The Coil: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Gayle Lynds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2005

A sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel, Masquerade, The Coil picks up several years later. Liz Sansborough, former CIA agent and now an academic, has managed to put the pieces of her life back together. But Sansborough has a dark secret - she is the daughter of the one of the most notorious Cold War Assassins, The Carnivore. When a series of prominent political figures are blackmailed into certain actions or die in suspicious ways, the CIA becomes convinced that someone has gotten hold of the Carnivore's files and is using that information to further some secret agenda. Sansborough herself - the closet living link to the Carnivore - is the target of a murder attempt, her offices are searched, her files stolen and her TV program on the secrets of the Cold War inexplicably shelved by the network. When she learns her cousin Sarah Walker - who bears a close resemblance to Sansborough - is kidnapped off the street with the ransom demand being the Carnivore's missing - possibly apocryphal - files, Liz is determined to save her cousin and uncover the swirling conspiracy, linked to a shadowy group known as The Coil, centered around the legacy of her father. But she's far from the only one going after the truth behind the legendary assassin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The daughter of an infamous Cold War assassin known as the Carnivore is yanked from her tranquil life as a UC-Santa Barbara psychology professor by an international conspiracy in this competent thriller. When ex-CIA agent Liz Sansborough, making her second outing for Lynds (after 1996's Masquerade), is viciously attacked while taking a bike ride, she quickly discovers that her troubled past is impossible to escape. She also learns that her cousin has been kidnapped on her Paris vacation, and that the kidnappers are demanding the Carnivore's long-lost files, thought to contain the details of dozens of high-profile hits, for ransom. Liz isn't eager to go back to work for her old boss, but she quickly readapts to her former profession. As the bodies pile up, however, she finds herself making little progress: she can't find her cousin, and she doesn't even know if her father's files exist. When she teams up with Simon Childs, an old family friend and British MI6 undercover agent, the two forge ahead in a death-defying charge through France and England, their sights set on a mysterious group of corporate titans known as the Coil. The novel moves at a blistering pace, much in the tradition of espionage legend Robert Ludlum, with whom Lynds co-wrote three novels. Liz has appeal-a wry sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm-yet she sometimes suffers from a case of political correctness; readers may find her preachy opinions grating. Her refusal to carry a gun, for example, is an admirable decision for everyday life, but absurd considering the gallons of blood flowing around her.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A panoramic backdrop of exotic European locales, breakneck pacing, a tough and brainy protagonist and vicious villains...spellbinding."-Chicago Sun-Times on The Coil

"The Coil is a spy thriller of the highest order...will leave readers slack-jawed in amazement."
-Bookpage on The Coil

"Reading The Coil is hazardous to a good night's sleep, because it's definitely a page turner."
-Times Record News on The Coil

"Not only is the thriller not dead, but it is alive and well and safe in the hands of outstanding authors such as Gayle Lynds."-January Magazine on The Coil

"Where are the new Robert Ludlums and Tom Clancys coming from? Here's one excellent candidate: the tough-minded and talented Gayle Lynds."-Chicago Tribune on The Coil

"A rapid paced, white knuckle page turner that pulls you in on page one and keeps you reading throughout the night...this one will leave you breathless!" -Affaire de Coeur on The Coil

"Moves with stunning speed and keeps the pages turning with twists and layers in both plot and family loyalties...The Coil races from beginning to end, driven by ruthless men with their own golden rule: 'He who has the gold makes the rules.'"-Santa Barbara News-Press on The Coil

"The novel moves at a blistering pace, much in the tradition of espionage legend Robert Ludlum."
-Publishers Weekly on The Coil

"A triumph-an absolutely compelling international thriller...confirms Lynds as being right at the top of the field. If you already know Lynds's work, then prepare yourself for what is definitely her best book yet. If you've never read Lynds before, then I envy you. You are in for a real treat."
-David Morrell, author of The Protector and First Blood on The Coil

"Tantalizing, plenty of suspense and action, great characters, and settings that span the world. I love it!"-Dale Brown, author of Flight of the Old Dog and Air Battle Force on The Coil

"Smart, complex, and immensely entertaining. The surprises start on the first page and keep coming all the way to the end. The Coil is sure to be a bestseller!"-Thomas Perry, author of Pursuit and The Butcher's Boy on The Coil

"In this thrill-a-minute tale of secret operatives and hired assassins, Gayle Lynds proves once again why she's the leading lady on international intrigue. Her dead-on research and breakneck pacing leave you-like former CIA agent Liz Sansborough-navigating a maze of deadly agendas. Beware the Coil!"
-Gregg Hurwitz, author of The Kill Clause and Do No Harm on The Coil

"The Coil is a terrific read, exactly the kind of fast-paced espionage thriller that I love. Great characters, a turbo-charged narrative full of surprises, dark and fabulous settings-what more could you want?"
-Douglas J. Preston on The Coil

"This fast-paced international espionage thriller is Lynds at her best. With an abundance of surprising twists and turns, smart and savvy writing, as well as mysterious and compelling characters, it kept me riveted to the end. A great read!"-Old Book Barn Gazette on The Coil

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312988761
• ISBN-13: 978-0312988760
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome to my author page. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of award-winning international espionage novels -- spy thrillers -- but when I was growing up, I had no idea ordinary people wrote books. I thought that was the literary turf of dead people, and if not them, then certainly gods and goddesses.

Despite my youthful conclusions, I still dreamed of creating the sorts of novels that would transport people to other worlds, other experiences, and leave them not only truly satisfied but feeling smarter, as I did when I read a really good tale.

Today I've published some eight novels, with a ninth on the way -- The Book of Spies, due out March 30, 2010, from St. Martin's Press. How did I get so lucky? I began writing literary short stories that were published in small journals. The discipline propelled me onward, and here I am today, creating adventure stories about London and Paris, Washington, D.C. and Rome. With me you can travel the world in my books, examining the clandestine world of spies, criminals, and secret power that quietly and importantly impacts all of us.

Some basic facts. My books have won such awards as "Novel of the Year" (THE LAST SPYMASTER) given by the Military Writers Society of America and the American Authors Associations, and have been People magazine "Page-Turner of the Week" and "Beach Read of the Week." Publishers Weekly lists MASQUERADE as among the top ten spy novels of all time. BookPage concurs: "Gayle Lynds has joined the deified ranks of spy thriller authors like Robert Ludlum and John le Carre." With Bob Ludlum, I created the Covert-One series and wrote three of the novels. One of them, THE HADES FACTOR, was a CBS miniseries in April 2006.

I'm a member of the Association for Intelligence Officers and co-founder and former co-president (with David Morrell) of International Thriller Writers. Born in Nebraska, raised in Iowa, I now live on the side of a hill in Southern California.

Thank you for dropping by. Please visit my website at www.GayleLynds.com to test your Spy-Q, visit my World of Espionage, and sign up for cool prizes.

Warm regards, Gayle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not What I'd Hoped, September 13, 2006

By 

Lady Action Fan (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Coil: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars post-modern claptrap, August 16, 2005

By 

Thomas J. Kleis (Morgantown, WV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Coil: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Coil Grips you tight, August 2, 2004

By 

J. Abbott "jillian Abbott" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Coil: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.