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The Devil's Workshop: A Novel
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Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Author: Stephen J. Cannell
Publisher: HarperTorch
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $6.99
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Author: Stephen J. Cannell
Publisher: HarperTorch
Average Customer Rating:
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The Devil's Workshop: A Novel Description
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780380732210
ISBN: 0380732211
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 448
Publication Date: 2000-11-01
Publisher: HarperTorch
Product Release Date: 2000-11-07
Studio: HarperTorch
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780380732210
ISBN: 0380732211
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 448
Publication Date: 2000-11-01
Publisher: HarperTorch
Product Release Date: 2000-11-07
Studio: HarperTorch
Editorial Review of The Devil's Workshop: A Novel
They told USC grad student Stacy Richardson that the death of her noted microbiologist husband was suicide, but nothing will convince her of that. Now only her own death will keep her from the truth...
They told "Lucky" Cunningham he was doing his patriotic duty, but not about the terrible plague he was bringing home with him from the war. Now, with nothing more in his life to lose, he's riding the rails across America--straight into the heart of a nightmare too horrifying to contemplate...
White supremacist Reverand Fannon Kincaid told his hobo acolytes that one day their racial "enemies" would perish. Now he holds in his possession the unthinkable means to an unspeakable end...
The Devil's Workshop
Customer Reviews of The Devil's Workshop: A Novel
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A great read
Review: Even if you don't recognize Stephen J. Cannell's name, you probably know his work - his list of credits includes television shows as diverse as "The Rockford Files," "Hunter," "The A-Team," "Silk Stalkings," and "The Commish." The multitalented Cannell is also a successful novelist, having penned four bestsellers in the last four years. Seemingly loath to repeat himself, Cannell tackled a different subject each time - The Plan examined presidential politics, Final Victim focused on the exploits of a brilliant serial killer, King Con featured a family of con artists, and Riding the Snake explored the workings of Chinese organized crime.
Cannell's latest,The Devil's Workshop, tells the story of newlywed Stacy Richardson, who, as the novel opens, is about to take her qualifying oral exam for her doctorate in microbiology. Stacy's world is turned upside down when she receives the news that her husband, Max, a research scientist at the Army Medical Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, has committed suicide. Refusing to accept the Army's story, Stacy infiltrates the installation and discovers that the Army is lying about Max's death. Prevented from investigating further by the head of the project, the zealous Admiral Zoll, Stacy vows to uncover the truth behind her husband's death and about the top-secret biological weapons she suspects the Army is developing at Fort Detrick.
Based on discussions she had with Max prior to his death, Stacy theorizes that the Army is working with prions, proteins that, when ingested or injected, eventually attack the brain, causing symptoms similar to those of mad cow disease. Her fears prove to be more mundane than the reality: Admiral Zoll and his chief scientist, a lunatic named Dexter DeMille, have designed a prion-based weapon that targets specific ethnic groups.
Things go from bad to worse when the East Texas town of Vanishing Lake is accidentally exposed to the weapon. During the ensuing confusion, DeMille is kidnapped by white supremacists who plan to use the weapon to eliminate so-called "inferior" races. Stacy forms an unlikely alliance with a hobo named Lucky Cunningham, an ex-Marine who witnessed the "cleansing" of Vanishing Lake by an embarrassed military, and Buddy Brazil, a cocaine-snorting Hollywood mogul whose profligate son accidentally falls victim to the prions. Together, they struggle to expose the military and to prevent the white supremacists from carrying out their plans for genocide.
Cannell's scriptwriting roots are evident on every page - put the narrative in the present tense and the dialogue in screenplay format, and The Devil's Workshop would read like the script of Will Smith's next star vehicle. Even so, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because, at his core, Cannell is a consummate storyteller. Although he does make some mistakes (his penchant for creating characters with alliterative names like Sylvester Swift, Sid Saunders, Randall Raider, and Buck Burger is especially annoying), the book is still a great read - its serpentine plot, over-the-top action scenes, colorful characters, and snappy dialogue make The Devil's Workshop a guilty pleasure, a reading experience akin to watching a well-executed action flick. If you want great literature, pick up a copy of Anna Karenina. If you're looking for stellar entertainment, you'll find a plentiful supply in The Devil's Workshop.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A colorful read likable characters
Review: I like Cannell, he writes with a visual sense. Our knowledge of his characters develop along the way. This time out we rode on the rails with hobos and lunatics set to destroy us all. Always fast paced likable an enjoyable read. I hate 5 stars I would prefer to keep that for the 10 best books I have ever read but this system doesn't work that way so this was fun and worth the time.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: This book is a must read!
