Gideon’s Corpse
Gideon Crew Series, No 2
Read by David W. Collins
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Hachette Audio
January 10, 2012 / ISBN: 1611139880
Thriller / Audiobook / Audio CD (Unabridged) / 11 hours, 27 minutes
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

Gideon’s Corpse is the sequel to Gideon’s Sword, the beginning of the story of Gideon Crew. Gideon is a physicist at Los Alamos in New Mexico. He took a vacation from the lab and met a man named Eli Glinn, who sent him on an assignment. Now, he has another job for Gideon. A coworker from the lab has taken a family hostage and the authorities want Gideon to talk him into letting the hostages go, at least letting the two kids go free.

When Gideon arrived at the family’s home, he found Reed Chalker yelling about being kidnapped experimented on with radiation. Gideon was immediately transported back in time to the day his father had a holding a hostage. After Melvin Crew surrendered on promise that his demand would be met, Crew had been killed by a sniper. Gideon didn’t want the same thing to happen to Chalker.

When Chalker had died because he was going to execute the ten-year-old boy, he was found to be highly radioactive. Maybe Chalker had been telling the truth! Maybe he had been kidnapped and exposed to radiation!

Like Gideon’s Sword, Gideon’s Corpse leaves something to be desired. It isn’t that the main character isn’t likeable or memorable. Gideon Crew is what compelled me to read this second book in the series. Perhaps the lack of the unexplainable that pervades the Pendergast novels that makes me feel like something is missing. Gideon’s exploits are, though thrilling in their own way, they are somewhat ordinary compared to Pendergast’s. If Preston and Child spiced them up, the series would be superb. So, listen to Gideon’s Corpse and see what you think.

Gideon's Sword [review]

Reviewer's Notes: Contains violence, sex, profanity