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Storm Cycle
Rachel Kirby is a computer genius whose personal life is hell. While she continues to climb the corporate ranks, her beloved twin sister is plagued by a chronic illness that will eventually kill her, leaving Rachel all alone.
Serendipity in the form of a mysterious email lands in Rachel’s lap one day, but not without a price. Thousands of miles away, archeologist John Tanek sits trapped inside a collapsed Egyptian tomb with a functioning laptop. He knows that Rachel is the only person who can help him, but time is quickly running out. It turns out the collapse was no accident. John has discovered something very valuable in that tomb, something that humankind has been searching for throughout history, something that Rachel could use as it may hold the key to her sister’s cure. While Rachel orchestrates his rescue, she soon finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of deceit and murder. Can she put her trust in John Tanek? She’d do anything to save her sister. Will they both live long enough to unravel the ancient mystery they’ve found inside the tomb?
With Johansen and Johansen’s fast-paced action, charismatic characters, and impeccable research, Storm Cycle will carry you away.
Serendipity in the form of a mysterious email lands in Rachel’s lap one day, but not without a price. Thousands of miles away, archeologist John Tanek sits trapped inside a collapsed Egyptian tomb with a functioning laptop. He knows that Rachel is the only person who can help him, but time is quickly running out. It turns out the collapse was no accident. John has discovered something very valuable in that tomb, something that humankind has been searching for throughout history, something that Rachel could use as it may hold the key to her sister’s cure. While Rachel orchestrates his rescue, she soon finds herself trapped in a dangerous web of deceit and murder. Can she put her trust in John Tanek? She’d do anything to save her sister. Will they both live long enough to unravel the ancient mystery they’ve found inside the tomb?
With Johansen and Johansen’s fast-paced action, charismatic characters, and impeccable research, Storm Cycle will carry you away.
402 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2009
195 people are currently reading
2075 people want to read
About the author
Iris Johansen
352books7,227followersIris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
January 18, 2024
Iris Johansen should help her son find a new career!
The story starts well enough!
Rachel Kirby, a computer whiz kid in Houston, Texas, and a rock hard business woman, will let nothing and nobody stand in the way of the only goal that really matters to her. She is intent on using the power of a super computer and a vast network of supplementary computing power to find the cure for GLD (Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy more prosaically known as Krabbe's Disease), an obscure neurological disorder most commonly found in infants that is killing her younger sister, Allie.
Having narrowly survived an attack by a sniper she thinks is linked to her computer contract with the National Security Agency, Kirby is working frantically to close the back doors in her system that have been compromised by a hacker whose skills likely outstrip her own. An enigmatic e-mail from John Tavak, a stranger who claims to be trapped and in imminent danger inside an Egyptian tomb also includes a surprising but unapologetic admission that Tavak is the virtual thief who has hacked into Kirby's system. If Kirby will press her contacts into service and rescue him from the would-be assassins waiting for him outside the tomb, he'll explain everything about his illicit use of her computer network. Of course, Kirby is unable to refuse the offered bait and the game is afoot!
The game, unfortunately, is a weak and entirely derivative copy of Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE. STORM CYCLE is filled to the brim with unbelievably sterile, cartoonish caricatures and cardboard cutout characters, insipid dialogue, gunfights, explosions, contrived romance and, of course, historical puzzles. The goal, if you can believe this, is a compendium of miraculous cures developed by Peseshet, an ancient Egyptian physician. Naturally, one of the illnesses for which Peseshet had developed a cure was GLD but if the big mean, corporate, pharmaceutical machine, driven purely by bottom-line profit motives, beats Tavak and Kirby to the brass ring, all the cures will be suppressed.
One of the editorial reviews suggested "Despite the lack of character development or surprising plot twists, action fans should be satisfied." Well, they were half right. There certainly was a lack of character development and there were no surprise plot twists. But I certainly wasn't satisfied.
The nicest thing I could think of saying about STORM CYCLE is to suggest that it would make a decent screenplay for a computer game. The action and the setting would make for some fun computer play and the puzzles would make an interesting diversion. But, as a novel, STORM CYCLE is a waste of good paper and precious reading time. Give this one a wide berth!
Not recommended.
Paul Weiss
The story starts well enough!
Rachel Kirby, a computer whiz kid in Houston, Texas, and a rock hard business woman, will let nothing and nobody stand in the way of the only goal that really matters to her. She is intent on using the power of a super computer and a vast network of supplementary computing power to find the cure for GLD (Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy more prosaically known as Krabbe's Disease), an obscure neurological disorder most commonly found in infants that is killing her younger sister, Allie.
