Gideon's Sword

May 2, 2011
John Glover's hard-edged, slightly sinister voice (familiar to fans of television's Smallville) sustains Preston and Child's entertaining but slight thriller. In this installment, Gideon Crew, whom Glover imbues with more depth and humanity than the text itself suggests, is seeking revenge for the murder of his father, an Army intelligence officer. But he's interrupted in his mission, conscripted by a clandestine agency to perform a near-suicidal task: to steal the plans for a Chinese WMD. Crew exhibits extreme versatility in accomplishing his task, for when it comes to an impossible mission successfully performed, a better example is the way Glover adds dimension to the novel's cardboard characters and vitality to its overly long backstory. A Grand Central hardcover.

Gideon Crew is the feature character in a new series by the creators of FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast. John Glover is a good choice to narrate this first entry because the story involves accounts of past events, which Glover delivers without bogging things down. The plot focuses on Gideon's intention to avenge his father's murder, and Glover gives him a conspiratorial air that adds weight to the story. The character is noteworthy for his clever schemes, and the book moves fast--as if the authors were keeping a potential movie version in mind. Overall, Glover handles the somewhat simplistic story with an ear for drama. J.L. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 1, 2011

The dynamic duo is back! New York Times best-selling writers Preston and Child (www.prestonchild.com), creators of the iconic Agent Pendergast series, strike gold once again with this story about a man dying of an incurable brain disease who is hired by a secretive government organization to steal something from a defecting Chinese scientist. Protagonist Gideon Crew is one clever character, and Smallville's Lionel Luthor--actor John Glover--is the perfect narrator to capture his humor, suspense, and ingenuity. The final scene in New York City's Potters Field is one of the best ever written by Preston and Child, but the entire book is a roller-coaster delight from start to finish. Highly, highly recommended! [See Major Audio releases, LJ 1/11; the Grand Central hc also received a starred review, LJ 1/11.--Ed.]--Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base Lib., Lompoc, CA

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