Rules of Deception

Dr. Jonathan Ransom, Book 1

By: Christopher Reich

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Dr. Jonathan Ransom, world-class mountaineer and surgeon for Doctors Without Borders, is climbing in the Swiss Alps with his beautiful wife, Emma, when a blizzard sets in. In their bid to escape the storm, Emma is killed when she falls into a hidden crevasse.

Twenty-four hours later, Jonathan receives an envelope addressed to his wife containing two baggage-claim tickets. Puzzled, he journeys to a remote railway station only to find himself in a life-and-death struggle for his wife's possessions. In the aftermath of the assault, he discovers that his attackers - one dead, the other mortally wounded - were, in fact, Swiss police officers. More frightening still is evidence of an extraordinary act of betrayal that leaves Jonathan stunned.

Suddenly the subject of an international manhunt and the target of a master assassin, Jonathan is forced on the run. His only chance at survival lies in uncovering the devastating truth behind the secret his wife kept from him and in stopping the terrifying conspiracy that threatens to bring the world to the brink of annihilation. Step by step, he is drawn deeper into a world of spies, high-tech weaponry, and global terrorism - a world where no one is whom they appear to be and where the end always justifies the means.

Rules of Deception is a brilliantly conceived, twisting tale of intrigue and deceit written by the master of the espionage thriller for the 21st century.

©2008 Christopher Reich (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Thrilling and twisting plot

This was one of those "nothing is what it seems" plots where a seemingly normal existence is discovered to be anything but that, after a doctor's wife dies in a skiing accident. Although I felt he was unnaturally naive throughout it, it made for a really good read.

Captivating

The reason I purchased this book was because it was narrated by Paul Michael. He did an excellent performance again,
This book got my attention from the beginning and held it all the way to the end. Some events were not believable and seemed contrived, but then again some of the events happening today that are true, you might think were contrived and from an over active imagination.
I am looking forward to listening to Rules of Vengeance.

Love this story

Where does Rules of Deception rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is an Audio book that makes you sit in your car in the garage until who know when to see what happens. My family loves this book.

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

Great reader of this book, we enjoyed is voice and how it changed for different people.

Any additional comments?

Need to start the next book to see what happens.

Great Story and Narrator

I loved the story, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time with twists that where both unexpected but made sense.
The narrator is excellent at voices and even accents it makes the story even more enjoyable.
My only issue is the formatting. The book has 88 chapters but the audible version shows 18 very long chapters, it was hard to find a place to pause it without reasonable chapter lengths. I hope that isn't the case for all his books because I want to keep listening to this series.

My new favorite author

After three of his novels I can say that Reich is my new favorite. Incredibly well researched. Informative. Current. Paul Michael is s master of narration and voices. His Various accents are top notch. Bravo!

Too fantastic

A fast paced spy novel set in the post 9/11 world of terrorists and fanatics. The story becomes more and more unbelievable as it unfolds while at the same time becoming more predictable near the end. No real suspense in the conclusion. The narrator did the Da Vinci Code but stumbles occassionally with regional American accents. Overall, OK if you can suspend your disbelief.

Action Pack

I Loved this book. I was on edge. I got tired from the suspense of what will happen next. I couldn't put it down. Good Book.

engrossing and exciting

This was a perfect escape book. It took a little while to get into, but it was worth it. Danger, confusion of who were the bad guys, evil insanity. Just what the doctor ordered.

Great read.

If you could sum up Rules of Deception in three words, what would they be?

Excellent story telling.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. It was not predictable at all. Really great plot with plot.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of them.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Stretches believability

It's a decent story, and the plot while as elastic as a box of rubber bands, mostly holds together. The protagonist is likeable but incredibly naive. The supporting characters are with rare exception, uniformly stupid, incompetent and frequently corrupt. How a doctor can regularly outfox and beat law enforcement professionals, international spies and trained assassins, pulls that elastic aggressively. It's still a good listen, because the reader is excellent. Don't bother with the second book, it is utterly unbelievable and takes itself way too seriously.