Having narrowly survived an attack by a sniper she thinks is linked to her computer contract with the National Security Agency, Kirby is working frantically to close the back doors in her system that have been compromised by a hacker whose skills likely outstrip her own. An enigmatic e-mail from John Tavak, a stranger who claims to be trapped and in imminent danger inside an Egyptian tomb also includes a surprising but unapologetic admission that Tavak is the virtual thief who has hacked into Kirby's system. If Kirby will press her contacts into service and rescue him from the would-be assassins waiting for him outside the tomb, he'll explain everything about his illicit use of her computer network. Of course, Kirby is unable to refuse the offered bait and the game is afoot!
The game, unfortunately, is a weak and entirely derivative copy of Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE. STORM CYCLE is filled to the brim with unbelievably sterile, cartoonish caricatures and cardboard cutout characters, insipid dialogue, gunfights, explosions, contrived romance and, of course, historical puzzles. The goal, if you can believe this, is a compendium of miraculous cures developed by Peseshet, an ancient Egyptian physician. Naturally, one of the illnesses for which Peseshet had developed a cure was GLD but if the big mean, corporate, pharmaceutical machine, driven purely by bottom-line profit motives, beats Tavak and Kirby to the brass ring, all the cures will be suppressed.
One of the editorial reviews suggested "Despite the lack of character development or surprising plot twists, action fans should be satisfied." Well, they were half right. There certainly was a lack of character development and there were no surprise plot twists. But I certainly wasn't satisfied.
The nicest thing I could think of saying about STORM CYCLE is to suggest that it would make a decent screenplay for a computer game. The action and the setting would make for some fun computer play and the puzzles would make an interesting diversion. But, as a novel, STORM CYCLE is a waste of good paper and precious reading time. Give this one a wide berth!
Not recommended.
Paul Weiss
January 18, 2020
Very wordy and technical. 2.5
I reread this book (unfortunately). Still wordy and poorly written. Boring story.
I reread this book (unfortunately). Still wordy and poorly written. Boring story.
July 28, 2009
So...I was really excited to read this book as I generally really enjoy Iris Johansen's books. This, however, was a dud. I don't know if it was her son's co-authoring that ruined it, but it was very cheesy, completely predictable, and the "romance" was so cliched and corny that I literally rolled my eyes and skipped the sections.
However, I could understand how writing romance with your mother (or son) could inhibit your imagination, so I'm willing to overlook that.
The book had interesting ideas, especially regarding the computer cycles. And I liked that the main female character was a brilliant woman, but she came across too harsh, too masculine, and then in the moments she "softens" it is too great of a contrast and not believeable at all. And her sister, suffering from a rare disease, magically starts a "good spell" right before they start traipsing around the world and come out on top of almost being murdered three times.
In short...don't waste your time. Read another book.
However, I could understand how writing romance with your mother (or son) could inhibit your imagination, so I'm willing to overlook that.
The book had interesting ideas, especially regarding the computer cycles. And I liked that the main female character was a brilliant woman, but she came across too harsh, too masculine, and then in the moments she "softens" it is too great of a contrast and not believeable at all. And her sister, suffering from a rare disease, magically starts a "good spell" right before they start traipsing around the world and come out on top of almost being murdered three times.
In short...don't waste your time. Read another book.
April 29, 2022
What a mixture - history, science, technology, science fiction, mystery and on and on. One of the few books I have read that kept my attention from the first to last page.
A story that elicits srong emotional responce for the interactions and details of the characters. Brings home what someone and their relatives/friends go through when they are diagnosed with an incurable disease. Shows what might be done to try to save that person and all of the emptions invovlved.
Mixes science, archeology and mystery. Strong characters and story line. A book to read more than once.
A story that elicits srong emotional responce for the interactions and details of the characters. Brings home what someone and their relatives/friends go through when they are diagnosed with an incurable disease. Shows what might be done to try to save that person and all of the emptions invovlved.
Mixes science, archeology and mystery. Strong characters and story line. A book to read more than once.
June 28, 2010
VERY predictable! I skipped entire chapters and kept up with the storyline. I'd skip this book and move onto another.
July 16, 2019
The backstory of the Egyptian female physician was more interesting than the main story. Super smart scientists being chased by bad guys.
December 28, 2020
Pretty good action book. Quick read.
March 26, 2020
Work from home 2020: book 3.
Indiana Jones-esque. A quick read, mainly good if you are trying to alleviate boredom, but not a book that I wanted to devour (unlike most of Johansen’s books). I liked the happy ending, the positive sister bond, the twist at the end that I (at least) did not see coming.
