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Jul 16, 2011

Kim rated it:

I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed in this book. As another reviewer wrote, "NOTHING HAPPENS!" I have to agree with that reviewer. I just kept waiting for the book to take off, but it never did. There was one big surprise for me toward the end, but all in all it was just okay.

Now, I did give the book three stars. I wouldn't say not to read it at all, just that if you did read The Emperor of Ocean Park you will probably be disappointed in this book.

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Amanda rated it:

I don't read many thriller novels, but I've recently been trying to expand the types of books I read to get a better variety. A friend suggested that I read The Emperor of Ocean Park, but I decided to try this one out instead since I had the opportunity.

In Jericho's Fall, Beck, a former CIA member, is summoned to the home of her once-lover as he lays dying. She assumes that she was called to say her goodbyes, but things quickly become more than they seem and she becomes pulled into a w More...

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Oct 17, 2010

Monique rated it:

Well this is my fourth book from this author and I must say easily the most accesible and easy to understand..With his huge books The Emperor of Ocean Park, New England White and Palace Council there was a lot to digest, a very verbose intricate way of saying anything and a way of meandering off topic to expound on the side relationships,scenery and whatever..In this book I didnt find any of that, it was concise and actually readable with a plot, however I didnt find the plot resolved well as yo More...

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Sep 14, 2010

Chuck rated it:

I'm not sure why I liked this book as much as I do . . . despite the dust jacket copy, it's not a thriller in the conventional sense, and so much of the narrative is left unexplained, so many mysteries left unsolved, that you finish the last page saying 'WTF,' as in, "What the . . . " or "White Taco Flautas."

But rising about fair to middling plotting are the characters Rebecca "Beck" DeForde, a mid-thirties executive trying to escape a scandalous past More...

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Feb 28, 2010

Roger rated it:

When I compile my list of favorite novelists, it begins with John Irving, drops down to Pete Dexter and Leonard Elmore and drops one more notch to Michael Connelly and Dan Brown. But I have a new contender now, Stephen Carter.
Jericho’s Fall, the latest novel from Carter, is a huge departure from his previous efforts. Those three novels were well-crafted, multi-dimensional and very ethereal. They dwelled on the problem of racism in America and focused on the black intelligensia, and Carte More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Carol rated it:

Well... I'm a big fan of thrillers, but this one has been a disappointment. I heard an NPR interview with the author that made me eager to dig in, however, what starts as an interesting premise for a suspense novel sags badly in the middle. There are a couple of flaws that irritate this reader: first and foremost, Carter seems to have a hard time writing dialogue; it just does not flow in a natural way. Secondly, he has no idea how women think, and creates a scenario where Jericho is such a sup More...

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Aug 07, 2009

Michelle rated it:

I would give it a 2-1/2 if such were possible. Carter's writing is always engaging. I was halfway through the book almost before I could remember starting it, but in the end, I'd have to say the book, as defined by the book, is a wisp (something laid out as bait, that turns out to be of no importance; a clever diversion). In case anyone reading this wants a diverting beach/plane book, I won't spoil the plot, or even describe it, but in this book Carter brings in characters, plot lines, questions More...

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Jun 14, 2010

Sara rated it:

Huh?
Gotta weigh in with the rest of the gang on this one. What I like best about Carter is his precise use of the English language, and how everything is plotted out to perfection, and how not a single word is extra--even when they seem like they are, in the first few chapters. Emperor of Ocean Park was superb. Next one was quite good, Palace Council was just complex, meandering and boring (didn't even finish it).
Jericho's Fall was like Stephen Carter meets pulp thriller writer (whi More...

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Apr 01, 2010

Zhiqing rated it:

This books started off well, with interesting premises. A dying man, who was Former Everything (Director of CIA, Nation Security Advisor, to name a few) summoned her former lover to his sickbed. As she cooped up in the house they built together years ago in the little mountain town in Colorado, a sleuth of strangers descended on the town, all with an agenda, eiether to try to stop him from spilling secrets that might hurt national security or to try to extract secrets from him that might have s More...

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Jul 10, 2011

John rated it:

Rebecca "Beck" DeForde returns to Colorado to see her supposedly dying ex-lover, the former director of the CIA, among other things he used to do before his relationship with him ruined his reputation.
Once there, she finds herself in the midst of intrigue and a search for information that the government, terrorist groups and high-flying business tycoons want. Nothing is what it seems to be, and no one is what he or she pretends to be.
The plot twists are dizzying and implaus More...

