Member Reviews
Catherine Coulter has once again written a captivating story of the adventures of FBI agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela (Mike) Caine in this fifth of the A Brit in the FBI series. Weaving in ancient tales with current day technologies, the character development is outstanding. Along the way we also get to get a glimpse into falconry.
Missing manuscript pages, languages only known to twins, and a view of what technology in the wrong hands can do all add up to what we have come to expect from the author. I am ready for Paradox, the next work coming out shortly.
I was given an eArc in advance for review purposes.
This is the 5th book in the “A Brit in the FBI” series by Coulter and Ellison, albeit the first that I have read. My first comment is that this may be a series you want to read from the beginning as there are many references to the past without much explanation for the first time reader. This fact notwithstanding, The Sixth Day is an entertaining read. Nicholas Drummond is the Brit in the FBI, and is partner is Michaela “Mike” Caine are part of Covert Eyes, a special unit of the FBI. The prologue to this novel is set in Romania in the mid-15th century as Vlad Dracul III is about to lose a major battle and a valuable book must be secured by his brothers, a book that is in play centuries later. A series of deaths of prominent persons in London and the surrounding area portend a larger conspiracy, but what ties all of the suspicious deaths together is the manner in which the victims are killed. Nicholas and Mike are called in, and all the assets of Covert Eyes are called upon to uncover a technological attack as weak as the murders. I thought the book began slowly (probably because I was unfamiliar with the main characters), and there are a lot of characters to keep straight, but the pace picked up about a third of the way through and was pretty much "unputdownable” as the villains become known and must be stopped. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my review.
I am a huge fan of Catherine Coulter and read all her books, either authored alone or co-authored. This book was no exception. I thoroughly enjoy reading the Brit in the FBI series and enjoy the camaraderie between the two main characters, Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine. THey manage to get themselves into another high-level drama while trying to enjoy vacation time in England. I must admit this particular story-line took me a little to get into, but was well worth the read. Combining modern technology and acts of terrorism with dark secrets of the villain of the story interwoven with some other-worldly historical facts keeps the reader’s interest in the outcome.
Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.
First of all, this is a fantastic series and "The Sixth Day" is just a wonderful as the others. I love how there are several plots going on at the same time, a great mix of international intrigue and the relationship between Mike and Nicholas. They're a perfectly imperfect duo.
The co-authors do a fantastic job with their characters, great settings and plot. I enjoyed reading this book very much. I can't wait till the next one is written!
*I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
The Sixth Day by Catherine Coulter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the fifth book in the series but worked OK for me as a stand alone. The characters were interesting. For me there was not that much in the plot. Told from various character's point of view there was little mystery left. The story did move along and I found that the use of the Dracula trope did give some interesting history. All in all an average read.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
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Let me start by saying that, once again, I requested a book that was part of a series. A series that I did not start from the beginning. This book is #5 and I do feel like I may have missed out on a bit of the set up of the characters.
With that being said, it was a great book that includes mystery, suspense and intrigue.
My thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advanced readers copy.
https://www.amazon.com/review/R1Y5V1EC8VVU9X/ref=cm_cr_othr_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8
I've always loved Catherine Coulter. This book was no exception. It was long, and had some time hops to explain backstory. The action was intense, the plot was quite intriguing, and the characters were well-formed. Great book.
This tightly woven suspense novel starts with a bang and grips the reader from the first page. The beginning of the story could be right off the pages of today’s news as all the elements are current in our society: drones which target individual victims, computer hacks perpetrated by software we buy to protect us (remember the Kaspersky scandal?), traitors within the government, terrorists, and so forth. Our heroes, Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine along with their software guru, Adam, make miraculous strides in just an hour or so with the existing cyber-invasion of both British and American intelligence services.
We’re given pictures of Roman Ardelean, the bad guy (or is he really somewhat of a patriot?) and his brother and their organization, a software house producing software for maximum security for governments and their most secret agencies.
