Customer Reviews

Critical Mass (Charnwood Library)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Martini was beginning to stretch his courtroom characters a little too thin in The Judge; I'm glad he went off in a new direction in this book. It's as full of unexpected turns as all his previous whodunits, but this time with domestic and international terrorists. Its basic plot is believable (even if there are a few too many miraculous escapes) and it'd make a great movie. Don't start this book at bedtime because you won't put it down. Martini is to be commended for having a strong woman as protagonist; I only regret she never got her "constitutional rights". In the end Martini kills off the wrong character, the character I had really bonded to and wanted to see in future books. (Or, did he really die? In this book you're never sure!) A great trash read for a beach day, an airplane flight, or a lazy Saturday.

I've read every one of the Martini books and this tops them all. It was full of suspense, terror, intrigue, mystery, romance, and current events.

This seems to be a really well thought out plot and was put together perfectly. I read this in two sittings....

Thanks Steve!

Critical Mass is my first Steve Martini book. I hope his other novels are better because... The story is full of cardboard characters who perform actions that made no sense. For example, any hospital noticing such serious cases of radiation among the fishermen will report the illnesses to the government. You would not have to wait until a local lawyer starts investigating the lawsuit potential! I guess such logical actions cannot take place because the story would end right on the first chapter. The more the story progresses, the more it feels like a story of how wrong things can go. Unfortunately, stories of how things can go wrong tend not to be fun to read.

If you want a superb story of terrorists taking the world hostage, try Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth, and skip this one.

Once again Steve Martini brings out the best in lawyers. Now, now, no snickering! In "Critical Mass", we meet Joss, someone we can all relate to. She wants to leave the hustle bustle of this whacky wired world. She starts her own law office in a supposedly quiet area.

Add a mysterious illness among the local fishermen, a wealthy but possibly lethal client, a dab of government hanky panky...and we get a twisting energetic legal thriller from Martini.

I enjoyed this book. I finished it & then promptly handed it to my husband. He already likes it. And he is usally not one for female heroines. But, he is hooked on this one.

if you find my comments interesting, please click the *yes*--thanks--CDS

The story is gripping. Many twists and a surprise ending. Unlike Grisham, who writes complex stories with too many characters for me to keep track of, Martini keeps down on the number of characters and still makes the story compelling to read. Although the main character is a woman, it's the kind of book men would like as well. In fact, I mailed it to my brother -- and I've never given him a book to read before. I know he'll absolutely enjoy it. I'm also recommending Critical Mass to female friends. Get a copy.

My father in law gave me this book and told me "it's great". I checked it out and thought "guy book". But it's not. One of the main characters is a woman and her adventures (as well as the other subplots) really held my interest. If you like thrillers, this is definitely a good read. This was my first book by Mr. Martini but it won't be my last.

"Page-turner" was redefined when steve Martini came out with Critical Mass. Definitely able to captivate the reader enough finish the book in one sitting. Unfortunately, I had to do it in two.

I had never heard of the author before, but I will DEFINITELY be reading anything else he writes or has written.

I enjoyed this thriller very much and thought it was fast paced and interesting. It's not the author's best, but the pokes he takes at opinion poll based leaders (what president could he possibly mean?) were greatly appreciated. If such a situation faced the country today, well, it makes one shudder. Overall, nice job.

Martini's book reads like the headlines in the papers the past few weeks - terrorists smuggling explosive devices over the US/Canadian border into Washington. The characters are gripping, the action fast-paced. And while I always expect a twist in the end with my Martini novel, this one really blew me away!

I can't say that this is the worst book I've ever read. I can't remember all of the thousands of books I have read over the years. However, this is the worst book that I can remember reading.

This is a very poorly written and badly researched pile of garbage. It insults the intelligence of its readers. The grammar is terrible, and it is filled with banal comments and cliches. While I was reading it, I got the impression that Martini had accepted a big advance from his publisher and suddenly realized that he only had a weekend to write it. And, to make matters worse, every book editor in the world had gone on a three hour cruise to Gilligan's Island and couldn't do anything about fixing it.

The only way Martini could advance his plot was to make all of his "good guy" characters incredibly stupid. If one of them had had an original or creative thought, the book would have ended by page 90. Apparently, he must have been paid by the word because he kept them blundering around until his one zillionth coincidence enabled goodness to triumph and this mess to end.

Side note to Martini: You cannot destroy the records of a Government agency, or any other large company for that matter, by blowing up its headquarters. Standard prevention of data loss calls for storing copies off site, usually at some distant spot. Also, I believe the IRS, for which Martini drips venom, (been audited recently Steve?) uses service and computing centers around the country to store most or all of its data. A little research would have showed him this, or didn't he care?

I hate books (or shows or movies) that assume I am stupid. I hate best selling authors who have become lazy and feel they can turn out anything, and the public will buy it. The only good thing I can say about this book is that I bought it ......... at a discount bookstore and should be able to get most of that back at a second hand shop.