I imagine that writing with your mother (or your son) can inhibit some of the scenes you would write on your own. But I did read another book by this writing duo � Silent Thunder � which was a lot more enjoyable than this one was. I’d definitely recommend that one over this one. This was a little too predictable, a little too “happy� in that both sisters end up with boyfriends by the end (& you see that coming from the beginning of the book, basically). And just a little too unbelievable in general (see Indiana Jones comment above)...
Indiana Jones-esque. A quick read, mainly good if you are trying to alleviate boredom, but not a book that I wanted to devour (unlike most of Johansen’s books). I liked the happy ending, the positive sister bond, the twist at the end that I (at least) did not see coming.
I imagine that writing with your mother (or your son) can inhibit some of the scenes you would write on your own. But I did read another book by this writing duo � Silent Thunder � which was a lot more enjoyable than this one was. I’d definitely recommend that one over this one. This was a little too predictable, a little too “happy� in that both sisters end up with boyfriends by the end (& you see that coming from the beginning of the book, basically). And just a little too unbelievable in general (see Indiana Jones comment above)...
December 12, 2020
Goed geschreven boek, je wilt het uitlezen.
May 5, 2017
A good book to read when you aren't feeling well. Sucked me in at the beginning and kept me fairly interested throughout. The ending went really quick- I could have used a little more drama at the end but whatever. There wasn't a lot of romance and the little there was was tasteful and I was able to read through it.
The whole book is a super quick read. Would recommend when you're looking for a basic thriller with some unique elements of Egyptian history/computer nerdness.
The whole book is a super quick read. Would recommend when you're looking for a basic thriller with some unique elements of Egyptian history/computer nerdness.
September 11, 2018
Maybe I'm being too generous here, but I actually kind of liked this one. I mean, in my view, a 3-star Iris Johansen book is not the same as most 3-star books. I know I shouldn't look at it this way, but I do. After reading so many 1- and 2-star books, the occasional book by Iris Jo that I actually like reading is like a blessing from God. Perhaps it actually is a blessing from God.
I really do have more tolerance for Iris/Roy Johansen collaborations. I definitely think they're better written, even if I'm not quite sure what, exactly, Roy contributes to the story. Worldbuilding, maybe? I mean, the writing is identical to Iris' solo books.
"Storm Cycle" introduces a new character, Rachel Kirby. No "regulars" were mentioned in this book, so it's either a stand-alone novel, or the start of a new series. Seeing as it was written in 2009, I think that Johansen would rather focus on Eve Duncan and Kendra Michaels.
Anyway, Rachel is a computer genius whose life's work is Jonesy, a supercomputer. It makes use of "power cycles" that are "donated" to it from other people's home computers, as well as anything else that uses an online connection, like gaming systems. People have to agree to allow their computer to contribute power cycles. I don't really understand how it works; I'm not much of a techie, to be honest. But according to the author's note at the end, this is indeed a real thing.
Early on in the story, Rachel notices that someone is siphoning cycles from Jonesy, and this severely pisses her off, because she's got a lot of projects that she needs those cycles for. Her most important project is research that can lead to her sister being cured of globoid cell leukodystrophy, also known as Krabbe disease. The man behind the siphoning, John Tavak, is trying to hunt down the secret of Peseshet, an ancient Egyptian supervisor of female doctors. He lures Rachel into supporting him when he explains that Peseshet (pronounced "peh-SAY-shet," if you're wondering) was aware of all kinds of cures for various ailments, including a possible lead to cures of diseases like GLD. It's a long shot, but it turns out to be the best lead that Rachel has.
But, of course, there's a pharmaceutical company that wants to get hold of this cure so they can charge outrageous amounts of money for it, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it.
I've always been a sucker for stories about treasure hunts, which is probably why I enjoyed reading this one. I love thinking about ancient civilizations, tombs, and artifacts, and imagining them in my head. I imagine it must feel incredible to encounter some remnant of an ancient society that no one has seen in thousands of years.
I also liked that there were four protagonists to "Storm Cycle" instead of two. Of course, we have Rachel and Tavak (I've finally given up on trying to call everyone by their first name; for some unknown reason, men are usually called by their last names in Johansenland). We also have Allie, Rachel's sister, and Demanski, the owner of a casino. This brought higher stakes and more interesting interactions to the table.
