Rating: 
Summary: Blue in the face
Review: As a devout follower of Deaver's books, I was very disappointed with his latest novel, 'The Blue Nowhere'. The plot in itself is 'deavious', but this time the style of the writing is, by times, atrocious. Instead of a fastpaced thriller we're in for a rather tedious treat of all the wonders and horrors of internet. I don't mind being informed by an author about a particular subject, but not in the guise of a textbook. There is nothing more deadly for the pacing and credibility of a story when the author turns aside from his subject and informs the reader directly about the aforementioned wonders & horrors of the internet, computers, whatnot, instead of weaving it in the story. For once, the master raconteur has let me down, because this time he has forgotten that a good story must be told, not explained!
Rating: 
Summary: A Page Turner Deluxe, Awesome
Review: The Blue Nowhere was a fantastic book. I picked it up and couldn't put it down, I finished it the day that I bought it. The plot was incredibly tight, full of sharp turns and twists. The characters are great, and you really care what happens to them, which is rare for this sort of book. Why are you still reading this!? Go read it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Deaver
Review: After his last couple of books I was starting to be down on Deaver. I didn't much like The Empty Chair, and I especially didn't like Speaking in Tongues. He has snapped out of the doldrums in a big way however with The Blue Nowhere. I won't go into detail about the plot here as it has already been done. But I will say that (in hacker lingo) that this book was totally Moby. The book starts out fast with a murder in the first few pages by the super hacker/super villian Phate. From there the suspense builds up constantly in the cat and mouse chase to bring him down. All the main characters are well drawn and interesting, and there are plenty of twists along the way in the Deaver tradition. Even though it is filled with lots of technical detail there is no "filler" as the book remains exciting right the way through. Until the last 20 pages that is. If I have one complaint about the book that is what it is. Phate goes down with a whimper, and the identity of Shawn is absurd. I skimmed the last 20 pages because they seemed very anti climatic to me. The rest of the book was so good though, I was willing to forgive the ending. If you like Deaver or nail biting suspense, you should definitely give The Blue Nowhere a shot.
Rating: 
Summary: It really is... nowhere
Review: "Wyatt Gillette's thick, muscular fingers slid eagerly onto the cool plastic of the keys. He positioned his fingertips, callused from years of keyboarding, on the tiny orientation bumps of the F and J keys."Oh please!!!! The word insipid comes to mind but only after a stream of others even more derogatory. Granted, this is possibly the most explicit sexual reference in any of Deaver's books. Interestingly enough, it appears on page 69. But, I digress. One theory I have is that someone aspiring to be a successful author hacked into Jeff's computer and substituted this tripe for a real book. That doesn't wash because, near as I can tell, the only thing the author know less about than writing is computers. Beyond that, this book, it does have pages covered with words that are bound together (the pages definitely, the words only occasionally), is very slow moving. I'm only on page 72 but, were this any of his other (without exception) wonderful novels, I would have been done by now. Perhaps I'll stumble across the great things many of the other reviews mention and come back and write a retraction. I doubt it. I should have been clued in by the back cover. It contained "Praise for *Previous* Works by Jeffery Deaver." That says two things. First, that the publisher couldn't find anybody to say something good about this book. (Yea I know it's a first edition but *somebody* credible must have already seen it.) Second, that this book was written by Jeffery Deaver. That's the same guy that wrote "Devil's Teardrop", "Coffin Dancer", and "A Maiden's Grave." Like I've said, I don't want to believe it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as his Lincoln Rhyme books!
Review: I enjoyed this book, it even scared me a little, but doesn't compare to Bone Collector or Empty Chair. I'm not too computer literate, so alot of the technical "stuff" only confused me, although the characters did a pretty good job of explaining. I would buy his next novel, though, hoping it's as good as some of his earlier work.
Rating:
Summary: One of his best yet!
Review: Deaver is incredible combining his ingenious crime scene investigations and now the computer world. His plot twisting, that I know him so well for, is once again unguessable. Every time I think I have figured out where he is going, I find out I am dead wrong once again! It is apparent that he did a lot of research on hacking. Not to worry if you are not familiar with computers though. He explained everything that is going on and even put a glossary in the front, just in case. All in all, a MUST buy!!
