Rating: 
Summary: Ebbing talent?
Review: This was the first--probably last--Coulter I've read.Dreadful dialogue. The Keystone Cops, FBI, and--oh, hey, might as well throw in the CIA as well--let the heroine do their field work for them. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief--up to a point. Hard to believe she's a bestselling author.
Rating: 
Summary: Dumb characters
Review: I thought the author said these were some of the CIA and FBI's best operatives. These are the most inept characters I have ever seen. They couldn't guard a dog. The plot didn't come off as realistic or plausible. A high school student could have done better. I gave this book a two star rating because I enjoyed the update on Sherlock and Savich, however, they appeared to have also been struck by the incompent virus. Looking over some of the reviews, I think many readers bought the book based on satisfaction with past books. Authors need to protect their reputations. It is easy to throw a half done effort out to the public and make sales based on past results once or twice, but that won't last forever. These characters and this plot got dumber by the chapter. What a waste!
Rating:
Summary: Pass by this one as fast as you can
Review: The best thing about this book is its cover. That's honestly the most positive thing I can say about it. What's bad about it? Well, let's start with the inane dialogue, which is so bad it would make a writer for the TV show "Hee Haw" blush with shame. Then let's move on to the sophomoric descriptions of the geek-turned-Arnold-Schwarzenegger - it's just one example of writing so bad I don't think even Harlequin would publish it. And the plot ... well, it's just not believable, folks. I know you're supposed to suspend your disbelief when reading fiction, but this asks too much suspension of its readers. In short, the lame plot, see-through characters and series of unrealistic events make this book a total waste of the reader's time. This novel is the "Ishtar" of literature. Don't touch it with a 10-foot pole.
Rating:
Summary: "Who dunnit?"
Review: This truly was a who done it? and I'm not referring to the plot of the novel but to the author. I can not believe that Ms Coulter wrote this even on a bad day. The stilted dialogue,lack of character development, and immature writing compares to nothing I have read by her. This book is a disservice to the author and her fans.
Rating:
Summary: Worst Dialogue Ever
Review: While a few of the reviewers have stated that they couldn't put this book down, I found it difficult to pick it up again after the first chapter. As already mentioned, the character development was weak and most of the story line was ridiculous. My main problem with this book, though, is the dialogue. For example, towards the end of the book, Becca's ex-CIA tough guy father then Adam the dashing hero both say "damnation." Not that I enjoy profanity, but it seems implausible that these types of men would use such a weak and wimpy expression to describe the extreme frustration and concern their characters would feel. The weak dialogue and poor character development used really distracted me from what could have been a fun (if implausible) story.
Rating:
Summary: Bad doesn't begin to describe it
Review: I have previously read and enjoyed Catherine Coulter's books, particularly The Cove, The Maze, and The Target. The writing style was usually on an adult level, written for adults. I was looking forward to this book for a long time before I read it. Within the first couple of chapters I realized that this book just had nothing that the other Coulter books' had. I only kept reading because I hoped it would improve! I wasn't worried about "unrealistic", after all, The Target was kind of unreal most of the time. But this one takes unbelievable to a new level. The "heroine" goes from a speech writer, never having shot a gun before, to a sharp shooter. When the "pros" allow her to take an active role in the drama that unfolds, it's not even anywhere in the realm of believability. Not that they allowed her to participate, but the how and why they allowed it. And the dialoge, oh, my, gosh. Every other sentence of dialoge began with "Now, . . . " and every character did this! It wasn't just a speech pattern of one character. PLEASE Catherine, go back to your previous writing styles! I really enjoyed your other books, which were written as if an adult wrote them, not a freshman in highschool.
Rating: 
Summary: I love this book
Review: I loved this book. It was one of those books where I was actually sad when it was over. I couldn't wait to get home from work and read some more. This is the first book by Catherine Coulter that I have read, and I can't wait to get started on some more.
Rating:
Summary: Meant to be constructive
Review: I don't normally critique books in this way, however, I would like to give what I hope will be taken as meaningful critique. Becca's character went from unwordly speechwriter to unbelieveable knife weilding, gun toting woman in disguise, and just like that! We didn't need to keep track of all those FBI characters with their ridiculous names. A little bit of dumb cop goes a long way. The plot seemed contrived and not believeable. Russian spys, CIA. Tired. A more well thought out plot and well-rounded characters, and most of all, following basic rules of writing would have improved your novel. Viewpoint changes should be done only when necessary and the dialogue was less than tight. I know you are capable of doing better. None of us are perfect. Better luck next time, Catherine.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This was possibly the worst book I have ever read. The plot made no sense, from the absurd names in the town, to the heroine hanging out with a guy who might have killed his wife while being stalked anonymously. Coulter should stick to historical romance, which is what she does best. Hey, there might not be as much money in it, but at least people won't be laughing at her efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Pop-fiction reaches new low
Review: I've figured it out! Catherine Coulter's Riptide was the product of a seventh-grade-remedial-English-as-a-second-language class project, where all the kids in the class had to contribute a chapter. For a plot to be so implausible, for characters to be so unbelievable, for so many story lines to be so underdeveloped, superficial and meaningless, Riptide could not be the product of a single, self-respecting, adult author. Imagine a fictitious costal Maine town named Riptide where all the streets are named, by the town's eccentric founder, after poisonous substances; "Belladonna Way," "Poison Oak Circle," "Foxglove Avenue," and my favorite "Venus Fly Trap Boulevard," just to name a few. Imagine a scene where after the bad guy takes target practice on the front door leaving it looking like Swiss cheese, the protagonist and her team of protectors from the CIA and FBI decide they had better fix it. So they find some caulk and sand paper over by the whole in the basement wall (the same hole from which the skeleton fell after the most intense thunderstorm ever experienced on the Maine coast weakened the foundation) and spent several hours fixing it so the local sheriff (who doesn't answer his cell phone because "he hates technology," so we're told by Ms. Ella) won't become suspicious. "Be careful, Adam, not to get varnish on your pants because I'm not doing any laundry," says Becca. The scene that truly takes the prize, however, is the final confrontation with the English educated Russian bad guy (talk about worn out cliches). Rather than spoil the ending for anyone foolhardy enough to buy this book, I recommend dropping in to your local library or a B&N, open up to chapter thirty (page 349 in the hardcover), and start reading. Mom always said to look for something good about things so--let me think now--oh yes, the book is bound very well. Sorry C.C. People who were bored by Catherine Coulter's "Riptide" were also bored by Patricia Cornwell's "Black Notice."
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