I found Rachel and Allie to be annoying together, because both of them insisted on the other staying safe and didn't want to be protected. I was still glad for Allie when Rachel realized she wasn't able to say no to her, because Allie isn't a child (I'm looking at you, "Shadow Zone"), but at the same time, it was just like that whole "How dare you try to protect me" "How dare YOU try to protect ME" conversation that exists in every Johansen book. At least Ben, a friend of Tavak's, does exactly the same thing. I guess in Johansen's view, gender equality means both women and men get to be dumbasses.
The villains of the book were pretty forgettable, although there was an entertaining scene where one of them puts on a show of being a heavily accented southerner, only to completely rid himself of the accent when he gets pissed off. What bothers me the most is the man who shoots Rachel in the beginning of the book:
That delicacy and air of youth and pseudoinnocence was just another of her weapons. There was nothing childlike about that cobra. She was filled with venom and power. She knew exactly what she was doing and thought she could get away with it.
Wait, what? What does this guy have against Rachel? Those are some extremely bitter words for someone who's just been hired to perform an assassination. The book never explains why he's pissed off at her. I was expecting her to be indirectly responsible for someone's death. Nope. His grudge against her is never mentioned again.
I also had a problem with some of what happens in this book. In one scene, a grumpy professor hits one of her students with her hat. It doesn't say what kind of hat it is, but if it's hard, yeah, I can see how that would hurt. The student tells her that that's abuse, and he's not joking, either. She tells him that if he complains about that, he'll be laughed at. But he's right. She struck a student. It is abuse. And maybe I'm reading too much into this, but if he's actually mad at her for hitting him, he probably has good reason. People typically don't get mad over a friendly smack.
In another scene, Rachel encounters the second man she's met who's into video games and thinks to herself, "Boys and their toys." Why do people say that? It's dumb. I hate this idea that men never grow up, but of course, women have to think about clothes and cooking and cleaning. But what really makes me mad is that Johansen seems to think that gaming is a male thing. In truth, almost as many women play video games as men, but we're less likely to identify as gamers, precisely because gaming is treated by many people as a "boys' club." Thanks, Johansen, for adding to that.
I know, I know. Both these things are minor, and I shouldn't get upset about them. But I just had to say it. I mean, God, I've read so many of these books....
In other ways, however, I really did enjoy "Storm Cycle." I found Tavak to be on the more likable end of the spectrum. As long as he stays a one-book-only character, he might actually be the least creepy love interest I've seen so far. Of course, I said the same thing about Adam Lynch from the Kendra Michaels books, and look how that turned out.
Also, this book does have the f-word in it. Yay. But Rachel still talks about "screwing" Tavak. Sigh. At least I didn't have to read it a thousand times like in "Sight Unseen."
I'm telling you, if you must read any of Johansen's books, read one by Iris and Roy Johansen. You'll thank me later.
I really do have more tolerance for Iris/Roy Johansen collaborations. I definitely think they're better written, even if I'm not quite sure what, exactly, Roy contributes to the story. Worldbuilding, maybe? I mean, the writing is identical to Iris' solo books.
"Storm Cycle" introduces a new character, Rachel Kirby. No "regulars" were mentioned in this book, so it's either a stand-alone novel, or the start of a new series. Seeing as it was written in 2009, I think that Johansen would rather focus on Eve Duncan and Kendra Michaels.
Anyway, Rachel is a computer genius whose life's work is Jonesy, a supercomputer. It makes use of "power cycles" that are "donated" to it from other people's home computers, as well as anything else that uses an online connection, like gaming systems. People have to agree to allow their computer to contribute power cycles. I don't really understand how it works; I'm not much of a techie, to be honest. But according to the author's note at the end, this is indeed a real thing.
Early on in the story, Rachel notices that someone is siphoning cycles from Jonesy, and this severely pisses her off, because she's got a lot of projects that she needs those cycles for. Her most important project is research that can lead to her sister being cured of globoid cell leukodystrophy, also known as Krabbe disease. The man behind the siphoning, John Tavak, is trying to hunt down the secret of Peseshet, an ancient Egyptian supervisor of female doctors. He lures Rachel into supporting him when he explains that Peseshet (pronounced "peh-SAY-shet," if you're wondering) was aware of all kinds of cures for various ailments, including a possible lead to cures of diseases like GLD. It's a long shot, but it turns out to be the best lead that Rachel has.
But, of course, there's a pharmaceutical company that wants to get hold of this cure so they can charge outrageous amounts of money for it, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it.
I've always been a sucker for stories about treasure hunts, which is probably why I enjoyed reading this one. I love thinking about ancient civilizations, tombs, and artifacts, and imagining them in my head. I imagine it must feel incredible to encounter some remnant of an ancient society that no one has seen in thousands of years.
