Customer Reviews

Deep as the Marrow

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

 

 

Wilson weaves a tale like very few writers can. The believability in the choice the Doctor faces, to kill one of his oldest friends, the President of the United States to save his childs life is gripping and tense and you feel in the middle of it all. You are taken away and left emotionally drained as you can't stop turning pages. I find myself recommending everything Wilson writes!

My first Wilson title starts out with an great idea about the President legalizing drugs and the Drug Lord's response. I can feel the terror that Dr. John VanDuyne experiences in the choice between his kidnapped daughter and his old friend, the President of the US. The story is flying along well until it peaks with a major disagreement between the kidnappers. It quickly runs downhill after that with the adding of a crazy ex-wife and hillbilly relatives. It becomes predictable and unbelievable at that point. I was sorely dissappointed at the end.

In a bold move, President Thomas Winston proposes legalizing drugs, thus subjecting them to regulation, while at the same time removing their glamour. This proposal causes predictable reactions: liberals are ecstatic, conservatives are outraged. The media, pleased with the ongoing dispute, fan the flames of controversy at every opportunity.

Columbian drug lord Carlos Salinas, perceiving danger to his criminal empire, launches a plan to eliminate the President. Having gained access to Winston's confidential medical history, he knows that the President can be disabled or killed with a dose of chloramphenicol, a little used antibiotic which almost killed him at age three. Salinas arranges to have the young daughter of the President's personal physician, Dr. John Van Duyne, kidnapped, hoping to blackmail the doctor into administering the drug.

Although the actual kidnapping goes off without a hitch, the situation soon becomes very complicated. The architect of the kidnapping, Mike MacLaglen (known in criminal circles as "Snake"), is not aware that Katie Van Duyne has a potentially fatal seizure disorder, a form of epilepsy. Additionally, the people he has hired to "baby-sit" Katie, Paul DiCastro and his girlfriend, Poppy Mulliner, almost immediately have second thoughts about kidnapping a child. Snake's problems are multiplied by John Van Duyne 's unwillingness to sit tight while his daughter is in danger, coupled with his reluctance to harm his life long friend.

Deep as the Marrow has a lot of things going for it--among them believable characterization and an incredibly even handed discussion of a controversial social issue--but readers will probably be most impressed by Wilson's deft plotting. The action, which begins in Washington D.C. and concludes in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, never lets up. Wilson always plays fair with his readers, even while surprising them.

Those expecting horror may be disappointed by Deep as the Marrow, which, despite its title, contains little that may be deemed horrific. However, readers who enjoyed Sibs, The Select and Implant should feel right at home.

This book started off really interesting and compelling. For the first 100 or so pages, I was really involved and the story was very imagaginative. However, as I continued reading it, it got mired in so many silly and ridiculous subplots and frankly deteriorated from a really exciting beginning. While I was anxious to finish and find out the ending, it was not at all what I expected. The book had the makings of a great story but Mr. Wilson got sidetracked into creating amateurish situations that defied credulity (How many times does "Snake" return...enough already. It was like eating a meal with a great appetizer, a so-so main course, and then a really lousy dessert which leaves bad taste in your mouth.
The bottom line, I would "dessert" it after 150 pages and just read the last 30 pages or so.

F. Paul Wilson wrote a few horror books that I enjoyed back in the 80's so when I saw this book from him at the library used book sale for 50 cents, I snagged it.

I wasn't too impressed with it. It's not a horror book, it's a straight up thriller. Basically the President of the United States decides to push through a bill to legalize drugs and the South American Cocaine cartels decide they can't allow this to happen, so they kidnap the daughter of the President's oldest and best friend. Who is also his personal doctor. They tell the doctor he has to give the President a shot of some nasty stuff or they kill the daughter.

You can pretty much guess the rest of the plot. No real surprises. I was skimming a lot.

Wheels within Wheels was good enough that I looked forward to reading other books by the author.
So when I picked this up and it was a second rate Tom Clancy type
popular novel, I was very disappointed.
There is plenty of action and the plot in intricate enough
for anybody,
but it just isn't up to the potential
this author seems to have for depth of field.
It is still a good read.

F. Paul Wilson's novel, "Deep As the Marrow" practically jumps off the first page and grabs the reader by the throat, not letting go until the exciting conclusion. Wilson, who is better known for his medical novels ("Implant", "Mirage", "The Select") and the "Repairman Jack" series, is at his best in this political thriller.

The book revolves around the decision of President Thomas Winston's plan to decriminalize the use of drugs in the United States. (Reviewer's note: OK, it's a little tough to buy this premise, but it is an intriguing concept as conceived by Wilson.) When crime lords, including Columbian drug king Carlos Salinas, realize that the President's plan would in essence kill their cash cow, they decide that the President must be stopped before putting the plan into fruition. A diabolical scheme is concocted to kidnap the daughter of the President's physician and best friend, John VanDuyne. VanDuyne becomes a helpless pawn who is forced to decide between the life of his daughter and that of the leader of the free world.

As the plot unfolds, we are introduced to some great characters (each of the kidnappers are broadly written). The reader can't help but empathize with VanDuyne as he agonizes over the plight of his daughter. Conspiracy, murder, chills, and suspense all abound throughout "Deep As the Marrow" as a number of plot twists keep the action flowing until the last page.

This reviewer highly recommends this novel to all Wilson fans and any lover of political suspense novels!

I'm a fan of F. Paul Wilson's, and even though I wouldn't put this book at the top of a must-read list, I do recommend it to anyone who likes taut thrillers. There are plenty of pieces in play in Wilson's story, with the least likable being the main character, Dr. Vanduyne, whose daughter gets kidnapped early on. As the plot unfolds, Wilson follows traditional thriller recipes including character motivation, twists, and idiotic plot contrivances that you have to accept at face-value. Please, don't do ANY DEEP THINKING while you read this. Just enjoy the story, and go along for the ride.

It's kind of like sneaking a Twinkie when you're on a macrobiotic diet.

Drug lords have unimaginable power. When coming events threaten their livelyhood anything goes, even killing the President. Terminology is intriguing and real. The plot and flow of the story is like velcro. Once you're stuck, forget anything else until you finish the book. It's that good.

This "yarn" cuts eerily close to reality in today's money hungry world. The plot shows how modern technology can invade even the most protected peoples lives if the price is high enough, and how the war on drugs will never be won because there are too many people in high places getting rich off of the drug economy. Including kidnappers with hearts was a nice touch. I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, with believable characters, and a steady stream of action up to the ironic ending. This was the first F. Paul Wilson book I have read, but I am looking forward to reading more of his books.