Customer Reviews

The Coil,

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I so looked forward to reading this book. I'm a huge fan of spy thrillers, especially those with strong female leads. And The Coil was written by a woman. I should have been in heaven. I was far from it. Not quite Hell. More like Purgatory.

I was only about 20 pages in when I started debating not finishing it. It starts with a pretty good bang, then slows to go no where fast. The action comes in spurts between incredibly dull lulls.

However, my main objection has to do with the point of view or narration of the story. There is no main narrator. Just about each scene has a different narrator, some of them minor characters who are quickly killed off. The "jumping" from head to head, not only makes it confusing at times, it makes it difficult to care about or relate to any one character. So ultimately, I felt, "who cares."

Then we have the female lead, Liz. Former spy. Woman of adventure. There have been several attempts on her life and her family has been threatened. Her adamant attitude at not carrying a gun doesn't make sense. Many times, she picks up a gun only to talk herself out of carrying it. Her arguments to herself are weak. Her sense of conviction over this just doesn't hold water.

On top of that, she has a preachy and condescending attitude about violence that was very off putting. It's appearance random and inconsistent.

I could understand a character who had turned away from violence only to be forced back into a violent world. That just wasn't Liz. She came off as ambivalent about it until some scene called for a streak of conviction. I guess ultimately, the author failed in showing the reader the characters motivations.

Morever, the author's attempts at providing character background fell short. Emotions and history appeared out of nowhere to fit the situation only to just as quickly disappear. This made the characters behaviors seem irrational at times.

The attempt at romance with Simon, who is her cousin, I believe, is another story.

It took me nearly 2 weeks to get to page 175. At that point, I shelved the book and moved on to something more interesting.

This may be the most disjointed, confusing, and poorly written book I have ever read. Imagine that someone has written 10,000 paragraphs separately and the joined them indiscriminately in no particular order--this describes this book. I kept wondering what the point of the plot was throughout this tedious tome, and even at the end I had no idea. Having been an editor for 40 years, I am appalled by the poor quality of the premise and the fact that a reputable publisher would feel this book deserved to see the light of day. The plot is shrouded in obscurity, the characters are truly one-dimensional (despite the author's attempts to use minute details to give them substance), and the unfolding sequence of events is tedious, repetitive and boring. Have we really come to this? The dumbing-down of America is plain to see--bad and inarticulate writing, inept editors, and a non-discriminating reading public. I may have to start re-reading all of the great British literature I have in my library, rather than buying such over-priced and illegible pap.

THE COIL by Gayle Lynds
Review by Jillian Abbott

Any comparison between Gayle Lynds and Robert Ludlum - one of my all time favorite thriller writers - is unfair to Lynds. Ludlum is a consummate entertainer. Lynds is just as entertaining, but also imbues her novels with a passion for politics, an astute understanding of international affairs, and a goodhearted desire to make the world a better place. In these ways, she is more appropriately compared to John Le Carre and other masters of suspense who deliver such tales wrapped in the deceptively plain wrapper of a summer read. Lynds is a masterful writer in the very best tradition of the international thriller.

Lynds' newest offering is THE COIL. When Liz Sansborough is dragged back into the world of international espionage, she discovers that her father's legacy still haunts her. Known as the Carnivore, Sansborough's dad was the Cold War's most notorious assassin. His files - which could expose many, including powerful corporate leaders - are the spoils of this tightly crafted thriller.

The more Sansborough discovers in her search, the less she understands. In a nice post-modern spin, all the characters in this book are actors, each taking on multiple roles and identities, leaving Sansborough - herself masquerading as her own kidnapped cousin - alone and able to trust no one.

Working with Simon Childs, a childhood friend and MI6 operative, Sansborough sweeps across France and England determined to expose The Coil, a shady conglomerate of powerful corporate potentates.

