9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Double Eagle soars, March 27, 2006
Mr. Twinings Double Eagle flies high. Cinematic in style this book would translate easily from the page to the silver screen. (Can you say Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock). As thieves go, our hero, Tom Kirk is definitely more Bernie Rohdenbarr than Thomas Crown.......sort of a "thief next door" you can empathize with.
This is an exciting funhouse ride of a book that keeps you wondering what lies beyond the next turn.
If your looking for a fun "beach read" or a great little tome to take along on a relaxing weekend get-away, this is the one. Try it you'll like it!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent debut, August 31, 2005
Its not often that I buy a book purely based on the plot description and without at least scanning a few pages standing in a book store, but the blurb on Double Eagle suggested an old-fashioned caper mixed with all the staples of the modern thriller; government conspiracies, meglomaniacs bent on some form of domination, intrigue and a secondary romantic subplot. In other words all the things that make a book like this worth shelling out for.
I was not disappointed. James Twinning has crafted an excellent addition to the thriller genre. The setting, a world of art thefts, cat burglary and minor conspiracies, is well developed & intriguing. The lead characters, Tom Kirk and Jennifer Browne, are likeable, are given enough depth so as not be caricatures and the growth of their relationship is given enough time to breathe without obstructing the plot. The locations within which the story is set, the USA, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Istanbul are at the same time familiar and suitably exotic and are described in enough detail to lend an air of realism. Overall the groundwork the author lays down is solid enough to support the plot as it unfolds.
And what of the plot? Well again, Twinning has done well. He has been careful not to stretch either it or the reader's suspension of disbelief. The central conspiracy, revolving around the theft of several gold US dollar coins, the Double Eagles of the title, is small enough in scope to be manageable without feeling inconsequential. Rather than go for a world threat that would be either out dated within a year due to real events or simply appear unrealistic he has crafted a story that is timeless and is driven by universal human desires such as greed and avarice. The supporting characters, for the most part, seem human rather than being caricatures and the events unfold in a way that is entirely logical and maintain a sense of pace and excitement.
Of course no book is without its weaknesses and Double Eagle has a few. One is the supporting character of Archie, Kirk's long time fence, who comes across as too much of a British wide-boy caricature and sits uncomfortably within the story. Another is the fact that, as the story progresses, Agent Browne, a highly trained and capable FBI agent, feels somewhat relegated to the role of observer as Kirk takes charge and makes many of the key discoveries on route to solving the mystery. Whilst this follows the traditional 'hero & heroine' model it does feel a little old-fashioned and unsatifying. By far the biggest flaw however, is simply a matter of weak plotting. Whilst most of the story holds together well, one major twist is so obvious that when my suspicions about it were confirmed in the third act I almost groaned. That it was 'revealed' shortly after one of the protagonists behaves totally out of character by temporarily sparing Kirk's life when he has no reason to did take some of the shine off the story's denoument.
Twinning does manage to make up for these two glaring weaknesses however, with a final twist that was totally unexpected, restoring my faith somewhat, but tightening up these aspects of the plot would have strengthened the book. Overall however, Double Eagle is a great read that manages to avoid (mostly) cliche and doesn't fall into the trap of trying to follow trends such as the one started by the Da Vinci Code. If James Twinning's second book is anything like Double Eagle then it will definitely find a place on my book shelves.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The future of crime thrillers, August 31, 2005
What really makes this book stand out from all the others is its unique achievements of narrating a gripping tale, peppering it with fascinating nuggets of information, and illuminating it with well-turned prose. There are many page-turners on the market, but none with the same richness of detail and refinement of language. The author has evidently researched his subject thoroughly, and takes pleasure in sharing historical and cultural insights that makes you feel you are learning something at the same time as enjoying the read. And while Twining could simply have used the same turns of phrase that typically propel this type of story along, he constantly comes up with novel and arresting images that mark him out as a serious novelist in the making. Twining has raised the bar for all thriller writers, and it remains to be seen if he is the only one to meet the new standard when he releases his next book.
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