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Feb 15, 2011

Marie rated it:

This book just plain didn't work for me. The basic plot line is that the main character, Becky DeForde, is called to the bedside of her dying former lover, Jericho Ainsley. Jericho used to be the head of the CIA, but has isolated himself in a mountain retreat and descended into paranoid delusions -- or are they delusions?

The problem with the book, for me, is that there just wasn't any suspense. Becky gets more and more suspicious that there's something really going on here -- kind More...

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Nov 15, 2009

Becky rated it:

As Jericho's Fall opens Rebecca DeForde is navigating the treacherous, wintry roads that lead to the remote compound of her former lover--the "Former Everything" as he is often known, sometimes affectionately, sometimes not--Jericho Ainsley. The former Director of Central Intelligence, Secretary of Defense, White House National Security Advisor--well, the Former Everything--is dying, and despite their having shared only 18 months together, 15 years earlier, Beck is rushing to his side More...

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Oct 03, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine rated it:

Despite a few doubts about the plausibility of the book's story line, most critics thoroughly enjoyed Jericho's Fall, a fast-paced thriller filled with intrigue, deception, and suspense. Carter guides Beck, his appealing, likeable heroine, through labyrinthine plot twists at breakneck speed, stopping along the way to shed light on the shady underbelly of the CIA, national security, and even Wall Street. Though the Boston Globe lamented the book's sacrifice of character in favor of complicated pl More...

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Jun 18, 2010

helen rated it:

I grabbed this book impulsively, having enjoyed "the emperor of ocean park", but would not recommend it. the characters are all sketchy and one-dimensional and (I hate this) all use very similar styles of speaking - eg, everyone calls each other "honey". that doesn't ring true to me at all for at least 3 of the characters, all supposedly members of a patrician new england family; if a book doesn't involve children and doesn't take place below the mason-dixon, then drop the More...

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Sep 19, 2011

Titilayo rated it:

as always wonderful book! the plot was a glimpse into the upper echelon of black america with a dose of the absurb. it was well written. i mean the story is layered so that everything developments in sync: the plot, characters, action, time, and your engagement with the story. true it takes 350 pages to dictate one very eventful week in colorado; but by once you reach The Interrogation things take place so rapidly you hardily notice when the helicopter swoops in to....

"eve More...

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Sep 15, 2009

Carl rated it:

Finished Jericho's Fall last night. As I do with thrillers, I've only been reading it before falling asleep. The end is pretty snappy, which is good, as for me, the third quarter of the book moved slowly. I pushed through the last pages before midnight, then crashed.

This is the first book by Stephen L. Carter that I've read, though I know of him as a Yale Law professor, and I'm sure that over the years I have purchased his scholarly books for the library. A pretty good second g More...

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Sep 19, 2009

Anne rated it:

I had the same reaction to all three of Stephen L. Carter's previous three novels: great suspense, a little long, a tad bit pretentious on the 50-cent words but well written, intriguing discussion of race relations. Jericho's Fall is none of these things. I was suprised that Carter came out with a novel so soon after Palace Council, but after reading Jericho's Fall, I think I understand why. Unlike his previous three novels, Jericho's Fall simply isn't that intelligent. The writing is unsophisti More...

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May 19, 2011

Barbara rated it:

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed in this one. The writing style is nothing like his other books; in this beach novel, it's all about racing through the action, no concern with the character development or eloquent descriptive passages that I like in his other works. Basic story is that a young woman is summoned to an isolated house in Colorado where a former flame is on his deathbed. He was connected with various operations over the years, federal and private, and appears to have so More...

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Aug 21, 2009

hllf rated it:

Good build-up and suspense but a major letdown of an ending. Here is a breakdown of my rating:

Enjoyability: 2.5
Re-Readability: 1
Character Development: 3.5
Complexity: 4
Writing Style: 4
Believability: 3.5
Overall: 3.08

This was the first book I read by this author. I had high expectations, as he is a law professor and a writer of many opinion and political books and commentary. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

The book starte More...