Sansborough, who readers first met in Lynds' best selling MASQUERADE, is a delightful heroin; strong and decisive, yet feminine and vulnerable (on discovering a tracking and listening device in he cell phone, she feels violated).

Lynds honed her craft during her years writing Nick Carter adventures. THE COIL pays off that apprenticeship. The ebb and flow of the plot is near perfect; each sentence, paragraph and chapter compelling us to put off cooking dinner and continue reading. THE COIL, the sequel to MASQUERADE, and Lynds' third stand-alone thriller, proves once again that her position as the queen of international espionage is well deserved.

I was intrigued by description of the author as "Mrs Ludlum" and am very disappointed. Bought the book expecting Ludlum but got very average story instead. Basic premise is indeed ludlumesque but the writing just doesn't hold it. I wish books were like any other merchandise because then I'd be first to line up and demand my money back. My advise for readers: do not read if you're expecting Ludlum. For publisher and author: drop references to Ludlum, because it is misleading advertsisng.

I thought I knew what was happening in this book. There are some files, dangerous files containing explosive information that could topple corporations and governments. The rich and powerful men of the ultra-secret group known only as The Coil want those files. And they think Liz Sansborough knows where they are. After all, the files belonged to her father, the notorious assassin known only as The Carnivore.

Sounds pretty simple yeah? Rich bad guys want files, they go after our heroine to find the files, chase, escape, yes yes, I can see where this is going.

But I was wrong. The book constantly surprised me. Yes, it rockets along as any thriller should, ratcheting up the tension with every new page, but there is so much more. Every time I thought I knew where the book was going, it took me in an unexpected direction. Who is good? Who is evil? You can't always tell, and those added layers of complexity and ambiguity make this novel a richly satisfying read.

Lynds' clearly puts an incredible amount of research into this book, and her deep knowledge of places, institutions, and history add yet more to the story without slowing down the plot for an instant.

I haven't read Lynds' work before, so I am excited to find that she's written other books, I can hardly wait to read Masquerade!

"OH MY!!! Gayle Lynds has written yet another masterpiece! The suspense novel, The Coil, quickly capture's the reader's interest through complexities in both the intricate plot and the richly developed characters. She weaves in the presence of a powerful but shawdowy international secret society involved with past and current CIA members and introduces truly likeable heroes and heroines into the thick of this non-stop action thriller. The main protagonist, Liz Sansborough, returns from Lynds' first novel, Masquerade, and continues evolving morally and emotionally due to her changing life circumstances. To say that this author has an incredible understanding of human motivations as well as a finely tuned imagination, is quite an understatement. She has brilliantly created a smartly written, fast-paced espionage novel that has heart. Run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and buy The Coil. From the opening sentence to the very last page, Lynds will have her way with you and you'll be glad she did!"

Gayle Lynds, a talented colleague of Robert Ludlum, has penned a slick, clever and cerbral espionage thriller in "The Coil". Lynds using an impressive knowledge of geopolitics, developes a fast moving plot replete with well developed characters.

The main protagonist, Liz Sansborough is a professor at U. California at Santa Barbara and also the hostess of a cold war TV series. An ex-CIA operative, she was set up in the prestigious professorship by a foundation that served as a CIA front to keep her safe and under surveillance. Astonishingly, Liz's parents, who are now deceased, were an assassination team. Her dad was an elite contract killer with the moniker of The Carnivore.

While at the university, attempts were made on Liz's life. Through investigation she learns that secret files kept by her notorious father have been stolen. They are being used to blackmail certain influential members of government, finance and industry resulting in a plethora of curious mishaps and accidents. Probing further, Sansborough learns that her cousin Sarah, an almost identical look alike, and her husband Asher, a CIA operative have been kidnapped. Extending her inquest to Europe she teams up with another cousin, Simon Childs, a British M16 agent to try to unearth the blackmail scheme. Childs' father, Robert, an influential member of Parliament committed suicide under suspicious circumstances.