Rating:
Summary: Oh God, not another one¿
Review: Deaver seems to churn out another book about every 3 months, and I keep telling myself that I'm not going to waste my time on another one, but each time I do. The Blue Nowhere may be cloaked as a trendy cyberspace adventure, but it follows the same patterns as all of Deaver's books. There's the obsessive mastermind who seems omniscient and omnipotent as he plays a cat and mouse game with his pursuer... Ha! Fooled you! I wasn't talking about the VILLAIN. I was talking about the HERO! Sorry. I just got done reading the book, and I was operating like Deaver. Every 20 pages or so, there is an "I've made you think one thing, but I've tricked you!" chapter. At some point in each book, every single one of the characters will be made to appear to be something other than they were supposed to be. Multiple people will die so that there can be brief moments when you think the villain has been killed. I admit he had me fooled about the "secret true identity" of "Shawn," although the actual true identity was more ludicrous than I could have dreamed. I don't think Deaver knows nearly as much about the computer world as he wants us to believe, and so the book doens't feel "authentic." Don't read this book. The time you save will be your own.
Rating:
Summary: Fast and well-thought
Review: This book surprised me on many levels, and I start by saying that I highly recommend it. As a person who likes to savor books, I read this one in two evenings. After Speaking in Tongues, I was a little wary of getting excited about another Jeffery Deaver's book. But as a programmer, I decide to pick it up because it is about something I have an interest in. Wyatt Gillette, a convicted felon, and the California Computer Crimes Unit attempt to stop a man, and an unknown accomplice, who uses his computer for the ultimate evil: murder. Jeffery Deaver throws out a few curve balls to keep the reader guessing, but avoids the unbelievable twists that seem to be rampant in thrillers. Generally I find that hi-tech fictional works are usual laughable in their portrayal and explanations of the technologies involved. Along this line,I have long felt that Michael Crichton is one of the best authors in researching his topics. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Deaver did a great job in his own; all-in-all, his events and explanations were realistic and they reflect his opinion that the reader is not stupid, without going so far as to be a textbook on the subject. It is a very fast moving book, and there are complaints that the characters are not deeply developed. I attribute this to two things. It would take away from the quick pace of the story, and furthermore it is unnecessary. You learn enough about Wyatt and Phate without needless filler. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of spots where I crinkled my nose in disbelief, but it is a work of fiction and it is a very good one at that.
Rating: 
Summary: THE WILD BLUE NOWHERE
Review: Jeffery Deaver has certainly proven he is the master of inventive and suspenseful plots, usually with twist after twist. In "The Blue Nowhere," he once again gives us a suspenseful story with dynamic characters and a pulse-pounding scenario. The story behind this one is enough to make you trade in your computer for an old typewriter..although, how would we write reviews? Oh, well, keep telling yourself IT'S ONLY A BOOK, IT'S ONLY A BOOK. I particularly liked the relationship that develops between hacker Wyatt Gillette and detective Frank Bishop. Although they start out as something less than friends, they do become good buddies and I liked Bishop's character quite a lot. I have to admit though, that I don't think this entry is up to par. Possibly intimidated by critics accusing him of throwing in too many unbelievable twists, he minimizes the twists in this one, and I have to admit, other than the identity of Shawn (which is pretty far-fetched!), I saw all the other twists coming early on. Also, Mr. Phate's fate is rather anticlimactic, and doesn't deliver the chills most of Deaver's climaxes have given us. I smell a sequel coming, which wouldn't be that bad. It's a good book, just not Deaver's best. DON'T YELL AT ME, FELLOW CRITICS...I GOTTA BE HONEST.
Rating:
Summary: Great story
Review: This book is not a hacking manual and it's not for computer geeks only (I know there is a politically correct word, but there you go!). It does involve a lot of action in cyberspace (the Blue Nowhere), but is a fast paced, interesting read from beginning to the end. And it's not that easy to figure out what will happen next. Although I do miss lincoln and Amelia, I wouldn't mind reading another one of these!
|