I also liked that there were four protagonists to "Storm Cycle" instead of two. Of course, we have Rachel and Tavak (I've finally given up on trying to call everyone by their first name; for some unknown reason, men are usually called by their last names in Johansenland). We also have Allie, Rachel's sister, and Demanski, the owner of a casino. This brought higher stakes and more interesting interactions to the table.
I found Rachel and Allie to be annoying together, because both of them insisted on the other staying safe and didn't want to be protected. I was still glad for Allie when Rachel realized she wasn't able to say no to her, because Allie isn't a child (I'm looking at you, "Shadow Zone"), but at the same time, it was just like that whole "How dare you try to protect me" "How dare YOU try to protect ME" conversation that exists in every Johansen book. At least Ben, a friend of Tavak's, does exactly the same thing. I guess in Johansen's view, gender equality means both women and men get to be dumbasses.
The villains of the book were pretty forgettable, although there was an entertaining scene where one of them puts on a show of being a heavily accented southerner, only to completely rid himself of the accent when he gets pissed off. What bothers me the most is the man who shoots Rachel in the beginning of the book:
That delicacy and air of youth and pseudoinnocence was just another of her weapons. There was nothing childlike about that cobra. She was filled with venom and power. She knew exactly what she was doing and thought she could get away with it.
Wait, what? What does this guy have against Rachel? Those are some extremely bitter words for someone who's just been hired to perform an assassination. The book never explains why he's pissed off at her. I was expecting her to be indirectly responsible for someone's death. Nope. His grudge against her is never mentioned again.
I also had a problem with some of what happens in this book. In one scene, a grumpy professor hits one of her students with her hat. It doesn't say what kind of hat it is, but if it's hard, yeah, I can see how that would hurt. The student tells her that that's abuse, and he's not joking, either. She tells him that if he complains about that, he'll be laughed at. But he's right. She struck a student. It is abuse. And maybe I'm reading too much into this, but if he's actually mad at her for hitting him, he probably has good reason. People typically don't get mad over a friendly smack.
In another scene, Rachel encounters the second man she's met who's into video games and thinks to herself, "Boys and their toys." Why do people say that? It's dumb. I hate this idea that men never grow up, but of course, women have to think about clothes and cooking and cleaning. But what really makes me mad is that Johansen seems to think that gaming is a male thing. In truth, almost as many women play video games as men, but we're less likely to identify as gamers, precisely because gaming is treated by many people as a "boys' club." Thanks, Johansen, for adding to that.
I know, I know. Both these things are minor, and I shouldn't get upset about them. But I just had to say it. I mean, God, I've read so many of these books....
In other ways, however, I really did enjoy "Storm Cycle." I found Tavak to be on the more likable end of the spectrum. As long as he stays a one-book-only character, he might actually be the least creepy love interest I've seen so far. Of course, I said the same thing about Adam Lynch from the Kendra Michaels books, and look how that turned out.
Also, this book does have the f-word in it. Yay. But Rachel still talks about "screwing" Tavak. Sigh. At least I didn't have to read it a thousand times like in "Sight Unseen."
I'm telling you, if you must read any of Johansen's books, read one by Iris and Roy Johansen. You'll thank me later.
April 20, 2010
Iris Johansen seems to be like so many other authors that find popularity in a particular genre and then start pumping out book after book only for the readers to find that in order to do that - she seems to have to sacrifice the time needed to actually put together a good story. The first few suspense stories I read from this author - I loved. I was hooked. But it seems like -after about 3 stories into the Eve Duncan series, the stories all became "the same." Same type of characters, same type of plot. Romance takes the same exact course and you can even predict about what page the characters will end up having sex. Adding Johansen's son as a co-author doesn't seem to have helped change the plots, the stories or the personalities of the characters. I think it lessened the romance aspect though (laughing at this - as I would no doubt find it awkward sharing authorship of something like that with one of my sons!) Still, I would really like to see something with depth, reflection and more history in it. This was a waste of my money and not even worthy of being called "brain candy."
October 11, 2010
i've read a great deal of Iris Johansen, in the past. one thing i love her for is the way she can draw out the sexual tension between her lead main characters and then steam up the pages when they finally consummate their attraction.
this book was a little different in that i did *not* want to witness any fireworks, because i could not forget that she was writing this book with her SON. i was on the edge of my seat, nervous this line would be crossed. i'm such a nut! at any rate, i worried for nothing. everything was well handled. steam was implied, but never detailed.
the mystery was compelling - i'm a sucker for a story that involves Egypt or mummies or tombs. compelling, but ...utterly unbelievable.... i liked it and over all it was a good buddy-read pick, but i did not love it and i never quite got to the point where i *craved* it. it was a book i felt okay about putting down.
