Customer Reviews

Midas

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

 

 

Two points about this book immediately come to mind:

1. If you're a devoted fan of Michael Moore and his Hollywood crowd and believe that the Government is truly evil, capable of anything, and putting all kinds of nefarious conspiracy plans into action, then this is exactly the book for you (the author is an actor). If you believe the Government is a bunch of folk stumbling along as best they can, then you might want to ignore this book, or perhaps just ignore the big conspiracy and read it for the rest of the story which is pretty good in its own right.

2. Surprisingly, the technical aspects of the book are also pretty good. I wouldn't put it quite up there with a Clancy, but the planes, bombs, and even the financial aspects are pretty detailed.

The story itself has a post 9/11 plot, which begins with the first suicide bomber in the US. It goes on from there to more terrorism, interconnected in some pretty strange ways.

There's also a pretty strange set of characters, especially the bad guys.

Good story, highly recommended, if the anti-government aspects doesn't get to you.

I agree with some of the other reviews regarding this novel--it's mediocre and the ending was ridiculous. Very transparent. Maybe I'm just not a hard-core conspiracy buff, but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to buy into the story.

I've been a fan right from the first book but I have to say this is not up to his usual standard whatsoever. This book read more like a paranoid political mouthpiece than a thriller and I'm very disappointed that he thought his fans would think that was a great idea. This "thriller" was so non-thrilling the only way the author could attempt to bring tension to the story was by blatently hiding facts from the reader (for example Justin would get on the phone with another character and instead of making the reader privy to the conversation we, the reader, get to read that Justin told the other character what he wanted -- not any details. How bogus is that?

Because of the political overtones early in the story I could have written the end of the book about 1/4th of the way into it as well.

I hope this author returns to the original formula that won him so many fans.

The last Russeell Andrews books have left me blah.

However, in Midas, we finally find the kind of action that was noteworthy of Russell's first book.

Midas is an honest to goodness thriller. Complete with small town sheriff (Justin Westwood is back), bombs and a wonderful whodunnit with conspiracy theories abound.

This book was clearly written after 9/11 as you will find many direct references to terrorists, bombs and a general fear of the unknown.

Russell has written an extremely tight storyline - the plot holds up and for the longest time, the storyline is written as though two separate chain of events are going on.

I really enjoy the character of Justin Westwood and I absolutely loved the character of Bruno Pecozzi who is written in a complex - never sure if he is a good guy or not point of view. I hope to see lots more interaction between these two in future books.

My only negative. Midas can get extremely technical at times. Lots of descriptions (in detail) of planes, bombs and even the financial aspects are extremely confusing. So, be sure you are giving your 100% attention when you read this book or you will miss something that will, no doubt, be extremely important sometime down the storyline.

I really enjoyed this one.

In a tirade against the current administration veiled as a novel, "Russell Andrews" has written his worst book yet. Justin Westwood is back and investigating some apparent terrorist acts that take place close to his small town. As he investigates the acts, one of which involves the death of the town police chief, the body count rises, as does the intrigue. On a literary level, the book is average. On a propaganda level, the book is obviously a pacifists dream.

Russell Andrews, in his new novel, "Midas," succeeds at an almost impossible task. He uses the old "conspiracy theory" and "corruption in high places" formula and actually makes it fresh and compelling. The protagonist is Justin (Jay) Westwood, a cop in East End Harbor, Long Island. When Jay's boss, police chief Jimmy Leggett, is killed in what appears to be a terrorist bombing of a local restaurant, the mayor appoints Jay to take Jimmy's place.

Shortly after the bombing, a small plane crashes in East End Harbor. Jay decides to investigate, but the pilot's body is quickly whisked away. When Jay questions the authorities, he is stymied at every turn. Being a good cop and a curious individual, Jay calls in favors from some friends of his, and he begins to put together the pieces of a mind-boggling conspiracy. As witnesses are killed off one by one, Jay has a choice. Should he play it safe and back off, or should he keep pressing for answers, even if doing so might cost him his life?

"Midas" is a timely thriller that deals with issues in the news: escalating oil prices, terrorism and the government's response to it, and the abuse of political power for personal gain. Jay Westwood is an appealing, albeit flawed hero with his share of inner demons. He is grieving over the tragic loss of his wife and child, and, more often than he'd like to admit, he anesthetizes himself with pot and booze in order to get to sleep. Still, he has a core of inner strength and integrity, as well as a passion for justice; he is stubbornly unwilling to let important questions go unanswered. When he is warned to stop investigating, Jay redoubles his efforts to get at the truth.

