All the Queen's Men [Import] [Paperback]

Linda Howard (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (February 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671029592
• ISBN-13: 978-0671029593
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (182 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Linda Howard is the award-winning author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read!, May 28, 2000

By 

Susan Shams (West Des Moines, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All the Queen's Men (Hardcover)

I must say, that I totally enjoyed this novel. It was a great escape. I actually could not put it down!

I have never read a Linda Howard novel before, and I am pleasantly surprised. This book has it all. Romance, action, suspense and adventure. The characters are totally believable, and their chemistry together sizzled.

The novel was extremely fast paced. There were no boring scenic descriptions or mundane musings that make a person want to skip the whole thing and say to "heck" with it.

I found the heroine, Neima, to be bright and funny. You find yourself feeling for her. And what can we say about the hero, John Medina, except - Love Him! He is the perfect guy. Strong, yet sensitive, tough, yet gentle, hard, yet vunerable. Plus, his looks are not too bad either.

I found the CIA field agent angle to be refreshing in a romantic novel. It was interesting, not to read the same old story once again. The so called "bad" guy, was no such thing. I wonder if there will be a story involving him in the near future.

The only thing I did not enjoy about this book was the ending. It was left too open. We do not know what is the outcome for the future of Neima and John. What role will they continue to play for the CIA? There are some steamy parts to the end, (which were a little to "high octane" for me) but what do you expect in a romance novel? All in all, I truly recommend this book. It was an extremely well written, fast paced read.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Missed opportunities but a great read nonetheless!, April 20, 2005

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All the Queen's Men (Mass Market Paperback)

In a covert operation in the mountains of Iran, mission leader "Tucker" gives Dallas the go ahead to detonate explosives that will result in Dallas' death. Dallas' new wife, Niema Burdock, is an electronics expert on the same mission, and tearfully assumes the guilt over his death for the next five years, living a quiet and solitary existence in an unassuming position at the CIA. When Tucker is re-introduced into her life, she discovers that he is actually John Medina - an elusive black ops agent (first introduced in the novel "Kill & Tell"). Niema doesn't know that over the last five years, John has silently watched her life from afar, hoping that she can move on with her life and find someone new to love. Since she hasn't, John decides it's time to make his move. But John, who has spent his life in the shadows, assuming one identity after another, has no idea to go about getting close to her. He resorts to what he knows, and convinces her to join his latest mission to capture a French arms dealer. She goes undercover to befriend Louis Ronsard. When introduced into Louis' life, she finds that he's not what she expected at all.

The characters are charismatic, but there are so many unexplored chances that could have been fleshed out to make the story more interesting (like the tension between them as they trained for the mission, and the unexplored relationship between Niema and Louis). Overall a good read, despite a love scene that borders on rape and might bother some readers.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her best work, thrilling, intense, well-written, May 23, 2000

By 

Shannon "jfaction" (Lafayette, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All the Queen's Men (Mass Market Paperback)

This might just be Linda Howard's best work yet. I wanted to reread it as soon as I reached the last page!

All the Queen's Men plunges the reader into the world of CIA secret missions. In a refreshing turn, the heroine Niema Burdock is as adventurous as her male agent counterparts. No reluctant heroine proclaiming her inexperience and shying from challenges here. If you like strong, unapologetic - and believable characters - you will love Niema.

And Howard outdoes herself creating the hero, John Medina. He is one of the CIA's most legendary agents (was a character in Kill and Tell), yet Howard creates a superb balance of the self-confidence and coolheadedness required of an agent, with the vulnerability that is a logical result of living a solitary and hidden life.

Niema and Medina are well-matched in their spy competencies, and in their intense sensuality. The plot is one of the best Howard has created, with in-depth and complex characters. The love scenes are incredibly intense without being cloying. No annoying euphamisms or "falling back to earth" - Howard doesn't need them.

This is an amazing, intense, and exciting read. The cool assurance and attitude of taking initiatives that the characters exude (without being superhuman) rubs off on the reader. Reading the book made me want to get out and get started with several projects, sports, and/or other activities. Which created a conflict with my great desire to sit down and start the book over!

A quality of a good book is that when you finish it you wish for just a few more pages. This is one of those books.