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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
David fights Goliath., August 10, 2005
Thirty-two year old Thomas Bolden is the hero of "The Patriots Club," Christopher Reich's new thriller. As a youngster, Bolden was always in trouble. He lived in a series of foster homes, and he also spent time in reform school and prison. Somehow, he manages to straighten himself out, and he eventually graduates with honors from Princeton and the Wharton School. After graduation, he gets a job on Wall Street and works his way up to the position of director at a prestigious investment banking firm. Along with his high-paying job, Bolden has a beautiful girlfriend named Jenny whom he adores, and he also mentors high-risk teens in his spare time.
One evening, Bolden's life changes forever when he and his girlfriend are attacked on the streets of Manhattan. Bolden is kidnapped and interrogated, and when he does not answer his abductors' questions satisfactorily, he is nearly killed. Although he manages to escape, Bolden is soon framed for murder, and he is forced to go into hiding. Throughout most of the novel, Bolden survives by his wits as he tries to figure out who is after him and why.
"The Patriots Club" is about influential conspirators who work behind the scenes to manipulate politicians, the economy, and even the Pentagon. Although it starts out entertainingly enough, the story quickly loses any semblance of realism. Bolden has a superhuman ability to elude capture, even though both the criminals and the cops are on his tail. The characters are one-dimensional, and the villains are so evil that they hardly seem human. Much of the dialogue is forced and the four-hundred page book is padded with too many extraneous characters and events. In addition, "The Patriots Club" is so complicated that the reader needs a scorecard to keep track of its myriad twists and turns. A good conspiracy thriller can be fun if it is written in a crisp and clear style, with well-developed characters and an intelligent story line. Sadly, "The Patriots Club" doesn't fulfill its promise.
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Conspiring minds want to know, August 19, 2005
Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean someone is not out to get you.
In this book a young investment banker confronts a deep and dark conspiracy, a black hand that successfully influenced events throughout American history, a self-perpetuating cabal who membership included the President of the United States. Thomas Bolden stumbles into the workings of the club in what may be the final days of the club or the republic. Bolden proves resourceful and he is aided by mysterious but determined allies. Time is of the essence as the club plots the assassination of the new President of the United States.
This book is eerily reminiscent of The Firm, but without the black humor of the control of a law firm being in the hands of the Mafia. If you believe there are no coincidences you will love this book. If you think that conspiracy theorists ought to be in the loony bin, you will still enjoy it.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
ANOTHER CONSPIRACY TO PONDER, December 15, 2007
If you are a reader who is intrigued by "conspiracy theory" books and enjoyed David Baldacci's The Camel Club you will most likely enjoy this offering from Christopher Reich. If, however, you found the premise of Camel Club ridiculous and the plot convoluted, no doubt you will harbor the same feelings about Patriot's Club.
As Reich's Patriot's Club opens, former troubled street kid who made good, Thomas Bolden, and his girlfriend are attacked after leaving a Man of the Year award dinner and Bolden is "kidnapped". He is taken to "Guilfoyle" and questioned about his knowledge of "crown" and his involvement with Bobby Stillman. Bolden pleads ignorance in the matter, manages to escape his captors and goes to the cops with his tale. He is promptly framed for murder......forcing him to go "on the run". And that's only the tip of this iceberg.
The book itself could have been a script for the Survivor series considering Bolden's ability to "outplay", "outwit" and "outlast" his pursuers. The "multiple" conspiracies and Bolden's transformation from Wall Street wiz to super-hero possessing seeming immortality is nearly laughable.
The author's explanation about the high-powered, driven, immoral, and greedy conspirators who have targeted the protagonist is more than a bit far-fetched. You will find no middle of the road characters in this tome, and you can choose your favorite conspiracy......corporate, political, etc. It seems thatReich has abandoned character development and in turn, has asked us to abandon logic.
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