:(
this book was a little different in that i did *not* want to witness any fireworks, because i could not forget that she was writing this book with her SON. i was on the edge of my seat, nervous this line would be crossed. i'm such a nut! at any rate, i worried for nothing. everything was well handled. steam was implied, but never detailed.
the mystery was compelling - i'm a sucker for a story that involves Egypt or mummies or tombs. compelling, but ...utterly unbelievable.... i liked it and over all it was a good buddy-read pick, but i did not love it and i never quite got to the point where i *craved* it. it was a book i felt okay about putting down.
:(
March 18, 2010
There is lots of action, and I lost track of the body count as well as who the good guys and bad guys were. Though it says Iris on this page, there are actually two authors--Roy being her son. The main character is scientist Rachel Kirby who has a sister Allie who suffers from a rare genetic disease. She searches for answers to a cure, helped by Johb Tavak. Will they find one without being killed? When was the last time that you read a book where the hero perished?
June 15, 2010
what a piece of crap. why do people recommend iris johanssen? this book was god awful. I may give her 1 more chance in case this was a fluke, but that is it.
October 21, 2017
***SPOILERS***
This book was very interesting. I liked it a lot. It contains an interesting journey of a few of the characters. They went to look for a legendary cure for nervous diseases by a legendary ancient Egyptian woman physician called Peseshet. Her breakthrough had been lost until these characters rediscovered it successfully. This was happening all while someone was trying to stop them. The structure of the book is almost what one might expect a typical, people trying to accomplish a task while someone is trying to stop them sort of novel. The characters in this book had to travel all over the world to find pieces and information trying to lead to a cure. Overall I thought the book was very good. The book contained an antagonist who wanted to stop two characters from obtaining a cure, which, legend has it, that could regenerate the central nervous system. Along the way there were some small struggles as per typical with this type of novel, and of course, someone, or some people get away in the end. The final and main struggle takes place in Egypt at a tomb and, of course, involves the main characters. The main protagonists discovered that someone could only visit the tomb for as long as “a quarter of a summer hour�, or about 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes the tomb started violently shaking, as if an earthquake had struck. The main antagonist tried to get some of his men to stop the escaping protagonists, but were outsmarted. One antagonist in particular had his neck snapped by a fast-acting protagonist. The protagonists escaped the collapsing tomb and carried on with their lives as typical to them. Some of the antagonists escaped but one remained behind and was crushed by the tomb as it collapsed entirely on him. There were also some moles working for the antagonists. One of them worked at the university and in the department of the main character. He was able to leak a lot of information to the antagonists about the protagonists� next moves, so the antagonists could be right on their tails.
This book was very interesting. I liked it a lot. It contains an interesting journey of a few of the characters. They went to look for a legendary cure for nervous diseases by a legendary ancient Egyptian woman physician called Peseshet. Her breakthrough had been lost until these characters rediscovered it successfully. This was happening all while someone was trying to stop them. The structure of the book is almost what one might expect a typical, people trying to accomplish a task while someone is trying to stop them sort of novel. The characters in this book had to travel all over the world to find pieces and information trying to lead to a cure. Overall I thought the book was very good. The book contained an antagonist who wanted to stop two characters from obtaining a cure, which, legend has it, that could regenerate the central nervous system. Along the way there were some small struggles as per typical with this type of novel, and of course, someone, or some people get away in the end. The final and main struggle takes place in Egypt at a tomb and, of course, involves the main characters. The main protagonists discovered that someone could only visit the tomb for as long as “a quarter of a summer hour�, or about 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes the tomb started violently shaking, as if an earthquake had struck. The main antagonist tried to get some of his men to stop the escaping protagonists, but were outsmarted. One antagonist in particular had his neck snapped by a fast-acting protagonist. The protagonists escaped the collapsing tomb and carried on with their lives as typical to them. Some of the antagonists escaped but one remained behind and was crushed by the tomb as it collapsed entirely on him. There were also some moles working for the antagonists. One of them worked at the university and in the department of the main character. He was able to leak a lot of information to the antagonists about the protagonists� next moves, so the antagonists could be right on their tails.
June 15, 2024
After a long time reading Iris Johansen novel. It is always refreshing with some new topic. This time we have a combination of technology, medical science and history. They weave together a complex net.
