Dead Watch [Paperback, Import]

(Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; Library Ed edition (June 5, 2006)
• ISBN-10: 0743276221
• ISBN-13: 978-0743276221
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,052,035 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good character, odd concept., May 23, 2006

By	David Warner "Comic Novel Fan" (Manassas, Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead Watch (Hardcover)

As a die-hard John Sandford fan (I read the entire Prey and Kidd series in about 4 months or so) I was disappointed that a new Kidd or Lucas novel was not out, but was very interested to see his construction of a political thriller. I bought it and finished it in a day, and it was, in a word, OK.

I think the thing that makes certain political thrillers work and others fail is character construction, and for me, there were far too many characters (and their motivations) to keep track of, and it's a fairly convoluted plot. I think the main character, Jake Winter, has a lot of potential, as too many characters that we see are law enforcement, in one form or another, but for him to be a "forensic bureaucrat", as he is called, is a unique approach for a protagonist and one that could open up a new avenue for Sandford.

All in all I give it 3 stars; it kept me interested, and was a quick and easy read, but at times was a bit hard to follow, like the conversation on a fast-paced episode of "The West Wing" where they reference people and events and places with which the listener is unfamiliar.

I, too, look forward to the return of Kidd or Lucas, but I would read another Jake Winter novel, and I suggest you give it a try. Sandford is a great writer, but this isn't his best showing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Frenetic" Watch, September 15, 2006

By	Skip Senneka (Mound, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead Watch (Hardcover)

With "Dead Watch", Sanford has delivered a political thriller that is fully worthy of mention alongside his popular police-procedural Prey series. I share the Booklist reviewer's sentiment that Sandford has produced a D.C. intrigue reminiscent of Ross Thomas (a VERY good thing!).

My biggest beef with Dead Watch is the bland characterization of Jake Winter (though Sandford does do a good job of making Winter not be Lucas Davenport); nearly every other character has more personality-pizzazz. Not to worry though, the Madison Bowe character and the breakneck speed of the story more than make up for that shortcoming. If I'd been turning pages any faster, I'd have probably started a fire.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately, far from Sandford's best work, May 27, 2006

By	Brian Baker (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead Watch (Hardcover)

I won't rehash the story line, as you can read that in the editorial reviews.

I'll preface by saying that I've long been a fan of Sandford's, especially his "Prey" series. His Lucas Davenport character does for the Twin Cities what Connelly's Harry Bosch does for LA; a brooding and introspective look at the dark underbelly of society.

In this book, Sandford takes on the political melieu of Washington with, at best, mixed results.

He tries to weave a tale of murder into one of political intrigue, and unfortunately fails to fully succeed at either.

There are many examples of success to which we can compare: probably one of the all-time classics is the 60s novel "Seven Days in May". Drury's works. Those of David Baldacci, such as "Absolute Power", a terrific novel and a pretty good Clint Eastwood movie.

It's hard for me to exactly pin down why this book doesn't succeed, but it doesn't. Some elements come to mind.

1. The presidential-level political aspects just didn't work; there was no sense of the immense power or potential menace of the office.

2. The lead character (Winter) struck me as a muddled and inconsistent mess. There's an implied backstory involving his ex-wife that seems purposeless, and isn't developed. His experience as a Special Forces soldier seems inconsistent with his capabilities, and simply thrown in to make the character a "tough guy".

3. The whole nature of the murder plot - and I won't expound more on the details so as not to create a spoiler - seemed incredible and was created more for sensationalism than anything else.

4. The actual perpetrators seemed like something out of "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight", and diluted any sense of real menace they may have been intended to convey.

5. I also had problems with his Watchmen. Obviously, Sandford is using them to convey his own disapproval of the real life Minutemen, and whether or not you agree with him (and I don't) this was executed very ham-handedly.

Anyway, there you have it. I consider this an interesting experiment that failed. Two and a half stars. Now Sandford owes us a REALLY good Prey novel.