Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

When the National Security Agency's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathmatician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corrisors of power. The NSA is being held hostage - not by guns or bombs, but by a code so complex that if released would cripple US intelligence.

Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life and, in the end, for the life of the man she loves....



Well it certainly made a change to have a female in the main role...... and one with brains, as well as beauty. ;0)

As with all of DB's books the start is initially slow, as he introduces the characters and sets the scene........ but then the story sets off at a smart trot, gradually gathering speed until it's rushing towards the ending at an exciting breakneck speed, with a few twists and turns along the way to keep you guessing.

Although a couple of parts (such as "prime" - need to read the book to know what I mean. LOL) had me wondering if the characters were being deliberately thick, am glad to say that others did keep me guessing until the reveal, which is always the sign of a good, well written read to me. :0)
Thanks for sending the book Lynn - thoroughly enjoyed it. :0)

Am registering this with Book Crossing and adding it to my Swap List - shout if you'd like it.

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered, a Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. His conclusion: it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years - now reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their sworn enemy, the Catholic church.

In Rome, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new Pope. Yet somewhere within the walls of the Vatican an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. While the minutes tick away Langdon joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to decipher the labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome to the long-forgotten Illuminati lair - a secret refuge wherein lies the only hope for the Vatican.

But with each revelation comes another twist, another turn in the plot, which leaves Langdon and Vetra reeling and at the mercy of a seemingly invincible enemy.....

The book initially seemed to be a little on the slow side and I wondered if I was going to get into it......... then everything seemed to pull together and along came an exciting read that became distinctly unputdownable as it raced towards the final few chapters and the conclusion.

There are a few minor similarities with The Da Vinci Code, with the symbology, secret brotherhood, clues and a trail to follow angle, but despite this it's a distinctly different read and, IMO, more thrilling. Despite the fact that I had suspicions about the Illuminati leaders identity some time before it was finally revealed it didn't spoil the story or the ultimate revelations.

All told I would class it as the better book of the two and will now be on the look-out for more of Dan Brown's books.

Am registering this with the Book Crossing site and adding it to my Swap List - shout if you'd like it. :0)

Choosers of the Slain - James Cobb

With its sleek outline hiding its awesome capabilities, the USS Cunningham is no ordinary warship. The world's first stealth missile destroyer, her offensive power is matched only by her baffling ability to evade her enemies. And she has no ordinary captain: behind Commander Amanda Lee Garrett's elegant exterior lies a lightning sharp intelligence and a will of steel.

But now both ship and commander are about to be tested in the heat of battle for the first time, as the Argentines launch a military takeover of the Antarctic peninsula, with only the Cunningham standing between them and their mineral-rich prize.

Faced with the full might of the Argentine navy and airforce in the freezing, fog-shrouded waters off the Antarctic Circle, the Cunningham and her crew are about to find out just how good they really are.

I opted to go for something completely different with this read. LOL

I'm not usually a fan of war themed books, as I usually find them too full of gung-ho macho stuff for my liking....... plus I'm generally a pacifist at heart. This was, on the whole, a nice exception to the rule. There's still enough gung-ho and technical stuff in there to keep any male readers happy but there's also a really good female main character that makes it an interesting read for women: enough of a role model to satisfy even the strongest women's libber. LOL

The battle scenes are well described and keep the tension going through the book - certainly exciting enough, if you forget about the mounting fatalities....... it certainly brings home just how devastating war (especially high-tech war) can be.

On the lighter side: there are some nice twists of humour and there's also a potential love interest in there which slowly develops through the book. That is left open ended but there are further books based on the same characters, so presumably the interest will continue to develop through those and I'm now curious enough about how that develops to want to read them.

All in all, so long as the thoughts of fatalities etc were put to one side, I found this an absorbing book..... a really good read. :0)

Registered this with Book Crossing and it's now available for anyone who wants to read it - or wants it for their OH to read. :0)

The Alienist - Caleb Carr

This is the latest book I've just finished reading:

Set in New York in the 1890's, it's a murder mystery/thriller. A serial killer is murdering boy prostitutes in an horrific way: society turns a blind eye, preferring to know nothing about the seedier side of life, and the police are too corrupt and inept to try to capture him. Bring in the Alienist (psychiatrist), give him a team and have them start investigating.....
The book gives a fascinating insight into the development of criminal/psychological profiling as a tool to identifying and capturing the killer and of the historical period it is set in.
If you want to know more about the storyline please see here.

A very good read that kept me hooked right up to the last page. I'll certainly be looking out for the author's next book: Angel of Darkness.

The book has been registered on the Book Crossing web site and has been released into the wild - although it was at the Il Sorriso cafe on Ashby High Street and not in the cinema. Looking forward to seeing if it travels and how far. :0)