Well, I think the title sums it up perfectly, but since I've got 400 words to play with, I'll elaborate.
Firstly, the plot is...well quite good. While it might use Mr. Brown's standard "academic and his Mary SueishLove Interest" protagonists, the rest of the cast are all quite interesting. Even the minor characters are at least interesting enough to serve their purpose. The plot has some surprisingly (given who this is) clever twists and even though it's clearly a case of an Idiot Plot it does keep enough suspense to make you want to keep reading. The pacing is also quite good, switching between the male lead being stalked by an assassin in Spain and the female lead trying to keep everything under wraps while they work out what exactly is going on (most likely about a chapter before you do).
The writing itself isn't bad. You won't find yourself sucked in and the odd line will make you cringe, but for the most part it just isn't bad enough to make you lose interest (as long as you're willing to forgive the occasional bit of narm or shoehorned factoid). It won't stand up to a second reading (when you no longer have the plot to distract you) but it certainly does its job.
As you'd expect, the weakest point is the research. Whether this will bother you depends on two things; "Are you Spanish or computer literate?" and "Do you really care?" If the answer to both questions is "yes" then avoid this novel at all costs. It will only serve to annoy you. However if you are able to observe the MST 3 K Mantra then you'll be fine. Just roll your eyes when the NSA makes use of their Viewer Friendly Interface or Spain is treated as a third world nation and enjoy the motorbike scooter chases.
Conclusion
A good way to kill some time at an airport, but don't expect to enjoy it twice. - 6/10
Decent plot, terrible research, average writing.
Well, I think the title sums it up perfectly, but since I've got 400 words to play with, I'll elaborate.
Firstly, the plot is...well quite good. While it might use Mr. Brown's standard "academic and his Mary Sueish Love Interest" protagonists, the rest of the cast are all quite interesting. Even the minor characters are at least interesting enough to serve their purpose. The plot has some surprisingly (given who this is) clever twists and even though it's clearly a case of an Idiot Plot it does keep enough suspense to make you want to keep reading. The pacing is also quite good, switching between the male lead being stalked by an assassin in Spain and the female lead trying to keep everything under wraps while they work out what exactly is going on (most likely about a chapter before you do).
The writing itself isn't bad. You won't find yourself sucked in and the odd line will make you cringe, but for the most part it just isn't bad enough to make you lose interest (as long as you're willing to forgive the occasional bit of narm or shoehorned factoid). It won't stand up to a second reading (when you no longer have the plot to distract you) but it certainly does its job.
As you'd expect, the weakest point is the research. Whether this will bother you depends on two things; "Are you Spanish or computer literate?" and "Do you really care?" If the answer to both questions is "yes" then avoid this novel at all costs. It will only serve to annoy you. However if you are able to observe the MST 3 K Mantra then you'll be fine. Just roll your eyes when the NSA makes use of their Viewer Friendly Interface or Spain is treated as a third world nation and enjoy the
motorbikescooter chases.Conclusion
A good way to kill some time at an airport, but don't expect to enjoy it twice. - 6/10