Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Genesis Code
by
John Case
A phone call in the dead of night brings Joe Lassiter shattering news. His sister and young nephew have died in a fire in their home near Washington, D.C. Yet Lassiter soon learns a chilling fact: His loved ones were brutally murdered before the blaze was set. . . .
The mysterious suspect's identity only raises more questions. Then Lassiter uncovers another crime--another i...more
The mysterious suspect's identity only raises more questions. Then Lassiter uncovers another crime--another i...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
February 28th 1998
by Ballantine Books
(first published April 15th 1997)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,424)
True story--about 10 years ago, the parents' of a good friend of mine bought a car while wintering in Florida. They didn't want to drive it home, so they flew us down and we did the honors. My friend's mom gave us a stack of books on tape for the ride back. We had planned a bunch of stops and sightseeing, but after putting this on, we essentially drove straight through from Savannah, Ga, to Columbus, Oh. because we just couldn't bear to leave the story.
If that's not high praise for a thriller, I...more
If that's not high praise for a thriller, I...more
It all starts in a small town in the Umbrian countryside of Italy. A devout doctor, nearing the end of his life, confesses to the local priest a sin, the magnitude of which will stretch around the world, affecting the lives of innocent families everywhere. Shortly after this, a man named Joe Lassiter recieves a phone call in the middle of the night, informing him that his sister and her young son have perished in a tragic fire. The cause: arson. To make matters even more shocking, it is discover...more
A priest in a small village in Italy hears the confession of a doctor that sends the priest to the Vatican immediately. Joe Lassiter has a large, successful, private investigative agency. Life is good. And then his sister and her young son are killed in a blast that burns their home to the ground. The fire was professionally set. Then he learns they were killed before the fire. Why? She was an NPR producer with a very ordinary life. This very well crafted story that is gripping until the last wo...more
The first few chapters started with a lot of promise and John Case definitely built an opening full of tension that will make you flip from one page to another. You get the sensation that this book will be a good read. However, halfway through the book, it got very predictable. Not in a "how-it-will-end" kind of predictable, but in a "this-is-what-will-happen-in-the-next-page" kind of predictable.
I can commend the author for the science fiction he has presented but I cannot say the same on the m...more
I can commend the author for the science fiction he has presented but I cannot say the same on the m...more
Here we have the intriguing opening of a priest in a small village, who receives a confession that so shocks him, he closes the church and heads for Rome in order to get assistance. This bit is good, and well-written. You care about the priest who is refused admission to see the Cardinal, and has to go to public toilets to wash.
What follows is not as good: Joe Lassiter turns up to find his sister and nephew have been burned to death in a fire. Beyond arson, it is clear there was also murder invo...more
What follows is not as good: Joe Lassiter turns up to find his sister and nephew have been burned to death in a fire. Beyond arson, it is clear there was also murder invo...more
The goodreads.com site requires one to five stars in a review. I've used three out of five because the book is great, but the cover gave everything away. I could think all day and not come up with a single bad thing to say about John Case. Great creator of excellent stories. This book has a relentless pursuit of a killer. Sometimes my heart raced.
Not often, and certainly not as often as John Case intended. It's the cover. It gives away the premise, the motive, and the first chapters give away th...more
Not often, and certainly not as often as John Case intended. It's the cover. It gives away the premise, the motive, and the first chapters give away th...more
When I go see action movies, I try to keep the mind-set that "this is an action movie. I am here to be entertained." Sometimes, that action movie actually has a plot, character development and a great story and then I become pleasantly surprised. This is exactly how I felt about this book.
I'm not a super huge Popular Fiction fan and this book has been traveling with me to different cities as a "leave-behind" book. When I travel, I take books that, once I've finished reading them, I leave them be...more
I'm not a super huge Popular Fiction fan and this book has been traveling with me to different cities as a "leave-behind" book. When I travel, I take books that, once I've finished reading them, I leave them be...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I found this book by cross-referencing thrillers about the catholic church and historical fiction.
I am glad I found it. This was a great book. It was very difficult to put down. I will definitely read more books by John Case.
The book is very well written and very exciting with extraordinary concepts that keep you guessing until the end.
Basically, a priest receives a confession from a doctor who then dies. Women and children are being killed and burned in a serial killer type fashion. One man, wh...more
I am glad I found it. This was a great book. It was very difficult to put down. I will definitely read more books by John Case.
The book is very well written and very exciting with extraordinary concepts that keep you guessing until the end.
