will be taut again. (JAKL) In THE COIL, author Gayle Lynds has created a marvelously-rendered, tantalizing, suspenseful drama of global intrigue, with an exceptionally brilliant writing style. Lynds' book will no doubt be one of the top performers in the world of espionage and intrigue. Lynds instantly peaks the reader's interest within the opening pages, traveling from scene to scene, chapter to chapter with ease in following the author's ingenious connection of descriptive words and sentences in relation to each other, creating a high desire to continue reading THE COIL to the end. Just when the reader is hooked on a probability, it becomes a possibility that does not become a reality. There is no opportunity for the reader to chance a viable guess to the outcome. Characters make their appearance, some are murdered, while others come and go - never knowing who is to be or not to be trusted. Liz Sansborough, Professor in Psychology Department, at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a past intelligence agent, begins to spin backward into a world she thought was left behind five years ago. An abduction of her look-alike, cousin Sarah and attempted murder of Sarah's husband Asher, while on their vacation in Paris; several attempts on Liz's life, a suspicious sudden "hold" placed on her TV series -- "Secrets of the Cold War", plus a break-in to her office research files are the beginnings of a tailspin into her past. The peaceful five years she created begin to shatter. The story evolves around a search for special files... "the Carnivore's files"... once belonging to Liz's father and his past as an assassin. An organization of high-power Titans - a.k.a. The Coil - each a controlling power assigned password names such as Cronus, Hyperion, Themis; wanting world-wide globalization, but specifically the Carnivore files, before the organization can reach its goals. Liz Sansborough's character is astute and discerning, strong and determined to survive the investigation and search for the file, the organization behind it all and the compelling desire to put an end to complex events. Caught in a high wind, the windmill revolves faster and faster, uncovering a whirlwind of events. Liz Sansborough again faces individuals from her past and into the present among which are: cousin Simon; Kirk Tedesco; Angus MacIntosh; Nicholas Inglethorpe; Gino Malko; Aunt Tish; Cesar Duchesne. The reader struggles along with the heroine to determine... who's the bad guy? who's the good guy? who is friend? and who is foe? Liz Sansborough and the reader continue throughout the gripping fast-paced pages until the ending. Or is it the end...? Recommended read: SPLIT SECOND by David Baldacci
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from one of my favorite writers
Review: Robert Ludlum was one of my favorite writers of the international thriller. His recent death has left a void in the subgenre. However, the void has quickly and expeditiously been filled in by his heir apparent and hand picked successor, Gayle Lynds. Gayle was highly praised by Robert Ludlum with her first few thrillers and actually started a series with him called the Covert One novels- all bestsellers. His style of pulse stopping action alternating with increasingly complex expository passages about some global threat is what Gayle uses in this, her latest and most ambitious novel to date.
Liz Sansborough, former CIA agent is teaching at The University of California in Santa Barbara while writing and hosting a highly popular television show called 'Secrets of the Cold War'. However, her whole world is thrown into sudden disarray when an attempt is made on her life. At the same time, her cousin Sarah is kidnapped in Paris after her husband is shot. The ransom the kidnappers demand are the files of Liz's late father, an assassin during the cold war. The burning question is why are the files so valuable and to whom. With her life on the line, Liz teams with MI6 agent Simon Childs to get answers.
As with the best thriller novels, there must be someting at stake that could affect a large number of people with a topical interest of the day. In the past, the Cold War was an excellent starting point. In the nineties, terrorists became the common villian. Gayle Lynds, however, has chosen a more unique path. She examines a secret society with members from the most powerful organizations on the planet. In this case, The Coil is the supersecret group that threatens the life of our heroine and her companions. There is no denying the authentic feel of the action sequences (some of the best written in recent years). However, the book is so very long and the story so complex that one wonders if perhaps the plot could have been a bit tighter. Nonetheless, the reader is in for one heck of a ride. Another winner from one of my favorite writers.
Rating:
Summary: The Coil Grips you tight
Review: THE COIL by Gayle Lynds
Review by Jillian Abbott
Any comparison between Gayle Lynds and Robert Ludlum - one of my all time favorite thriller writers - is unfair to Lynds. Ludlum is a consummate entertainer. Lynds is just as entertaining, but also imbues her novels with a passion for politics, an astute understanding of international affairs, and a goodhearted desire to make the world a better place. In these ways, she is more appropriately compared to John Le Carre and other masters of suspense who deliver such tales wrapped in the deceptively plain wrapper of a summer read. Lynds is a masterful writer in the very best tradition of the international thriller.
Lynds' newest offering is THE COIL. When Liz Sansborough is dragged back into the world of international espionage, she discovers that her father's legacy still haunts her. Known as the Carnivore, Sansborough's dad was the Cold War's most notorious assassin. His files - which could expose many, including powerful corporate leaders - are the spoils of this tightly crafted thriller.
The more Sansborough discovers in her search, the less she understands. In a nice post-modern spin, all the characters in this book are actors, each taking on multiple roles and identities, leaving Sansborough - herself masquerading as her own kidnapped cousin - alone and able to trust no one.
Working with Simon Childs, a childhood friend and MI6 operative, Sansborough sweeps across France and England determined to expose The Coil, a shady conglomerate of powerful corporate potentates.
Sansborough, who readers first met in Lynds' best selling MASQUERADE, is a delightful heroin; strong and decisive, yet feminine and vulnerable (on discovering a tracking and listening device in he cell phone, she feels violated).
Lynds honed her craft during her years writing Nick Carter adventures. THE COIL pays off that apprenticeship. The ebb and flow of the plot is near perfect; each sentence, paragraph and chapter compelling us to put off cooking dinner and continue reading. THE COIL, the sequel to MASQUERADE, and Lynds' third stand-alone thriller, proves once again that her position as the queen of international espionage is well deserved.
Rating:
Summary: International Intrigue at its best
Review: The Coil has kept me up way past my bedtime for the past two nights. Every time I think I've figured out who's behind the conspiracy, something happens that changes everything. The Coil of intrigue gets tighter and tighter. And tighter. And I keep pushing to read a few more pages until I realize it's 2 a.m. and I have to force myself to put it down.
The Coil moves at a lightning pace. The best spy novel I've read in years. Two thumbs way up!!!
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Thriller
Review: The Coil is an exciting thriller set in contemporary Europe. Gayle Lynds has the same knack that Robert Ludlam had in his earliest and strongest books - very quickly making you care about what appears to be a central character, then killing the character in a throw-away sentence or two. She also makes coincidences seem natural, and creates a fabric of organized menace that knows all and sees all. The plot is convoluted, at every step at least one question keeps you from mastering it, and it moves fast. These are all good things, if there is any doubt. There are minor disappointments - some of the "almost central" characters could use some more fleshing in, and some twists were telegraphed. Some readers may find lyrics from the Patty Duke Show theme song running through their heads ("but they're cousins, . . .), but to me this added to the enjoyment. The key to good thrillers and easily met by The Coil is in the answer to this question: "Does the reader get the urge to go check the door locks just to be sure?". I did, on several occasions, and therefore look forward to the next Gayle Lynds novel. I like to feel just a little bit scared of secret organizations out to rule the world. The Coil is even better than modern newspapers in sending that message.
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