Customer Reviews

Earthquake Games

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There once was a man who wanted to be President of the United States more than anything else in the world. He became a Senator, but lost when he ran for the top office. Jacob Mitchell does not give up his dream. Instead, he receives an appointment as Director, Ops 12E at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. He now controls a machine that causes earthquakes and successfully tests the device in the Colorado Springs area.

Police Detective Eileen Reed, liaison to the Air Force, visits the base when someone finds one of Mitchell's men dead in an apparent suicide. However, the victim was murdered because he was going to reveal Mitchell's intentions with the earthquake machine. Eileen and her partner investigate the case as if a murder occurred. Soon they start honing in on Mitchell and his diabolical plan.

Anyone who previously read GROUND ZERO, the first Reed tale, will recognize many of the secondary characters returning for a thrill a minute ride. This includes the sexy Joe the boyfriend, Lucy the CIA analyst, and Eileen's partner Dave. They add depth and color, but even more significantly ground the suspense thriller to the believable plot. Bonnie Ramthun provides her fans with a sure shot best seller.

Harriet Klausner

This book builds upon, yet stands independant of, Ramthun's Ground Zero. I like how the characters are becoming more real to me, yet stay just as entertaining. The premise is a good one, someone who uses any means at their disposal to get what they want. I find that is very posible. I can see someone using a local legend to cover up a murder, too. As in Ramthun's first book, the finale is a rip-roaring adventure with all the characters present. Another consistant bonus is no stupid mistakes by the investigators. I hate it when someone does something to carry the story without logic. I also like the fact that there are real married people, who can do more than act as cannon fodder. I am interested in what comes next! This is the kind of book to pick up at an airport, read on the trip, and never have a dull moment. I loved it!

While there was growth from Ground Zero, Bonnie still needs to work on plot. The plot should be a natural progression of events leading to a conclusion (puzzle pieces make the entire puzzle) and should not be forced (force the pieces together and I bet the picture doesn't look like the one on the box!). The opening event (a shooting) is interesting, but it has nothing to do with the real storyline (earthquake games)! It is only placed there as a convenient way to develop a character and solve internal character conflicts; this conflict would have been better served by more strongly SHOWING the character's actions and not using a psychiatrist to allow the conflict to be TOLD. These stories have wonderful technological concepts and as long as she keeps growing as a writer (and gets over her fixations with food and coffee), I will continue to buy her books.

I found Ground Zero by accident and read it in a day. This one was just as enjoyable! Ramthun's characterizations, dialogue, and plot are believable, enjoyable to read, and exciting. This is just the kind of book I like - plausible plots, returning characters who have substance, and great writing. Once again, I am eagerly awaiting Ramthun's newest addition to this series.

I'm not quite done reading this book (about 20 pages to go) and I have throughly enjoyed reading it. About half way through, I knew I would be looking to find her other books, as this book is part of a series from her first book. I love the characters and hope I will find them in more of her books. I have read some of the other reviews here and was appalled at some of the poor comments. I've read thousands of books and rarely do I find every last detail accurate, which several people complained about, but you know what? That is why it is called FICTION! If this had been a doctoral thesis on earthquakes, I would have expected accuracy in all details. Instead read this book for the fun and entertainment it provides, and go with the flow. Now I have to go finish the book and trust Bonnie will be writing many more books in the future.

The only reason this book got 4 stars instead of 5 was a couple of small accuracy points. Ms. Ramthun makes a common error in describing Air Force enlisted personnel as "soldiers" and "privates". As an Air Force veteran this is glaringly incorrect, airman or senior airman would be approriate. Also there is mention of Eileen Reed as an Air Force pilot, but this is not gone into.

There is another passage in the book where Eileen's partner is described as "transferring from the East". I suppose this is a common mistake, but there is no nationwide ability for police officers to transfer from one state to another. If there was, there'd be no cops left in the Snow Belt.

The characters however are right there, and even the prior shooting that Eileen Reed describes and the aftermath is accurate. The reader will NOT believe what the character does with a victim after the first described shooting (you have to wait til the end of the book to get to this), but it is accurate, and as a police officer, I can say that this sort of thing happens, and it is turned a blind eye to.

Go and buy this one. The small errors are just that, small. The book is a good read.

I'm a fan of adventure fiction and mysteries, so I'd hoped Earthquake Games would nicely fit the bill. While the premise is interesting (human-made earthquakes), the execution of the story was sadly lacking. Ms. Ramthun seemed to be more interested in pushing her political and social values than in creating an interesting work of fiction. If you like simplistic plotting and characterization, mixed with pseudo-conservative political drivel, this is for you.

Tesla is a little known and under-appreciated scientist who may get his day if dc electrical power is indeed used in the near future to avoid leakage losses in major power corridors. He also did lots of other cool stuff, including the machine mentioned in this book(altered slightly), and his theories may be responsible for the government sponsored change to digital broadcasting. Ms. Ramthun does not try our patience with such details, but lets the story flow from the possibilities. Her detective spends a small amount of time dramatically exploring some inner terrain whilst stuck in a tent covered with sand...waitng for the bad guys to show up. Anyone who had an uneasy childhood will find a friend here. I only gave this book 4 stars because i reserve 5 stars for such books as The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Cat Among the Pidgeons, The Rule of One, Baruch, and other such classics.

This is an intelligent, well constructed thriller with great characters and some incredibly tense action. All the loose ends are tied up during the final confrontation in the beautiful Great Sand Dunes of southern Colorado. Ramthun engages every sense in her writing -- you can smell the baking sand of the sand dunes and feel the blizzard pounding snow against the house where the heroes desperately try to figure out the murders. Probably because of her background in computers and Defense, she gets every technical detail right in her plot and never misses a step. I loved this novel, and can't wait for the next one.

I usually don't write reviews on bad books but if I can just help one person avoid wasting their time with this one I will have done my good deed for the year. I actually found myself wincing while reading this piece of... well, let's just say that I didn't find this formulaic bit of nonsense worth the 'bargain price' I paid at a garage sale. Save yourself the time and money, Avoid this book!