Basically, a priest receives a confession from a doctor who then dies. Women and children are being killed and burned in a serial killer type fashion. One man, wh...more
Joe Lassiter's sister and nephew are killed when an arsonist sets fire to their house. The arsonist botches the job and is himself burned severely, but not fatally. The investigation reveals that the victims were dead before the fire was set. Then the arsonist escapes police custody. Lassiter owns a large PI firm, and he sets his resources to work. He discovered that the arsonist was associated with a splinter Catholic group called Umbra Domini, and that his sister travelled to Italy to a fertil...more
I read this after a friend explained this novel was used in writing classes to show how you build suspense by withholding information. How John Case did it was a sin. :-) I do think it serves as a good example of building suspense. Having known what the "mcguffin" was in this case, I was still interested in seeing how it was drawn out and unveiled at the appropriate times. Overall, I thought this was a page turner most of the way through. It was just as suspenseful as the Stiegg Larson novels I'...more
The promise of the book exceeds the execution. The context is fascinating. An archaeological dig in Turkey uncovers remains that date back to the days of Jericho, if not before. The book ties the remains to the story of Genesis and postulates an anthropological explanation of Genesis and original sin.
Unfortunately, the story is not told well. The author is a journalist, not a novelist, and it shows. The twists and turns of the story depend on unbelievable coincidences, the dialogue is unnatura...more
Unfortunately, the story is not told well. The author is a journalist, not a novelist, and it shows. The twists and turns of the story depend on unbelievable coincidences, the dialogue is unnatura...more
Half Da Vinci Code, half Boys From Brazil. Does that sound like something you'd want to read? I didn't think so.
Got this book from my friend Susan, but my husband snatched it up first. The Hubs is not much of a reader, so for him to really get into this book impressed me. I was a little hesitant at first, the politics of the Catholic church don't hold too much interest for me and I wasn't keen on reading another book where the Catholics are the bad guys, but once the book switches to Lassiter's story the pace and excitement pick up quickly. I was on the right path for the ultimate mystery, but it still th...more
A Thrill Ride
This thriller begins in a sleepy Italian village, with the village priest. He is musing over the fact that he constantly hears the same types of sins being confessed in the confessional when a local scientist/doctor comes in for confession. The reader does not know the confession, but we see the reaction: the priest flees the church and goes immediately to one of his connections in the Vatican. Whatever the sin confessed was, it has world-shaking consequences.
Read more:
http://dwds...more
This thriller begins in a sleepy Italian village, with the village priest. He is musing over the fact that he constantly hears the same types of sins being confessed in the confessional when a local scientist/doctor comes in for confession. The reader does not know the confession, but we see the reaction: the priest flees the church and goes immediately to one of his connections in the Vatican. Whatever the sin confessed was, it has world-shaking consequences.
Read more:
http://dwds...more
Either I have been reading too many of these "suspense" novels or the author intended for the reader to begin to unravel the mystery either before or along with Joe Lassiter, the main character. While I am far from an expert in artificial reproductive procedures there were just enough clues to help me begin to unravel what the strange Dr. Beresi was doing in Italy, the sin he confessed shortly before his death, and why mothers and their young sons were suddenly the target of a conservative Catho...more
read this book b/c a friend said it was a great thriller and mystery. eh - not sure if I've read too many of these and have gotten good at predicting what will happen, but this wasn't really much of a thriller - I guessed pretty much what was going to happen about 60 pages in. Overall, it was written well, with some fantastic dialogue, beautiful description of places that really made you get a feel for the setting, and pretty good character development. But...it still felt formulaic and predicta...more
In einem kleinen italienischen Bergdorf nimmt ein strafversetzter Jesuit einem alten Mann die Beichte ab. Das was dieser Mann zu erzählen hat, veranlasst ihn sofort Hals über Kopf in den Vatikan zu reisen um die höchsten kirchlichen Kreise zu informieren. Das Geheimnis gelangt von dort in die Hände eines anderen Paters, der sich selbst zum Geheimorden "Umbra Domini" zählt - ein Orden der in der Vergangenheit wegen seiner extrem konservativen und geradezu faschistischen Haltung knapp an der Exkom...more
This book has stuck to me through about 12 yrs since i read it, as being one of the best books, I have ever read.
I read it before i even knew about the Da Vinci Code, and thought this book should become a great movie. I wish it had. Some people dont like the detail of biology etc that is put in the book. But i find if fascinating. I feel it was thrilling to read, couldnt wait to turn the page. And I didnt cheat and read the back first, tho I wanted to but resisted!
