Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining, Behind-the-Scenes Look at TechnoCrime
Review: The Fool's Run provides a good light-hearted read as well as a nostalgic glimpse at the state of high-technology in the late '80s. While the Amigas and PC-ATs of yesteryear may no longer be the computing tools of choice, they really were sexy back in their day. Reading about them brought back memories and, for me at least, added to my enjoyment of the book. If you've never used anything older than a Pentium-2, that part of the story may seem hopelessly passe, but such is life.The plot may also seem a little dated, but only because it's been used as recently as the big-screen version of Charlie's Angels. Sure you can see things coming chapters ahead of time, but that's due as much to foreshadowing (Kidd's use of the Tarot comes in handy here) as predictability. Despite the presence of a lot of then-current computer equipment, the book glosses over how it's used in Kidd's crime spree. Of course, it's really hard to keep a reader's interest if you include everything in great detail (who wants to listen to the horrible screeching of a Hayes modem or get into arcane DOS commands or hear the expletives following a ***carrier dropped*** or BSoD message?). Suffice it to say that you'll learn a lot more about how to break into suburban homes through the front door than through a firewall. There's a lot of bed-hopping going on between the covers of the book. Granted, AIDS wouldn't have been big in the national consciousness at the time the book was written, but STDs in general would have been an issue. Then again, a book told from the criminal's point-of-view really can't moralize overmuch (there's also a bit of drug use, sniper-style executions, and the aforementioned housebreaking to add to the mix of kids-don't-try-this-at-home activities performed by Kidd and LuEllen). I found The Fool's Run an enjoyable read, slightly more enjoyable than The Devil's Code. If you're looking for a fast-paced novel with a retro-tech angle, this one ought to fit the bill.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Page-Turner
Review: This is an excellent mystery/thriller from John Sandford (of Prey Series fame). The main character here is Kidd, a professional painter and sometime computer criminal. His burglar partner -- in more ways than one -- is the beautiful and enigmatic LuEllen. The plot is absorbingly full of clever turns, and the characters are well drawn. It is admittedly a bit dated, but don't let that stop you. You'll be hooked into all of the Kidd books. If you haven't read the Prey Series, I urge you to start at the beginning (Rules of Prey) and read them in order. If you are a Michael Connelly or Dennis Lehane fan, you need to read Sandford.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting action, but quite a few of computer jargon...
Review: This novel is the first of the Kidd/LuEllen duo series, before the Empress File. The back cover of the book says they "returns" from the Empress File, which is incorrect. Kidd is a computer programming expert who's also a painter. He's also a thief, not a common one though. He hacks into computers and steals information and secrets. Kidd was approached by Maggie Kahn, a representative from Anhiser Corporation, a big time player in the defense industry, and accepted a proposal to hack into a rival corporation's computer system to destroy files and damage the programs, thereby crippling the rival's operations, in return for big bucks. Kidd teams up with LuEllen, a professional thief and his on and off lover, and his newspaper reporter friend Dace. Together, they planned and executed their plan to topple their victim's computer system. At the same time, another force is at work behind the scenes. This trio is being watched (bugged phones, mysterious persons showing up). There is betrayal, con within cons, and complex relationship throughout this book. However, the ending was not very surprising, in line with other with corporate espionage novels. Overall, I think the book was worth reading, but the author put a lot of computer talk that I didn't quite understand in it. The relationship between Kidd and LuEllen was interesting and confusing at times. The only thing that would lead me to read the rest of the series (Empress File, Devil's Code) is their complex relationship, which hopefully will be further developed and explored by the author in later novels.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting action, but quite a few of computer jargon...
Review: This novel is the first of the Kidd/LuEllen duo series, before the Empress File. The back cover of the book says they "returns" from the Empress File, which is incorrect. Kidd is a computer programming expert who's also a painter. He's also a thief, not a common one though. He hacks into computers and steals information and secrets. Kidd was approached by Maggie Kahn, a representative from Anhiser Corporation, a big time player in the defense industry, and accepted a proposal to hack into a rival corporation's computer system to destroy files and damage the programs, thereby crippling the rival's operations, in return for big bucks. Kidd teams up with LuEllen, a professional thief and his on and off lover, and his newspaper reporter friend Dace. Together, they planned and executed their plan to topple their victim's computer system. At the same time, another force is at work behind the scenes. This trio is being watched (bugged phones, mysterious persons showing up). There is betrayal, con within cons, and complex relationship throughout this book. However, the ending was not very surprising, in line with other with corporate espionage novels. Overall, I think the book was worth reading, but the author put a lot of computer talk that I didn't quite understand in it. The relationship between Kidd and LuEllen was interesting and confusing at times. The only thing that would lead me to read the rest of the series (Empress File, Devil's Code) is their complex relationship, which hopefully will be further developed and explored by the author in later novels.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable thriller that you really can't put down.
Review: This was the first John Sandford book I have read and I am
only sorry that I was not aware of this author sooner. I hate to use the cliche that the book is a "can't put it down" type thriller, but I don't know how else to describe it. Until I finished it, I wasn't getting any work done.
This is a book that you can lose yourself in. It's not a great
work of literature but it sure is enjoyable. I liked the computer theme that the author used and my guess is that
since you're reading this review on-line, you would
probably be similarly intrigued. The book would make a great movie
Rating:
Summary: Classic Standford
Review: While not up to the excellence of his later novels, "Fools Run" is still an great book and entertaining read. Fast-paced, fun, and full of suspense. You have to suspend belief somewhat as it is easy for the reader to guess what is going to happen to the characters in the book early on - but in a way this adds to the suspense of the book as you keep wanting the characters to wake up and catch on to what seems obvious to the reader. This book has a bit of a nostalgic touch to it, as many of the compter terms and equipment talked about in the book are out of date. If you like this, you should see his book "Empress File"
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