They uncover clues that point to a group called The Coil, a small bunch of wealthy politicians and industrialists who secretly shape world policies is an effort towards globalization of industry, to maximize their own financial interests.

Liz and Simon Childs proceed on a globe trotting search to rescue Sarah and Asher and recover the stolen Carnivore files. What results is an exhilarating plot that concludes with some unexpected plot twists that left this reader very impressed.

I absolutely enjoyed this novel and that pleased me, because I just love it when a woman takes on men at their game and does the job just as well, or better. And I mean that in two ways. Ms. Lynds' lead character, Liz Sansbourough does a man's job, a very difficult man's job, just as well, if not better than her male counterparts, without letting any of the usual feminine frailties we usually see in thrillers get in the way. Okay, there was that bit where Liz didn't want to pick up a gun, because she was tired of all the violence in the world, but she gets over it. And then there is Ms. Lynds' novel itself. She could very easily write nice little mysteries, the kind we all know and love to read, but instead she's put herself smack in the middle of a genre that is almost universally read by men, and at a time when about seventy percent of all fiction readers are women, because it seems men are too busy with their faces buried in computer and software manuals. That takes guts.

As a bit of a feminist, I leave this book with a tough question. When my husband finished this novel his exact words were, "Honey, I loved this story, she writes just like a man." How should I have taken that? Was it a compliment? From his mouth it certainly was, because he is a longtime reader of spy and Cold War fiction, from Fleming to Ludlum. But from my point of view, well, I wanted to throttle him. However, I understand what he meant, Ms. Lynds has written an action novel that he really enjoyed and, dummy that he is, he can't admit that we women can be every bit as macho as tough guy males. By the way, the other day hubby shouted down from the shower, he needed my immediate aid. Something about a spider that needed killing.

Great story! Im so glad that this sequel to the Masquerade was written as I loved the characters and really want to get to know them even more...please keep the series coming!

The Coil of the title refers to a group of six international movers and shakers who use their considerable economic and political power to influence the course of world events. To protect their identities, they somewhat immodestly use code names relating to the Titans of myth, referring to themselves as Cronus, Hyperion, Prometheus, Atlas, Ocean, and Themis.

Since the end of World War II, the group has made many momentous decisions affecting the fate of nations, including ordering assassinations when politically expedient. Many of those killings were handled by the legendary international hitman known as "The Carnivore". Now presumed dead, the assassin was rumored to have maintained extensive files on all his hits. Thus, the Coil becomes extremely agitated when it appears that someone has gained access to those files, and is now using them to blackmail the Carnivore's former employers.

Painfully aware of what's at stake, the secret organization and other interested parties initiate a search for the blackmailer and the invaluable files in his/her possession. A natural starting place is with ex-CIA agent Liz Sansborough, the Carnivore's daughter. Firmly convinced that her life of intrigue is all in the past, Sansborough (who previously appeared in Lynds' 1997 novel MASQUERADE) is abruptly pulled back into the spy game, forced to seek the files to stay alive. Her odyssey leads her into the murky world of espionage and intrigue, where one mistake could prove fatal.

Given her collaborations with the late Robert Ludlum (such as the "Covert One" novels THE HADES FACTOR, THE PARIS OPTION, and THE ALTMAN CODE), it's not surprising that THE COIL evokes the works of that internationally best-selling author, especially those written in his prime. Lynds, however, manages to build on the work of her collaborator, updating his basic formulae for modern audiences. Efficient and quick witted, Sansborough proves a worthy heroine. Her companion, MI6 agent Simon Childs, proves equally adept. Lynds pits the winning pair against several hostiles, constantly testing their mettle as they piece together a very complicated international puzzle. A gripping read, the book seems like a natural property for a movie adaptation. Sadly, Alfred Hitchcock, the one director best suited to bring this novel to the screen, is no longer with us. Fortunately, Lynds has provided an eminently filmable blueprint that even the most inept director couldn't botch.