The middle of the book takes us on long historical journeys, beginning with Napoleon in Italy, on his way to conquer Russia and then 100 years later in the Russian palace with the deposed royal family and Rasputin. All of this has to do with hemophilia, particularly as it affects twins. It also has to do with the Voynich, a missing document from Yale University’s library and rare collections. Also interspersed with everything is vampirism as our bad guy (yes, he turned out to be bad) and his twin brother are direct descendents of Count Dracula. Oh MY! Can we put anything else into this novel? Yes, as a matter of fact, there’s quite a lot about falconry.
On the plus side, I would have to admit that these various historical references kept me doing research to learn more. I always enjoy that. But quite frankly, the excess of it did overwhelm the plot. In defense of the authors, I will have to say that all of these historical side tracks were woven together nicely.
If you’re looking for a good read with tight suspense and lots and lots of interesting historical references, you’ll really enjoy this. Personally, I’d give the first third 5 stars, the middle about 2 and the ending no more than 2. So I guess, 2.5 rounded up to 3. I got really tired of all the super fantastic cyber-ploys and by the last fourth of the book, just wanted to finish.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for making this ARC available to me.
I am normally a huge Coulter fan, but this one fell flat for me.
3.5 fast moving stars
Throw in some drones, falcons, evil twins related to Vlad Dracula, an ancient book that no one can read, and a former agent of M16 now with the FBI and his sidekick paramour agent, Michaela and you have what makes for an engaging fast paced read. I enjoyed this book even though it had many unbelievable segments that seemed a bit touching on the sci fi genre.
Nicholas and Michaela on on the trial of a ruthless man, Ramon, who is the millionaire owner of a tech company which specializes in computer programs that prevent hacking. Problem is Ramon has a secret twin who suffers from raging hemophilia and Ramon is desperately trying to find a cure. Problem is that Ramon's computer programs are present in most of everyone's computers plus those of governments throughout the world. What sounds noble however, masks the concept that Ramon does not care who or what he harms in order to attain his goal. He believes the answer to his brother's illness lies in an ancient book, the Voynich manuscript which no one supposedly can read, no one that is except Ramon, his brother, and Dr Isabella Marin. As mentioned Ramon is ruthless and will do anything he can to achieve his goal including using an army of sophisticated drones, falcons (yes the bird variety) and death and destruction.
To thwart Ramon whose goal is eventually ferreted out by the agents Nicholas and Michaela, they embark on a life threatening mission to save the world, most especially England. The books follows the villains and the good guys as the final attack of London, Parliament, the Queen the Prime Minister, and even the American President swings into full gear.
This book was a quick kind of escape from reality which incorporates possible vampires, blood drinking and assorted things that have come down in the Dracula legend.
Thank you to Catherine Coulter, J.T. Ellison, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing this reader with an advanced copy of this novel.
Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.
I love this series with its quirky, sy-fi plots and, most of all, the wonderful mystery/suspense plots. "The Sixth Day" more than lives up to the other books in this series. There are several plot lines thorough out the book. It seems at times that Mike and Nicholas left their renowned instincts at home and I loved this book all the more for that little plot twist. They didn't have all the answers, but that doesn't mean the baddie got the best of them.
Nicholas Drummond and Mike are supposed to be on vacation with his family in London, England. Nicholas's grandfather, Baron de Vesci, is the head of a multi-million dollar cosmetics company and he has a computer problem, his system is being held for ransom. Nicholas, hacker extraordinary, takes a look and uncovers a whole lot of bad going on. Then, on top of that people are dropping dead, like the Vice-Chancellor of Germany on the steps of 10 Downing Street. A drone is spotted overhead and Nicholas's father asks him and Mike to help out. So much for a vaca.
During the same time Dr. Isabella Marin, a young employee at the British Museum has discovered missing pages to a medieval text from the time of Vlad Dracul III. The enigmatic Voynich Manuscript is a text that no one has been able to decipher, and the Manuscript was stolen from Yale over a year ago.