Review: The Devils Workshop is my all time favorite book. It ties together so many different subjects: science, love, action... It's so easy to get hooked on, I've read it at least ten times...and I'm still not bored of it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who loves to get lost in the action and emotion of a great book.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Whole Lot of Moving
Review: As I finished this novel (it is a novel, it's part of the title) I was struck by how many times the author "moved" his characters. These characters never ran or walked, the always "moved." As in, Cris moved to the door. Not a big problem but after several hundred pages it became annoying.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Disappointing
Review: I think Stephen J. Cannell is wonderful, however, this is a real "snoozer".
Review Summary: A great read
Review: Even if you don't recognize Stephen J. Cannell's name, you probably know his work - his list of credits includes television shows as diverse as "The Rockford Files," "Hunter," "The A-Team," "Silk Stalkings," and "The Commish." The multitalented Cannell is also a successful novelist, having penned four bestsellers in the last four years. Seemingly loath to repeat himself, Cannell tackled a different subject each time - The Plan examined presidential politics, Final Victim focused on the exploits of a brilliant serial killer, King Con featured a family of con artists, and Riding the Snake explored the workings of Chinese organized crime.
Cannell's latest,The Devil's Workshop, tells the story of newlywed Stacy Richardson, who, as the novel opens, is about to take her qualifying oral exam for her doctorate in microbiology. Stacy's world is turned upside down when she receives the news that her husband, Max, a research scientist at the Army Medical Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, has committed suicide. Refusing to accept the Army's story, Stacy infiltrates the installation and discovers that the Army is lying about Max's death. Prevented from investigating further by the head of the project, the zealous Admiral Zoll, Stacy vows to uncover the truth behind her husband's death and about the top-secret biological weapons she suspects the Army is developing at Fort Detrick.
Based on discussions she had with Max prior to his death, Stacy theorizes that the Army is working with prions, proteins that, when ingested or injected, eventually attack the brain, causing symptoms similar to those of mad cow disease. Her fears prove to be more mundane than the reality: Admiral Zoll and his chief scientist, a lunatic named Dexter DeMille, have designed a prion-based weapon that targets specific ethnic groups.
Things go from bad to worse when the East Texas town of Vanishing Lake is accidentally exposed to the weapon. During the ensuing confusion, DeMille is kidnapped by white supremacists who plan to use the weapon to eliminate so-called "inferior" races. Stacy forms an unlikely alliance with a hobo named Lucky Cunningham, an ex-Marine who witnessed the "cleansing" of Vanishing Lake by an embarrassed military, and Buddy Brazil, a cocaine-snorting Hollywood mogul whose profligate son accidentally falls victim to the prions. Together, they struggle to expose the military and to prevent the white supremacists from carrying out their plans for genocide.
Cannell's scriptwriting roots are evident on every page - put the narrative in the present tense and the dialogue in screenplay format, and The Devil's Workshop would read like the script of Will Smith's next star vehicle. Even so, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because, at his core, Cannell is a consummate storyteller. Although he does make some mistakes (his penchant for creating characters with alliterative names like Sylvester Swift, Sid Saunders, Randall Raider, and Buck Burger is especially annoying), the book is still a great read - its serpentine plot, over-the-top action scenes, colorful characters, and snappy dialogue make The Devil's Workshop a guilty pleasure, a reading experience akin to watching a well-executed action flick. If you want great literature, pick up a copy of Anna Karenina. If you're looking for stellar entertainment, you'll find a plentiful supply in The Devil's Workshop.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A colorful read likable characters
Review: I like Cannell, he writes with a visual sense. Our knowledge of his characters develop along the way. This time out we rode on the rails with hobos and lunatics set to destroy us all. Always fast paced likable an enjoyable read. I hate 5 stars I would prefer to keep that for the 10 best books I have ever read but this system doesn't work that way so this was fun and worth the time.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: This book is a must read!
Review: The Devils Workshop is my all time favorite book. It ties together so many different subjects: science, love, action... It's so easy to get hooked on, I've read it at least ten times...and I'm still not bored of it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who loves to get lost in the action and emotion of a great book.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Whole Lot of Moving
Review: As I finished this novel (it is a novel, it's part of the title) I was struck by how many times the author "moved" his characters. These characters never ran or walked, the always "moved." As in, Cris moved to the door. Not a big problem but after several hundred pages it became annoying.
The story is ok, nothing special, more like a TV movie. The real problem is the timing. On one page Cannell says it is 8:30am and a bright crisp day and on the next page it is pitch black with dark clouds covering the moon. Later the evil folk outrun a train, on foot, and through mountains.
So, if you can get past the moving and timing then the story is passable. Not award winning, but with some character changes it could have been an A-Team episode.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Disappointing
Review: I think Stephen J. Cannell is wonderful, however, this is a real "snoozer".