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Gideon's Corpse  By  cover art

Gideon's Corpse

By: Douglas Preston,Lincoln Child
Narrated by: David W. Collins
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Publisher's summary

A top nuclear scientist goes mad and takes an innocent family hostage at gunpoint, killing one and causing a massive standoff.

A plume of radiation above New York City leads to a warehouse where, it seems, a powerful nuclear bomb was assembled just hours before.

Sifting through the evidence, authorities determine that the unthinkable is about to happen: in ten days, a major American city will be vaporized by a terrorist attack.

Ten days. And Gideon Crew, tracking the mysterious terrorist cell from the suburbs of New York to the mountains of New Mexico, learns the end may be something worse--far worse--than mere

©2012 Douglas Preston (P)2011 Hachette

What listeners say about Gideon's Corpse

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Who is Crew?

I've been a Preston & Child fan since Relic was first published. Needless to say I'm a huge Pendergast fan, but I also love all their stand-alone novels as well.

I was excited to see them try something new with Gideon Crew and I applaud their efforts, but Crew still feels a bit pale to me. I can't quite get a handle on who he is and what he's about.

Say the name of any other character in the Preston/Child pantheon - Bill Smithback, Nora Kelly, Palmer Lloyd & Sam McFarlane - Eli Glinn! - and I can describe them, their personalities and their motivations. This is hard to do with Crew. Who is he and what does he want?

This book doesn't really clear that up. At the start all Crew wants is to go fishing, and by the end of it he wants to spend the time he has left working for Glinn. Why?

Maybe this slow reveal of Crew is purposeful and part of whatever it is they're trying with this series. I don't think they've even described what Crew looks like with any memorable detail, at least none that I remember!

I'll keep reading for Glinn and Garza but Crew is still a mystery to me - in a frustrating way because there are other characters - like Preston's Wyman Ford and Abbey Straw - I'd like to read more about.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gidieon's Introspection

This follow up book started rather slow, dragged at times but if you were a fan of the first book it is a must read.

These are two of my favorite authors, and with this new series they are trying to break the mold they have created for themselves. I shyed away from the first book because of all the negative reviews then I found out Gideon works for EES and that Eli Glinn is featured in this series and I downloaded without hesitation.

I admit I enjoyed the first book more because the story was more broken up, somthing this novel could have benefited from. Once the action got going I settled in and enjoyed it more. Quite a few thriller cliches but I suppose those are increasingly difficult to avoid. One element of this series I particularly enjoy is the use of social engineering. I look forword to more installments.

I really wish they had just when with Scott Brick from the get go but the two different narrators so far have been passable.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Yawn! Preston & Child can do MUCH BETTER!

Preston & Child created A.X.Pendergast so they always get the benefit of the doubt to start... They introduce E.S.S. & Eli Glinn during the planned escape from the penitentiary in 'Book of the Dead', but Gideon as far as I know was never introduced in any of the AXP novels.

BUT, I REALLY HOPE that the whole 'Gideon Crew' & Glinn with 'ESS' doesn't take time away from how often the duo writes the AXP series. Because all the subplots or story lines in this book are not put together well nor are they nearly as thrilling than other books written by the duo or solo (I didn't even bother reading 'Ice Limit' due to reviews & the synopsis)

I think that ESS did amazing things with the planning & execution in the ' AXP Diogenes' series but Gideon himself is just not a magnetizing enough person to write a whole book on, not to mention the cast is subpar at best & their abilities & power is entirely confusing to me... I mean who is Gideon besides a friend of the bomber & a really smart scientist? what type of power does he really have besides knowledge of nuclear physics? Isn't that why we have a NEST team, Delta, HMS, & all the other safeguards in this country??? because if we are relying on Gideon & one mere FBI agent plus randoms to save our country from destruction, I think I will move to Canada or something lol...

In the words of Jack Reacher = 'I know its more important to the terrorists because we are sending our B-team while they sent their A-team to complete the mission' Springfield = 'How do u know our gov't sent the B-team?', Reacher = 'because if that was our A-team we all better move to another country!'

Suspension of disbelief can only go so far & if an author is going to cross that envelope it better be a really entertaining read to make up for the unrealistic scenes plus a very good narrator. In my opinion this book falls far short... Save a credit & get something else

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent read

I love the Pendergast series and was a bit apprehensive about how good a new series is going to be. All I can say is that I can't wait until thy release the next Gideon story. This was full of action, kept me in suspense and I didn't have the end figured out half way through the book. Another great read by these two authors!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disaster is near and Gideon is on the case

Gideon Crew is back for another crazy out there adventure that defies all laws of probability.