You ask how these events could possibly be related? Read the book and find out. You will be taken on a wonderful, fantastic, rollercoaster of a ride with a bang of an ending.
I have always enjoyed Coulter's FBI series, but I like this spin-off even more! Nicholas and Mike are at it again and it is a race against time to defeat their enemy.
Please forgive me. I did not finish this book. I am a huge fan of both of these authors. Catherine Coulter has been a staple in my reading life FOREVER. J.T is newly discovered and enjoyed. But....that being said. This book did not work for me. I will not post a bad review. I do not want to damage the authors hard work based on my opinion.
A wonderful mix of literary genres are presented in the fifth book of the A Brit in the FBI series. For fans of Drummond and Caine, you will not be disappointed. Once you start reading, prepare to stay until the end. Two thumbs WAY up.
I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Mike and Nick are back in the fifth book in the "A Brit in the FBI" series. And once again it is a roler coaster of a ride. Ransomware, drones, raptors (birds), DNA, and Dracula, all combine to make a thrilling read. As with the previous books this is almost touching the sci-fi genre, but that just makes it better. The drone part of the book is absolutely terrifying because it is so plausible. Read and enjoy and lose yourself for a while.
This is an intense and intriguing story. It's full of suspense, mystery and drama. The characters bring the intensity of the storyline to life, and the storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat. I love how the old world and the new world come together to lend intrigue and intensity to the story. It's a book that I recommend adding to your TBR list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
A complicated and engaging thriller incorporating modern technology, a real-life unreadably manuscript and Romanian legends. The fifth in the Brit in the FBI series, The Sixth Day brings together a serial killer, drones, computer viruses, falconry and Dracula.
Nicholas, Mike and the Covert Eyes team return in the latest Brit in the FBI series entry. Someone is killing powerful men in public with an unknown weapon. A rich and eccentric billionaire tech mogul is building a drone army against ISIS. A real 15th century manuscript may be decoded using twin speak. A serial killer, nicknamed Dracula, is moving across Europe killing and then removing the blood of his victims. As the novels moves to its conclusion, these disparate threads come together in a powerful conclusion.
I have never read any other book in this series. I selected The Sixth Day because it sounded like the DaVinci Code meets Dracula. It does contain true parts just manipulated enough to move the plot forward. The Voynich manuscript is real and has not yet been translated. Vlad III (Dracula) did exist but did not have twin sons. He did have a younger brother named Radu the Beautiful though. Overall, I enjoyed the many sub-plots within this book. Other readers who like overstuffed plots will also appreciate this book. 4 stars!
Thanks to the publisher, Galley Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.
The Sixth Day by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison was given to me thru NetGalley for an honest review. This is the fifth book of A Brit in the FBI series by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison. Special Agents Nicholas Drummond and Michaela (Mike) Caine are vacationing in England at the Drummond estate. Just as Nicholas and Mike start to enjoy their much needed vaction; however, their vacation will have to take a backseat. A very serious computer ransomware happens to Nicholas Drummond's father's company, topped with mysterious deaths of prominent people of various countries government, and the person pulling the strings. Nicholas and Mike are asked to help solve what caused the deaths of government officals, and why those people. As Mike and Nicholas get closer to answers, there is someone who will stop at nothing to stop them from finding out the truth, and possibly stopping him from finding a cure for his brother. A brother races to find a cure for his brother where his obsession of finding a cure leads him to kidnap famed Dr. Isabella Marin for she hold the answers to the Voynich manuscript. The Voynich manuscript has a possible cure for the fated brother, or is it believed to because of the obsession one has with it and it's unique language.
I truly enjoyed The Sixth Day. Some may say that it is not believable, but to me it is. Ransomware is something that no one wants to receive, or being followed by drones or watching a bird of prey removing the implement cause of death. The Sixth Day was fast paced, action packed, humor, and a just the right amount of romance. Thank you Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison for another fantastic adventure.
A fast-paced suspense from Coulter's Brit in the FBI series, that will keep the reader engaged on a suspense that has touchpoints throughout Euorope.