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Feb 05, 2010

Danielle rated it:

I checked this book out of the library for Scott to read -- he enjoys a good spy novel as much as the next guy. When I ran out of reading material myself, I decided to give Jericho's Fall a try and I kind of wish that I hadn't. The lead in -- a former CIA director lies dying and the plucky mistress who ruined his career treks all the way to his mountain retreat to bid him farewell-- seemed interesting enough, but then the novel got bogged down in bizarre plot twists involving important "s More...

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Aug 11, 2009

Chris rated it:

I devoured this book on a cross country flight. Don't know if I would call it the best espionage novel written in the past 20 years like Lee Child did, but it definitely moves and makes you want to read the author's other works. I really didn't consider it an espionage novel but more a survival novel. A woman trying to do the right thing ends up fighting for her life and having to make lots of difficult choices. You are never quite sure who is a friend or an enemy. Beck, the main character, navi More...

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Jan 09, 2010

Caitlin rated it:

I really like Stephen Carter's other novels which manage to be both interesting thrillers and intelligent observation of politics and of the African American upper classes. Carter is smart and writes well and I look forward to his books even though I don't always agree with his politics.

This one, however, was utterly disappointing. I suspect that Carter wanted to write something fast and easy and this book is certainly that - and that's the problem. There are many many thrillers o More...

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Sep 27, 2009

Aaron rated it:

I really enjoy Stephen Carter, though I'm not sure this book sold as well as his previous three.

It's a departure from the first three which were thrillers set in upper crust African-American society. This one features a white female caught up in either the hallucinations of a former CIA director or the espionage equivalent of a car chase.

It's lighter than the first three Carters and has an ambiguity that seems to bother readers who want everything spelled out. I enjoy More...

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Sep 01, 2009

Joy rated it:

This book was loaned to me by one of my favorite sources, but I was glad
to finish. The story involves the "shadowy world of spies, official secrecy and financial fraud." I'm thinking I need a character I like to
really enjoy a book. Otherwise, who cares what happens. The story was
way too "drug out" and there was too much looking back at past events
that were equally boring and not getting on with the current intrigue.
By the time we had flashed More...

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Apr 09, 2011

Crystal Starr Light rated it:

Jericho trips, stumbles, and falls flat on his face in this non-thrilling, confusing "thriller"

NOTE: I received this book as part of the Amazon Vine Program

Another thriller choice from Vine!
Once upon a time, Jericho Ainsley was a former Intelligence director and Secretary of Defense before he became a professor and wooed Rebecca "Beck" DeForde, a nineteen year old college student. Now, fifteen years later, he is near his death bed and assured someone More...

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Aug 15, 2009

Peter rated it:

Stephen Carter, who has a more than enough career as a legal scholar is also the author of very fine fiction of a thrillerish bent...though we could call these literary thrillers. Jericho's Fall, his latest outing is a magnificent spy...economic malfeasence...social commentary novel for our time. Filled with mysterious bad guys who might be good, a bitter family division and a nearly accurate love story is a page turner of the highest quality. If you like your characters ambiguous...this is the More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Ruth rated it:

Started this one as a change of pace from Vanity Fair and Jane Eyre.

I had decided not to read anymore of Stephen L Carter because he was in desperate need of a good editor. And then I found this book which was shorter in length than his previous issues and I thought he had finally found an editor. And, indeed, he found one who must have said hurry up with the ending already. And he rushed the last chapter or two and I don't have a clue what happened in the end of this book. Honestly, More...

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Oct 21, 2009

Elaine rated it:

This book falls short on character development. Stephen Carter clearly doesn't understand women enough to write about them and how they relate to one another. The book was a fairly quick read, but the ending was very disappointing. I felt like we never got to understand the main character or how/why she ever cared about Jericho in the first place, much less why she was so compelled to return to him for the "death march". Very unrealistic, but someone entertaining.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 23, 2009

Diane rated it:

Definitely a fast thriller--like most in this genre, it takes place within a few days when Jericho [used to be head of CIA, National Security Council:] calls Rebecca, his one-time mistress, to his bedside. Jericho has secrets, and he's let it be known that when he dies, those secrets will be exposed. So A LOT of people descend on his fortress in Colorado to make sure that doesn't happen. Whom can Beck trust?

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

Alfredo added it

This book has an intriguing premise. It helps that the dialogue and characterization are above the run-of-the-mill spy thriller. Where it falters is in the plot. The characters are interesting, their motives murky, but the action drags in several sections to the point where I almost stopped reading it. I kept going through and while the end was somewhat puzzling, I think it was a worthy book.

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