I read it before i even knew about the Da Vinci Code, and thought this book should become a great movie. I wish it had. Some people dont like the detail of biology etc that is put in the book. But i find if fascinating. I feel it was thrilling to read, couldnt wait to turn the page. And I didnt cheat and read the back first, tho I wanted to but resisted!
This was a unique thriller about some potential "complications" of infertility treatment!!! I loved this story and wouldn't wait to find out what happened in the end.
Be forewarned: John Case's writing is certainly not "easy reading. The story always involves some type of technology, biological issue, religion, etc., that he has to spend a significant chunk of time explaining. I don't see that as a bad thing and enjoy learning about the background info (which is usually very real), but I could s...more
Be forewarned: John Case's writing is certainly not "easy reading. The story always involves some type of technology, biological issue, religion, etc., that he has to spend a significant chunk of time explaining. I don't see that as a bad thing and enjoy learning about the background info (which is usually very real), but I could s...more
If this novel was half as good as the raves (from such literary giants as People) suggest, we'd be talking Pulitzer here. However, I wasn't impressed.
I found the dialogue tedious, and at times downright stupid. Our hero, who heads an investigation firm picked the most absurd times to decide his investigation would end.
And my God, he had a CRUCIAL piece of evidence that he carried in his pocket and neglected to get the damn thing translated from Italian or just plain forgot about it!!!
It was so f...more
I found the dialogue tedious, and at times downright stupid. Our hero, who heads an investigation firm picked the most absurd times to decide his investigation would end.
And my God, he had a CRUCIAL piece of evidence that he carried in his pocket and neglected to get the damn thing translated from Italian or just plain forgot about it!!!
It was so f...more
I used to buy several books at a time due to lots of travel. How I missed this book in my stack, I do not know! I recently found it while looking for another book and realized I hadn't read it yet. Wow! What an excellent book! The writing was such that you were right there in the story, in the Umbrian countryside, Rome.... Action packed! It was hard to put it down once I started!
Aug 16, 2009
Karen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller,
read-in-09
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
It's dated: if this had been written more recently, it would probably be about 200 pages less. As it were, most of the protagonists' inquiries could have easily been answered by the internet. But then again, if this WERE written more recently, it would be called Da Vinci Code or something. The writing itself was good. It wasn't boring, and it's not fluffy.
Good story involving a mix of science, religion and mystery. I did figure out part of the mystery before the main character did, but there was enough suspense left to keep me reading. It's not great writing, but made for a fun summer read. I do have to say that the 'tag' ending was totally ridiculous. The book would have been much better without it.
I discovered John Case when I picked this up in an airport to have something to read. I could not put it down. I was mesmerized by the plot line and a bit frightened by the idea that its premise was not completely out of the realm of possibility. I have read almost every other novel by him and most have left me feeling the same way!
Jul 02, 2009
Dyan Phillips
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thriller,
like-davinci-code
I have been looking for the title of this book forever. A friend loaned it to me and I could not remember the name of it. I felt like it had a great conspiracy. I also enjoyed the science aspect of it. There are parts of it that reminded me of Jurassic Park. I want to get this for my husband to read. It is a fun, fast-paced read.
Jun 09, 2010
roger
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-cottoncandy,
fiction-meh
I'll use the word "thriller" in quotes to describe this one. I had the plot pegged about halfway in. Never really felt connected or interested in any of the characters especially the main investigator Joe Lassiter. It's a real page turner allright...so predictable you can scan-read the whole thing and not miss much.
I didn't have any expectations at all when I read this book - and got completely and utterly obsessed with it, I kept reading whatever happened around me... Loved the combination of religion and science, even though I recall me being a bit disappointed with the ending being too much Hollywood.
love these books written by a former journalist and his wife under the pseudonym "john case". good investigative, globe-trotting mystery. could not put it down. people/children killed, FYI, but has a similar premise to ira levin's "the boys from brazil" - but that's all i'm gonna say.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So many editions | 7 | 27 | Oct 07, 2012 03:41am |
Writing as 'John Case,' Jim and Carolyn Hougan are the New York Times best-selling authors of The Genesis Code and five other thrillers.
An award-winning investigative reporter, Jim is the author of The Magdalene Cipher, a novel of conspiracy, and two non-fiction books about the CIA: Spooks and Secret Agenda.
Carolyn is the author of four novels, including The Romeo Flag.
The name John Case is actual...more
More about John Case...
An award-winning investigative reporter, Jim is the author of The Magdalene Cipher, a novel of conspiracy, and two non-fiction books about the CIA: Spooks and Secret Agenda.
Carolyn is the author of four novels, including The Romeo Flag.
The name John Case is actual...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