Rachel Kirby, a computer geek and expert is having a super computer Jonsey which is used for a project of finding a cure for GLD. Her younger sister Allie is a GLD patient and her days are near. Rachel is blind to find the cure for the disease. She uses all the resources she can use to help finding the cure. Her love for sister is beautiful.
She uses computer cycles all over the world for many projects. She has a tie up with Norton of NSA. Recently she finds that some cycles are stolen. She is also attacked with a bullet by a known assasin. She gets saved but she is in hospital recovering.
On the other hand John Tavak is under ground near a tomb to get details on Egyptian female healer Pereshet. He gets stuck with Ben underground and mails Rachel for help and in return he will help her with GLD cure and the cycles which he stole from her. Thus commences the journey of unraveling a mystery for GLD cure.
We have Dawson as the main villain and a rich businessman named Demanski. There are few good scenes as well.
The mystery is good for me. The fast pace of the novel with all sub plots closed is what I like about these books.
We get to know about Egyptian history which is cool.
Fifth star is for Tavak and Demanski..
Rachel Kirby, a computer geek and expert is having a super computer Jonsey which is used for a project of finding a cure for GLD. Her younger sister Allie is a GLD patient and her days are near. Rachel is blind to find the cure for the disease. She uses all the resources she can use to help finding the cure. Her love for sister is beautiful.
She uses computer cycles all over the world for many projects. She has a tie up with Norton of NSA. Recently she finds that some cycles are stolen. She is also attacked with a bullet by a known assasin. She gets saved but she is in hospital recovering.
On the other hand John Tavak is under ground near a tomb to get details on Egyptian female healer Pereshet. He gets stuck with Ben underground and mails Rachel for help and in return he will help her with GLD cure and the cycles which he stole from her. Thus commences the journey of unraveling a mystery for GLD cure.
We have Dawson as the main villain and a rich businessman named Demanski. There are few good scenes as well.
The mystery is good for me. The fast pace of the novel with all sub plots closed is what I like about these books.
We get to know about Egyptian history which is cool.
Fifth star is for Tavak and Demanski..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2020
Another winner for the mother/son Johansen team
Rachel Kirby has developed a computer system to rival and exceed all others. Along with her two graduate students, she is working on a project that she hopes will help her find a cure for her twin sister, Allie. Her path crosses John Tanek’s when he is trapped in a tomb in Egypt, and she brings resources to bear to free him. Thus starts an adventure that takes them across the globe searching for an ancient cure that regenerates cells.
The book had me sitting at the edge of my seat without all the gore of a hardcore thriller. The idea still came across without the detailed description of blood and body parts. That’s a big plus in my book. Their characters are well developed and appealing, even with their obvious flaws, and the plot is intriguing. I hope to see more of these characters in future books.
Rachel Kirby has developed a computer system to rival and exceed all others. Along with her two graduate students, she is working on a project that she hopes will help her find a cure for her twin sister, Allie. Her path crosses John Tanek’s when he is trapped in a tomb in Egypt, and she brings resources to bear to free him. Thus starts an adventure that takes them across the globe searching for an ancient cure that regenerates cells.
The book had me sitting at the edge of my seat without all the gore of a hardcore thriller. The idea still came across without the detailed description of blood and body parts. That’s a big plus in my book. Their characters are well developed and appealing, even with their obvious flaws, and the plot is intriguing. I hope to see more of these characters in future books.
March 29, 2018
This is my first Iris Johansen book and I really wanted to love it. I just couldn't get into this book to save my own life. Forcing myself to read to the halfway point, I found myself dreading my read time at night, my mind wandering while trying to plow through it. The writing seemed a bit choppy and didn't flow, making it really hard to get into. I found it hard to care about the protagonist and her situation, the plot fairly easy to guess where it's going. I love a good thriller/mystery and would say that this title is not as good as I had hoped. I will try another of her books in order to give the author the benefit of the doubt; after all, how can so many thousands of people who love her writing be wrong? Even the great authors can drop a dud every now and again.
June 5, 2017
По незнайна мен причина, напоследък в произволни супермаркети почнаха да се появяват купчини с книги, надписани като, да речем "Книга, категория 5 - цена 5.99"
Измежду тях съм попадал и на откровени отпадъци, но и на няколко доста симпатични книжлета, след които е и това. В общи линии приключенски трилър, микс между Индиана Джоунс и историческите пъзели на Дан Браун.
Стига да не беше сладникавата (моля, феминистките да спрат да четат) и типична любовна афера която ескалира от 10-та страница, и стига до "изненадваща" куулминация към края (добрите се ебат), така типична за писано от жена прилючение, даже наистина бих препоръчал книгата.
