Zero Hour

To the anonymous reader from California: You crossed out all those sentences, huh? Must have lotsa time on your hands. But waitaminnit . . . wait just a gol-durn minute here! I see now that your "review" was of the AUDIO CD version of the novel. Wow, there's a really neat trick, crossing out those words on a CD, I mean! You'll have to patent that technique; bet it'll earn you a fortune. Also, I've never heard of nonessential (or "not essential", as you put it) characterization. Couldja explain the concept to us sometime? 'Cause I was kinda made to feel sorry for that woman you mentioned (whose murder -- as well as the fact that she had a kid in playschool -- was key to the plot in about a dozen ways).Yee-ee-eesh.

To D-G-S from Chevy Chase:You're right about one thing: we must have read different books because the copy of ZERO HOUR I have in front of me, which has nearly 350 pages, consists of a total of eight chapters, all of which are quite long. If the book you read, therefore, has no chapters that are "more than a couple" of pages in length, simple addition indicates its total number of pages equals ten (10).That's preschool math, Mr D-G-S. Thus it seems you are in error. Either that, or your d-g ate the other 340+ pages before you got to them.Another thing. The book does not purport to be written by Tom Clancy. Its cover credits clearly read "Created by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg, Written by Jerome Preisler". This is true of all seven books in the Power Plays series. The fact that you did not recognize this before making your purchase speaks of no dishonesty by the store, publisher, Mr. Clancy, or anyone else but rather shows your skills in reading the English language to be the sorry equal of your mathematical ones.

I wasn't even planning to write a review but saw the one by Mr. Nostrum (hope I got the spelling right) and had to agree. This is one of the best books I've read all year -- I especially liked the parts set in New York City that involved the Diamond Dealers Club. How on earth did Mr.Preisler get inside information about one of the most secretive organizations in the world? As a New Yorker, I loved the author's obvious passion for the city. As a professional in the diamond and gem industry, I was fascinated by his explanations of modern counterfeiting techniques for diamonds and sapphires . . . and how those same techniques can be applied to acts of terrorism.

Wow! You got the name right, Keith -- didn't expect anyone to respond to my "challenge" so soon!I'd actually meant to talk about the plotline about the Diamond Dealer's Club before I got hot under the collar over some of those other comments. To my knowledge, there's virtually no access to this global economy-altering club by outsiders, yet the novel gives a great description of its inner workings, as well as the fascinating means by which its members police themselves. Also, the part about the chemical plants was fascinating -- I had no idea such a clear and present threat to our homeland security existed near virtually every urban and suburban community in America . . . and that it was being so dangerously ignored by our leaders. Finally, I wanted to say how much I also enjoyed "Avram's New York". Don't want to give too much away, but readers will know what I'm talking about.I guess these are some of the "details" some people actually didn't enjoy . . . go figure.

Before sitting down to write my review, I checked out some of the negatives that have been posted, and am kind of shocked. Have these folks read the same novel I did? If so, they either have some hidden agenda and are lying about what they read, have skipped scenes, or don't understand anything more sophisticated than Archie comics. For example -- a couple of the reviews state there's no action. Yet I'm looking at my copy now and counting action scenes in order . . . a murder in New York to start things out, a rock 'em sock' em fistfight in Chapter 2, a firefight sequence between rebel and army forces in India/Pakistan, ANOTHER murder in New York, more action in Pakistan . . . and I haven't even gotten halfway through the book here. Also without spoiling the climax, there's a motorcycle chase on the New Jersey Turnpike as our heroes attempt to save millions of lives! Too many details? Where? What kind of details? I WISH somebody would be specific, so I could take their criticisms seriously. But nobody here is saying anything concrete. And what's with the guy who said he didn't know who the heros/antiheros are? What exactly does that mean? Could he please explain? I see a lot of heroes and villains who have clear and well portrayed motivations and are neither perfectly good nor bad, but HUMAN . . . like all of us. If you want human nature boiled down to simple, unrealistic absolutes, stick to those comic books I mentioned . . . Superman doesn't come around to save the day in adult thrillers. On the other hand, if this individual had realized this is a SERIES book, he might know who was whom. Anyway, as a huge fan of the POWER PLAYS series, I hope I haven't let my annoyance get the better of me. Maybe I'm overreacting. I would rather have stuck to saying what I LIKED about the books But the dishonesty of these reviews and outright trashing of an author's work without a single word to back up what they're saying -- AGAIN, PEOPLE, LOOK AT WHAT THEY WRITE AND YOU WON'T FIND ONE SINGLE EXAMPLE TO SUPPORT THEIR CLAIMS -- turns my stomach, and begs these comments. Why take their barbs seriously, when the best they can do is call a book a "dog" or "trash"? What does that mean? What does that tell us? Who is the source? Where is he/she coming from politically, philosophically, etc.? Might the individual have some hidden prejudices? We don't know, because they tell us nothing of substance.If a anyone else out there enjoyed these books, I hope they'll post their comments to counterbalance the disingenuous garbage I've read from those other so-called "critics".