Andrews has created a fascinating and varied cast of characters. Bruno Pecozzi is an oversized hitman for the mob who, for some reason, is rather fond of the police chief. A sexy cop named Regina Bokkenheuser joins the East End Harbor police force as Jay's assistant and she soon becomes indispensable, both professionally and personally. Other memorable characters are Chuck Billings, an obsessive bomb expert who never takes a crime scene at face value, Hubbell Schrader, a vicious FBI agent, and Theresa Cooke, the jittery and terrified widow of the mysterious dead pilot.

"Midas" is action-packed and fast-moving. Andrews has woven a plot that is complex but comprehensible. As Jay slowly sifts through dozens of clues and puts together the disparate elements of his case, he eventually realizes that he is up against people who can crush him instantly. There is a particularly harrowing and well-written sequence in which the author describes Jay's incarceration under subhuman conditions. The dialogue is sharp and realistic, the book has an internal logic that works throughout, and the novel concludes with some nifty surprises. "Midas" is a suspenseful and engrossing story that effortlessly sweeps the reader along from beginning to end.

At this point in time, I'm about 3/4 of the way through this book, and told my wife that I already know how it ends... I will continue to read it hoping for some sort of redemption... aside from the brief sexual encounter between the new chief of police and his new hire... Which I agree with all those who've pointed it out... Small town cop + new female officer = NOT GONNA HOOK UP! If this guy is so smart, he would have avoided that like the plague. The author tends to use the "hero's" full name WAY too often... Justin Westwood this and Justin Westwood that... By the end of the first two chapters, the reader should pretty much be on a first name basis with the main character.

The author of this book seems to imply that there may be a big government conspiracy behind terrorist bombings and the special powers they are being given to deal with terrorist suspects both at home and in Guantanamo Bay. Justin Westwood, a police officer from a small town near the Hamptons in Long Island, New York investigates a plane crash of a small plane. From a few "suspect" things about the death of the pilot involved, Justin goes off on an investigation that causes people who know too much to be killed and top government officials to go after Justin.

I found the whole story implausible and what was really insulting is that anyone who know something seems to be wiped out without a thought by government agents but Justin being the hero is treated totally different. Another thing that bothered me is how easy Justin gets involved with a female cop who he has just hired. Being a real small town with a tiny police force a romantic involvement could really jeopardize a working relationship. Justin supposedly being so smart should know better.

Justin seems to be like Jim Garrison from JFK in pulling together all these "facts' that nobody else can get to piece together the whole organization of the conspiracy. This book did not leave me in the end with any desire to get any more of the other Justin Westwood books. This was a bad attempt by the author to put his "Michael Moore" type theories into a book. He should have just written a political commentary instead.

Russell Andrews delivers a page turner in Midas. This is my first Andrews novel and it now appears that I have some catching up to do with his earlier novels; Gideon, Icarus, and Aphrodite.

In Midas we witness an apparent terrorist bombing in a small Long Island restaurant killing everyone inside, including the current Sheriff, Jimmy Leggett. The new sheriff Justin Westwood is soon on the case. Before he can make much progress with the bombing, a plane crash draws him into another investigation. Eventually he suspects the two events are connected. The rest of the book is a roller coaster ride. Of particular interest for some readers will be the pages dealing with Guantanomo Bay....

Well written, with great characters in a fast paced story, Midas is worth the time it takes to read. I suspect others will continue to discover Russell Andrews and I certainly will look for new books from him in the future.

This book just doesn't deliver. It's got cliched characters (the now low-ambition cop who got his family killed with his past renegade recklessness -- sound familiar?), and a superficially convoluted but ultimately guessable conspiracy style plot. And all throughout is a non-veiled (I'd say "thinly veiled," but there is really no veiling at all) allegory on Bush and the "war on terror." I guess if the author is trying to sneak some politics into the reading of folks who would normally bolt from such a thing, then good for him. But for other people who actully know what's going on in the real political world, the allegorical stuff just comes off as tedious.

Suffice it to say, I only read this a week ago, and I've already forgotten how it ends, and also the name of the main character. That should say it all.