Измежду тях съм попадал и на откровени отпадъци, но и на няколко доста симпатични книжлета, след които е и това. В общи линии приключенски трилър, микс между Индиана Джоунс и историческите пъзели на Дан Браун.
Стига да не беше сладникавата (моля, феминистките да спрат да четат) и типична любовна афера която ескалира от 10-та страница, и стига до "изненадваща" куулминация към края (добрите се ебат), така типична за писано от жена прилючение, даже наистина бих препоръчал книгата.
August 11, 2023
A fast read full of science, Egyptian history and lore, action, mystery and love. The love of friends, siblings and romance make appearances in this story. The conflict of good vs evil and big pharma vs a cure for all as vividly described and shared through lots of travel and action scenes as they race to figure out the clues left by an ancient Egyptian figure. Rachel is fierce and so is Allie. I love how different but equally strong the two sisters are. Some of the death and violence was tragic, but still helped build the story. I enjoyed the read and hope to see an update on the research, cute and characters!
August 24, 2017
This story was ok. My complaint is a general one for Iris Johansen which seems to carry over to her son Roy's books as well. The females in her books all call the men by their last names. That is not something most women do - especially for the men they are intimately involved in. If it's meant to show some sort of female strength or women's lib, it fails miserably. It just sounds idiotic in every single story. I wish that the author would get out of this habit - it would make it easier to like the leading ladies.
August 17, 2019
Rachel is a computer genius who is trying to find a cure for her sister's illness. A mysterious call comes for her from miles away. She learns that man called Tavak needed help and that he may have found something to help her sister. She gets him rescued and they start working together to learn about a cure that Pasheshest, an ancient Egyptian doctor, learned about. To complicate matters, there is someone after them.
Moves fast and interesting story and writing. A few bad words, but overall fairly good
Moves fast and interesting story and writing. A few bad words, but overall fairly good
August 7, 2024
I don't want to say this book is bad, but I also can't say that it's good.
For starters I feel as though it reads like a low budget action film, the romance between the characters just seems cliche and forced. The betrayal of the protagonist's close friend is predictable from page one.
My final negative comment is the overuse of the word
Dammit, which is said by at least one character on every other page.
At least one F-bomb would have been a good way to break up the overuse of Dammit.
I have to say,this book was another all filler, no thriller
For starters I feel as though it reads like a low budget action film, the romance between the characters just seems cliche and forced. The betrayal of the protagonist's close friend is predictable from page one.
My final negative comment is the overuse of the word
Dammit, which is said by at least one character on every other page.
At least one F-bomb would have been a good way to break up the overuse of Dammit.
I have to say,this book was another all filler, no thriller
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
First book I've read by her. Didn't know if I'd like her style of writing or the content, but thankfully I enjoyed both!
Her characters each have their own voice, which is a major plus. The storyline about ancient Egypt is not normally anything that I'd choose to read about, but she drew you in and made it interesting.
Only con... still not sure what the title has to do with the book. It just doesn't fit.
Otherwise, great book. Looking forward to reading many more.
Her characters each have their own voice, which is a major plus. The storyline about ancient Egypt is not normally anything that I'd choose to read about, but she drew you in and made it interesting.
Only con... still not sure what the title has to do with the book. It just doesn't fit.
Otherwise, great book. Looking forward to reading many more.
May 8, 2018
It was a page turner that kept your interest. The characters were described as if real people, that could actually be in these places, doing the things that were described! Some chapters were a little over the top, but they made for good reading. Quick fast read!
January 29, 2019
Ту мъч екшън сцени за мен, но като цяло сносен трилър. Исторически факти, дълбоко кодирани тайни и загадки, компютърни спецове, мафиоти, малко секс, малко чувства- от всичко по малко и като че ли фино пипнато.
August 12, 2019
Rachel Kirby is racing against time to find a way to cure her sister's rare genetic disease. John Tavak may have found it in a series of clues from a successful Egyptian female doctor. Together the piece the clues to get to the tablet she left behind. Read and see if they succeed.
November 29, 2021
Този роман би се харесал на някого, който обича тематиката на Индиана Джоунс, египтология, загадки, съвременни технологии и динамично развиващо се действие. Няма по-задълбочени анализи и развитие на образите.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2022
A book you can't put down.
The book was filled with history, action, and romance . A book you just can't put down. I read it in one day. It will hold your interest and keep you on the edge of your seats. A must read.
The book was filled with history, action, and romance . A book you just can't put down. I read it in one day. It will hold your interest and keep you on the edge of your seats. A must read.
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