The Eighth Day

September 2, 2002
A tinted review in adult Forecasts indicates a book that's of exceptional importance to our readers but hasn't received a starred or boxed review. THE EIGHTH DAY John Case. Ballantine, $25.95 (384p) ISBN 0-345-43309-2 When starving but hopeful 26-year-old artist Danny Cray upgrades his part-time work as a private investigator to full-time, his blind acceptance of misinformation coupled with a readiness to plunge headfirst into situations unknown transform a charming naïveté and spirit of spontaneity into fatal shortcomings that threaten to curtail a burgeoning career and endanger his life. In Case's new thriller (after The Syndrome), Cray embarks on escapades that are zesty and riveting, moving from the streets of Washington, D.C., to the Vatican Library to an entire city buried deep under eastern Turkey where a treasured religious object lies hidden. Ostensibly hired to protect the image of a famous businessman by discovering who is behind the smear campaign targeting his client, Cray quickly discovers that he has become involved in an imbroglio far more sinister than anything he expected; instead of the quick and simple high-profit, low-risk deal he envisioned, Danny is confronted with suspicious and terrifying deaths, dangerous technology and evil incarnate. Fast-paced and crammed with descriptions of experimental devices and potentially devastating scientific advances, the novel is unfortunately also saddled with repetitive language, some unrealistic stretches and improbable responses upon which the story line depends for further action. Still, the pieces fit nicely together and Case's fourth thriller is a satisfying and gripping read.

July 15, 2002
Another best seller after The Genesis Code? Chase introduces us to a part-time P.I. whose latest client wants to know why the Italian press is out to get him. But is the client on the level?

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2002
From the author of the popular " Genesis Code" (1997) comes a slight change of pace. Danny Cray, a budding artist who works part time as an unlicensed private investigator, is hired by a wealthy attorney to find out who's been bad-mouthing one of his clients, the even wealthier Italian businessman Zerevan Zebek. Danny's investigation takes him to Rome, where he learns several unsettling things in rapid-fire succession and winds up on the run for his life. With few friends, little money, and no connections, can Danny keep himself alive until he can blow the lid off the secrets he's unearthed? Unlike Case's previous offerings, which featured slight variations on stock characters, this novel introduces us to someone new and fresh: the starving-artist-turned-hapless-detective. Danny is an engaging fellow, likable and funny and charming in an everyman kind of way. We can easily imagine ourselves in his position, frantically trying to evade pursuers who are better equipped and, in all probability, smarter than we are. This is a genuinely appealing character-driven thriller and a definite step up for Case.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)