The Devil's Code (Kidd) [Paperback]

John Sandford (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kidd | Publication Date: September 7, 2004

Kidd and LuEllen get caught in the crosshairs of an assassin hell-bent on conning the life out of the ultimate con artists.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Would that Sandford, creator of the marvelous and bestselling Prey thrillers, had heeded Thomas Wolfe's advice about going home again. Instead, he's resurrected a hero from his previous crime series (The Fool's Run, etc.) in his latest thriller, which begins when the infamous KiddAartist, computer expert and master criminalAis called in to investigate the mysterious death of a former colleague in Texas. Working with the victim's sister, Kidd slowly uncovers a massive computer conspiracy masterminded by St. John Corbeil, the president of a Texas microchip company, whose excesses spiral out of control when the company's product (after gaining a foothold in the world of intelligence) bombs in the commercial marketplace. At first Kidd is inclined to steer clear of the seamier side of the conspiracy, but when several members of his own high-powered criminal group are implicated and the National Security Agency begins scrutinizing his operation, he brings in his part-time partner and lover, LuEllen, to help with the investigation. Their probe turns dangerous when the corporate kingpin hires a pair of assassins to hunt down Kidd, eventually forcing him to focus on a mano-a-mano duel with Corbeil. Sandford pens plenty of stirring action scenes as Kidd's encore unfolds, and it's clear that the author likes playing with his hero's shady sensibility and the chemistry he enjoys with the versatile and erotic LuEllen. But despite his edgy and sometimes provocative narrative style, Sandford struggles to bring a sense of urgency to the narrative. Kidd's return will be welcome news for Sandford fans, but the tepid plot makes his comeback a pedestrian affair. 400,000 first printing; major ad/promo. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Before the chilling Prey novels, Sandford made his mark with computer genius Kidd. Now Kidd is back, but his colleague Jack Morrison is missing, and Kidd himself is being targeted in a national manhunt.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (September 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425179885
• ISBN-13: 978-0425179888
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Sandford was born John Camp on February 23, 1944, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended the public schools in Cedar Rapids, graduating from Washington High School in 1962. He then spent four years at the University of Iowa, graduating with a bachelor's degree in American Studies in 1966. In 1966, he married Susan Lee Jones of Cedar Rapids, a fellow student at the University of Iowa. He was in the U.S. Army from 1966-68, worked as a reporter for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian from 1968-1970, and went back to the University of Iowa from 1970-1971, where he received a master's degree in journalism. He was a reporter for The Miami Herald from 1971-78, and then a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer-Press from 1978-1990; in 1980, he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, and he won the Pulitzer in 1986 for a series of stories about a midwestern farm crisis. From 1990 to the present he has written thriller novels. He's also the author of two non-fiction books, one on plastic surgery and one on art. He is the principal financial backer of a major archaeological project in the Jordan Valley of Israel, with a website at www.rehov.org. In addition to archaeology, he is deeply interested in art (painting) and photography. He both hunts and fishes. He has two children, Roswell and Emily, and one grandson, Benjamin. His wife, Susan, died of metastasized breast cancer in May, 2007, and is greatly missed.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different but as good as davenport, October 5, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil's Code (Hardcover)

At his home in Dallas, John James Morrison knows he is in trouble by the nocturnal visit of the security agents. They escort John to AmMath where St. John Corbiel plays a tape in which they caught John violating company policy. John tries to bluff but Corbiel kills him. The security agents arrange a cover-up to make it seem like a night guard shot John while discovering him in a forbidden area late at night.

John's sister Lane Ward believes the official interpretation of her sibling's death rings false. She asks John's former partner Kidd to investigate her brother's death. Kidd, an expert on stealing data traveling along the information highway, agrees. He learns that John uncovered something major that led to his deliberate murder. Kidd and his partner LuEllen begin to uncover a monster conspiracy involving AmMath and the Feds using technology to hide murder and blackmail. That knowledge could make Kidd the next dead person.

It has been about a decade since John Sandford wrote a Kidd novel (see THE FOOL'S RUN and THE EMPRESS FILE) having switched to the popular Prey novels. Perhaps the earlier Kidd tales were ahead of the times, but with the Internet, Intranet, and Extranet explosion, THE DEVIL'S CODE plays like a modern day electronic thriller. The tale is well executed due to Kidd's intellect, witticism, and ethical beliefs. Although it may seem hard to accept an electronic thief has scruples, Kidd does and that propels his compulsion to investigate. Best selling author John Sandford has returned with one of his great characters in a story that will please more than just net conspiracy buffs because of its fast-paced, gigabit loaded hard driving plot.

Harriet Klausner

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I basically liked it, October 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil's Code (Hardcover)

I'm a "Prey" fan, and was happy to find an additional series by the same author. I read the other two Kidd novels in paperback, and enjoyed them both. This one is written intelligently, like all of Sandford's novels; I can't stand books that are written for 5th graders.

I confess to being in the computer field, which I think would make a difference in this novel. It's kind of odd: if you don't enjoy the details you might not be able to follow it, but on the other hand I don't think it has the kind of hard-core details for the true techies.

The characters are kind of lightly drawn; I thought that LuEllen started sounding like the woman assasin in the last Prey novel. I also felt that the novel wandered somewhere in the middle; not quite enough involvement in the characters and not enough plot to go around. I might have been happier with this novel if it had been published in paperback; with lower expectations I think he would get a better response.

You might be happier waiting for the paperback.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and funny, October 3, 2000

By 

Cheer Mom "cheermom" (Voorhees, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Devil's Code (Hardcover)

Conspiracy galore here in this new novel by John Sandford. I'm not too familiar with the author's "Prey" novels, but I certainly enjoyed this one. The main character, Kidd (no first name) and his cohort, LuEllen, investigate the murder of one of Kidd's computer colleagues. The story moves extremely quickly - the crackling conversation between Kidd and LuEllen is a breeze to read and very enjoyable. Now, I have to go find the two previous Kidd-LuEllen novels! Highly recommended.