Customer Reviews

The Crimson Code

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Rachel Lee's next installment about the mysterious but deadly Brotherhood provides a thrill ride that never stops. The book begins with simultaneous bomb blasts worldwide in large Catholic churches during Midnight Mass as well as bomb blasts in strategic economic targets. There is one exception- a small church in Baden-Baden, Germany, is also destroyed along with the family of Renate Bachle, aka the Bookworm. Renate, along with her partner, Lawton Caine, had to fake their deaths and leave their previous lives due to the machinations of the Brotherhood. Both are now part of Office 119, a secretive U.N. agency created to combat terrorism. Renate has been following the money trail of the Brotherhood for a long time and now, seeking vengeance for the deaths of her family members, she continues this endeavor. Meanwhile, Ahmed Ahsani has begun his own investigations as he had initiated a worldwide attack for that Christmas but his targets were the economic targets and no lives were to be lost. Ahmed is the leader of the Saif Alsharaawi, an organization that had intended to show that Muslims were peaceful and could police themselves. Underlying the major plotline is the continued journeys of Father Steve Lorenzo in Guatemala where he was sent by the Vatican to locate the Codex. He locates the Codex only to have it stolen by an operative of General Soult, who also has close ties to the terrorist activities. Rachel Lee deftly ties this complex plot together while leaving the reader prepared for the next book in the series. This novel is a stand-alone novel but will be best appreciated if the precursors, WITH MALICE and WILDCARD, have been read. Don't mistake this novel for a romance novel; this is a very complicated novel of intrigue, history, and political machinations. I'm a huge fan of this series and read each one as swiftly as I get my hands on a copy. Highly recommended!

Christmas is being celebrated around the globe when the simultaneous terrorist attacks occur. In every time zone a Catholic Cathedral is devastated. At the same several economic points like an oil rig and the New York Stock Exchange data base were also hit. Whereas the former left thousands dead; the latter killed no one. Additionally, an anomaly in Baden, Baden happened when a small church was targeted.

Saudi moderate Ahmed Ahsami feels betrayed. He set up the economic terrorism to hurt the west without causing deaths, which is why he chose Christmas. However, when you partner with the devil anything can happen and this case did. He plans vengeance for Islamic and Catholics as he tells Vatican Monsignor Vectroni of Stewards of Faith. In France, history aficionado General Jules Souet celebrates the first step he fostered towards his taking over as the world's leader.

At the same time UN Office 119 operative Renate Baehle is filled with rage over the Baden, Baden murders as her family was eradicated in her opinion to get at her. She plans vengeance on those who committed the atrocity. Renate and Lawton Laine begin tracking the Internet banking that was needed to support this pandemic terrorism even as the nuclear genie appears on the verge of escaping the bottle.

This exciting doomsday thriller smoothly ties two modern day conspiracies from competing groups vying for world domination back to Moses. The story line leaps around the globe as numerous subplots bring across the vast scope of the secret societies to dominate the planet. Initially difficult to follow with so much happening seemingly everywhere, the regional actions tie back together to forge the main exhilarating plot. Fans will appreciate this fast-paced powerful conspiracy thriller.

Harriet Klausner

If you can read, you will enjoy this novel. What an amazing read. I can't wait for more. Some people should read books with lots and lots of pictures and skip the part of literary critic altogether.

The "Crimson Code" is an excellent continuation of the series that began with "With Malice" and "Wildcard" and I look forward to future installments.

On Christmas day, a series of bombs set off around the world turn the day into one to be forever known as Black Christmas as thousands die. Renate Bachele is only one of many left in mourning, but she is one of the few who has what it takes to find out who perpetuated this atrocity. Little does she know that the terrorists are ones who are part of something that goes back to the days of Moses, misguided, fanatical idiot geniuses with no qualms about killing to further their heretical cause. With the world poised on the brink of a nuclear war, Renate and her compatriots race to stop an explosion that spans many levels.

*Here's the lastest Da Vinci Code copycat, embellished with the currently popular terrorist angle. However, this plot also manages to slam Moses as well as Christ, trying to meld all religions into one via a plot concocted by Moses and handed down to Christ, then to Mary Magdalene, then to her worshippers. Had the story simply focused on the action, stopping the terrorists, it would have been a fantastic, thrilling read. Muddying it with all the far out heresies turns it into gobbledy goop. *

Amanda Killgore

I have read many of Rachel Lee's books and she has been one of my favorite authors in the past. However, after reading Wildcard and now reading Crimson Code I can't believe she wrote them. First of all, there is confusion with all of the jumping from one era to another with little to explain why she is doing this other trying apparently to tie in some big religion mystery and conspiracy. It just confuses the whole story in my opinion. She then proceeds to call one of the top crimanls who has his own son killed, Theodore Morgan in Wildcard, Jonathan Morgan in Crimson Code. Then in Crimson Code, in the first few pages of the book she referrs to Renate's father's wife, Kirsten(Renate's mother) as a physician when describing his last moments after the church is bombed. Then at the back of the book where Renate is thinking about them, her mother is a housewife and teacher. I hate it when author's screw up their characters with name changes, eye and hair colors etc. and now what they worked at. Renate's eyes were icy gray in Wildcard, in Crimson Code they were icy blue. ARGHHHH!

Rachel Lee has always been one of my favorite Authors. However, this book should no way be described as romantic fiction. There is absolutely no romance in it. This book could only be described as boring. She needs to return to the way she used to write, or not have her books sold as romantic suspence.

Luckily it's a very fast read as there are large sections of each page that you can skip to get the idea of what's going on.

I hate books that are written to be in a series as the author is always trying to forshadow events for the next book, instead of just telling a good story and letting it go.

I doubt that I care enough about the characters to follow them on another adventure.

Had the plot not been marred with grammatical atrocities, The Crimson Code may very well have been a good book. However, I am extremely disappointed with a book of this quality ever making it to store shelves. I could not even bring myself to finish this extremely blase and boring piece of generic modern literature.