Customer Reviews

Double Take (Thorndike Basic)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this book yesterday (June 13, 2007) and am into it about 150 pages. I enjoyed many of the FBI series books that Coulter has written but noticed a change several books back. Reading this one has almost been painful and I'm not sure I can get through it. The dialogue is totally corny! This guy plays for the Atlanta Symphony and says "she was awful pretty". Then in the middle of talking he tells the agents not to sit on the bench because it's too hard and after he marries his girlfriend he'll make her mother sit there. Those are just examples, every page is like this. I am extremely disappointed in Catherine Coulter. Don't waste your money.

I've long been a reader of Catherine Coulter's FBI series - first because I love mystery and suspense - and second because she is a Nothern California writer. The story line was not her best and lacked the zing of her previous offerings - that said there was enough of Savitch and Sherlock and their typical activities to keep my interest. The whole FBI series has been based on 'special investigative activities' within the FBI which has always seemed a stretch (but an entertaining one). With this latest plot taking in mediums and communicating with the dead - it required a little more stetch for believability... I'm hoping the next book in the series is more in line with previous offerings. 2007 hasn't been a stellar year for mystery / suspense series writers - most of the books so far this year have been less than anticipated - this offering was a B to B- (B minus) but good enough to keep me coming back for more. As always, the story line continuation from book to book is excellent no misteps (unlike recent offerings by J D Robb and Janet Evanovich - where they mistake character names and or belongings previously identified) - it's obvious that C.C. and her editor pay attention to detail - they are also great at detailing facts / locations from San Francisco.... This book is easily one of the top 10 mysteries I have read this year - that said - it doesn't quite measure up to her previous offerings.

The only reason I will finish this book is that I bought it with hard earned money. Why I bought it - well, I'll have to think about that.

I love Savitch and Sherlock but the other characters leave me cold. The interviews with the psychics made them look like idiots and was an insult to genuine 'helpers'. The brother who played in the symphony was a jerk and an insult to all artists. And they all ended up in California.There was no development of Cheney and Julia and the premise began with such promise. Such a waste of time and money.

I suspect the people who wrote glowing reviews and had only that one review in their profile were friends or acquaintances. I know this is my last time purchase of a Catherine Coulter book.

I'm never quite sure about Catherine Coulter. I have at one point or another read all her books, starting way back when she just wrote historical romance. I enjoy her plots - I'm a person who loves series because I like to get to know characters, and she writes that part very well. I just can't ever get over how oddly her characters talk. It just always jars me to hear her characters' conversations where there aren't any contractions or the language seems so formal and stilted.

That aside - and if you read her, I bet you know what I mean - this was a good installment. Without giving spoilers, a question gets answered from the last story. The ongoing characters are well developed and grow some, as people do.

The plot is, well, over the top. I am both a mystery and a romance reader. I do NOT pick up the likes of Catherine Coulter, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood and their ilk for the realism of their police procedures. I go to Kathy Reichs, Linda Fairstein, Deborah Crombie and so on for that. This one, in particular, seems to throw all investigative technique out the window and relies nearly solely on the FBI folks' intuition and the ubiquitous Max. There is also (no surprise, I hope, since the book's about a psychic's widow) a strong supernatural element to this book, which may turn off readers like my grandmother, who loves authors like Coulter or Nora Roberts, but won't read any of their books that feature ghosts or witches or the like.

Again, this is a series book. Most of us dedicated series readers will buy or read series books until the author makes some huge character mistake or the writing just goes completely into the toilet. So, if you read the FBI series, you'll probably want to read this, no matter what I say. And, what I have to say about this book is not at all bad - I felt that it was a good installment for this particular series. And, if you've not read any of this series before, this is not the place to start. You'll be confused, you won't have the emotional attachment to the characters, and you might not be as willing to forgive some of the oddities of the writing.

I really liked this book with all the characters & plot. I admit, I did get a little confused at times b/o so many people involved in story, BUT it was a way different genre for her. It held my interest-read in 4 days-& as usual, am looking forward to a total Savich novel-I love this couple & think they're really cool & funny. For anyone to read this book w/o ever having read any of her previous books I think it may be confusing but still enjoyable/great read

I have read all of the previous FBI Thrillers and enjoyed them; however, this book was terrible! After the first 200 pages I had to start speed reading it to get through the remainder of the silly plot -- especially after the seance! Catherine Coulter -- you should be ashamed of yourself to write such unbelievable tripe! There was nothing "thrilling" about this story. Bring back the old books; they were good well plotted stories!

This is the latest of the FBI series. I liked how she brought back other characters besides Savich and Sherlock. We all wanted to know what happened to Dixon's wife. If you've read the rest, you have to read this one as well. The supernatural twist was fun. And you are not 100% sure of who did what to whom until you get further into it.

I actually gave up on it after 145 pages - just couldn't get into it. The writing was choppy, the characters just weren't interesting enough to hold my interest -- I felt almost like I was reading an intermediate reader's book, with very short chapters and shorter sentences! The main character was from a much earlier book and I just don't remember enough about him. It's too bad, I was looking forward to this one as I love the rest of the series.

I have read and anticipated every one of Catherine Coulter's books for years and years. I have never been disapointed. Today, after finishing this latest book, I am sorry to say that I wasted my money.....This book goes nowhere that I wanted to go...it just rambles and goes just were you would expect a novice to drift....Please don't write just to meet a deadline...your fans expect soooo much more.

and by that, I mean literally unbelievable.

A rundown of the first chapter: An FBI agent sees an unknown woman get punched in the face, and then the assailant pulls a knife on her. When said FBI agent yells at the assailant, he runs away, after tossing the woman over the side of the pier into the bay. FBI agent, because he's not only an FBI agent but also an honorable man, rescues woman from the ocean, and revives her with CPR. Then, because she tells him to, he doesn't call the police. Instead, FBI agent carries (still) unknown woman to his personal vehicle, drives (still) unknown woman to her mansion home, takes (still) unknown woman upstairs to her bedroom and her master bath, then strips down (still) unknown woman and himself to their underwear and gets into a warm shower with her. Then, FBI agent puts on men's clothes that (still) unknown woman provides for him, and decides he will now call someone he knows in the local police department.

And then, finally, finds out who unknown woman is.

T-o-t-a-l-l-y unbelievable. Not to mention that the dialogue throughout the book is so stilted that I found myself groaning more often than grinning. Where I used to love the Dillon and Savich stories, Ms. Coulter's newer works have left me longing for the books of old.

If you must, check DOUBLE TAKE out from your local library. Or wait until it comes out in paperback. In my opinion, it's definitely not worth the hardcover price.