Here we have Gideon Crew picking up where the last book left off. We learn Gideon has a friend holding people hostage and rambling like a maniac. The story unfolds into a massive threat to the United States. The pace is fast, the storyline interesting and the actions Gideon gets away with are absolutely ridiculous.

I gave this book three stars because I still like Crew and feel his character is very refreshing. Unfortunately, the whole book fell short for me toward the middle. The clues Gideon finds and how he connects the dots are such an incredible stretch, I had a hard time with it.

Getting past the dicey approach to crime solving, the real challenge to the reader will be the end of the book. I thing Douglas & Preston took a nice holiday and asked Michael Bay to pen the last few chapters as it gets absolutely ridiculous. Let's just say if you are a fan of big, unlikely action sequences in really expensive crappy movies you are just going to love the end of Gideon's Corpse!

As always, Douglas & Preston keep me entertained and I still liked the book I want Crew's actions to be brough back down to earth.

I listed to Gideon's Corpse in audiobook format and while David W Collins did a good enough job, I much preferred John Glover's performance in Gideon's Sword.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Boring.

I am a big fan of Preston and Child. But not this book. Very boring, predictable and way too long for the story they are telling. I will not bother with another "Gideon" story. Save your credit.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting Ride But Padded

Gideon's Corpse is Preston and Child's latest foray into global apocalyptic threats. It's an exciting ride and the authors again demonstrated their proven ability to introduce the plot in a subtle, engaging and ingenious manner.

The auathors have teed up Gideon Crew as an alternative to Aloysius Pendergast, the albino FBI agent whose eccentricities and unusual skills have propped up the Pendergast mystery series. Crew emerges as a complex, anti-hero hero who, like Pendergast, has an unusual and sorrowful history but who possesses unique skills that are brought to bear.

The novel is a real "page-turner" and I found myself several times unwilling pause my iPod and put the story on hold. That said, several of the action scenes were belabored, unnecessarily long and seemed to be used to pad the length of the story. Shorter, in this case, would have been sweeter.

The reader David Collins struggled to put life into some of the characters. This was most evident in his portrayal of Gideon's sidekick, FBI agent Stone Fordyce (great name!), who came across as a lifeless automaton who spoke in monotones devoid of emotional affect. Stone was a key character to the story and a better reading of his lines would have added to the tale.

In short, a good book, a good story and well-worth the price and time.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gideon Takes Shape - Preston & Child do it again

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I read everything these guys right as soon as it comes out. But I especially love any story with Eli Glinn (sp?). He's a cunning and genius engineer who can build and plot any endeavor. With this second in the series of Gideon thrillers, the character is taking shape. I liked this better than the first and can't wait for the next.

What did you like best about this story?

The character of Gideon is developed more fully. What drives him. What distracts him. He is a tragic character in that he has a fatal condition that could kill him within a year, but something tells me he will outlive this dire prediction.

What does David W. Collins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A sense of drama and excitement.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh in spots.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good effort from great duo

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have been telling great stories for a long time, and they have definitely worked at perfecting the art. Book 2 in the Gideon series is a solid follow-up to the series opener. It adds the element of the ticking clock (missing from book 1) very effectively. The characters are believable, though the dialog is a little cheesy in spots. The narratation by David W. Collins is certainly adequate, though his calm voice seems a tad incongruous with the story at times. Fans of P&C's Pendergast series will see a pretty steep dropoff in overall quality between that series and the Gideon books, but this is intentionally a very different genre, so expectations should be adjusted accordingly. Interestingly, the authors chose to write about Muslim terrorists without having Muslim terrorists be the ultimate antagonists. It's also a bit strange that one character goes off on a tirade against China without ever mentioning the country by name. I do wish the authors had done more to address the primary conflict; you leave with the sense that although the crisis has been averted (for now), the larger problems remain. On the other hand, I suppose that reflects reality. All told, it's a good book by a pair of authors that readers have come to rely on for great storytelling.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Gideon ain't no Pendergast

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Enough said.

Would you listen to another book narrated by David W. Collins?

Certainly not the best reader.

Do you think Gideon's Corpse needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Gideon should be allowed to die a painless uneventful death.

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4 people found this helpful