Few thrillers will surpass [this book] when it comes to energetic writing, compellingly flawed characters, literary scholarship and mathematical conundrums.” — USA Today
“A smart thriller. Gruber’s themes may be lofty but his people are fully fleshed. An engaging adventure.” — Boston Globe
“If you love books, make room on the shelf for a new guilty pleasure.” — Washington Post
“An intricately crafted and literate work (that) should give the (thriller) genre a good shake.” — Denver Post
“Fearless, intricate and intelligent. Stylish and confident prose. Dialogue that respects a reader’s intelligence. A smart and original plot.” — Seattle Times
“A dead genius, a sleuthing couple with romantic chemistry, and some bad guys...it’s a fun party.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Very good...ingenious and suspenseful.” — Maclean's
“Entertaining. A wild ride.” — Charlotte Observer, Best Books of Summer
“Smart and irreverent.” — Arizona Republic
“(An) intoxicating mix of fact, fiction, secret codes and ancient conspiracies...well-written and cleverly told. A terrific thriller.” — Edmonton Journal (Canada)
“A crackling whodunit. Characters (with) rich inner lives that transmute genre fiction into literature.” — Dallas Morning News
“(An) entertaining thriller with Da Vinci Code appeal but far better writing.” — Ventura County Star
“Finely-honed prose, ambitious structure and captivating characters...This is a whip-smart adventure that surpasses its competitors with dexterity.” — Rocky Mountain News
“Quirky, flawed characters, tricksy first-person narration, and nimble, witty prose. Gruber is the real deal.” — Salon.com
“Another one of [Gruber’s] patently intricate thrillers.” — TheMorningNews.com
“Gruber is no ordinary writer.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“A gripping literary thriller. A taut novel that offers ingenious puzzles plus murderous threats along the way.” — Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“MIchael Gruber pulls out all the stops (in) an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse.” — Newsday
“(An) intelligent thrill ride.” — Tampa Tribune
“Ingenious...engaging...a gripping, satisfying read.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A wonderful book, brimming with energy, suspense, wit and fascinating details about the rare book business. A fast-paced yarn that is part Henry James, part James Bond. — Chicago Tribune
“A wild ride of a thriller. The characters have depth, histories and believability.” — Wichita Eagle
“Gruber deftly raises the thriller stakes and accelerates the plot while still creating convincing personal journeys for his characters.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Not since Bayatt’s POSSESSION has an author so successfully combined literary puzzle, tempestuous duplicity, human adventure and good storytelling.” — BookPage
“A fast-moving tale about the world of rare books. A wonderful story with absolutely superb casting.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“One of the best new writers in the genre.” — Charlotte Observer
Smart and irreverent.
Few thrillers will surpass [this book] when it comes to energetic writing, compellingly flawed characters, literary scholarship and mathematical conundrums.
Very good...ingenious and suspenseful.
(An) intoxicating mix of fact, fiction, secret codes and ancient conspiracies...well-written and cleverly told. A terrific thriller.
Edmonton Journal (Canada)
A smart thriller. Gruber’s themes may be lofty but his people are fully fleshed. An engaging adventure.
Entertaining. A wild ride.
If you love books, make room on the shelf for a new guilty pleasure.
An intricately crafted and literate work (that) should give the (thriller) genre a good shake.
Fearless, intricate and intelligent. Stylish and confident prose. Dialogue that respects a reader’s intelligence. A smart and original plot.
A dead genius, a sleuthing couple with romantic chemistry, and some bad guys...it’s a fun party.
Few thrillers will surpass [this book] when it comes to energetic writing, compellingly flawed characters, literary scholarship and mathematical conundrums.
If you love books, make room on the shelf for a new guilty pleasure.
A gripping literary thriller. A taut novel that offers ingenious puzzles plus murderous threats along the way.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Not since Bayatt’s POSSESSION has an author so successfully combined literary puzzle, tempestuous duplicity, human adventure and good storytelling.
A crackling whodunit. Characters (with) rich inner lives that transmute genre fiction into literature.
Gruber deftly raises the thriller stakes and accelerates the plot while still creating convincing personal journeys for his characters.
Booklist (starred review)
Quirky, flawed characters, tricksy first-person narration, and nimble, witty prose. Gruber is the real deal.
MIchael Gruber pulls out all the stops (in) an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse.
Gruber is no ordinary writer.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(An) entertaining thriller with Da Vinci Code appeal but far better writing.
Finely-honed prose, ambitious structure and captivating characters...This is a whip-smart adventure that surpasses its competitors with dexterity.
A wonderful book, brimming with energy, suspense, wit and fascinating details about the rare book business. A fast-paced yarn that is part Henry James, part James Bond.
(An) intelligent thrill ride.
Another one of [Gruber’s] patently intricate thrillers.
A wild ride of a thriller. The characters have depth, histories and believability.
A wonderful book, brimming with energy, suspense, wit and fascinating details about the rare book business. A fast-paced yarn that is part Henry James, part James Bond.
A gripping literary thriller. A taut novel that offers ingenious puzzles plus murderous threats along the way.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
One of the best new writers in the genre.
"Gruber deftly raises the thriller stakes and accelerates the plot while still creating convincing personal journeys for his characters."
Stephen Hoye takes a calculated, possibly fatal, risk in his approach to narrating this thriller about a lost Shakespeare manuscript. His portrayal of the protagonist, Jake Mishkin, a self-loathing intellectual property lawyer, is arid to the point putting off the listener. It’s a reasonable choice for a character we are not meant to like but does not create a person one looks forward to spending hour after hour with. It doesn't help that Hoye affects an annoying, sometimes disappearing, Queen’s accent for the other major character, a young would-be screenwriter who is drawn into the dangerous search for the missing manuscript. Happily, Gruber himself comes to the rescue, with colorful characters and clever, intricate plotting. M.O. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
DEC 07/JAN 08 - AudioFile
