Odds On by Michael Crichton writing as John Lange

First Line: Le Perthus, France: The dynamite, neatly bundled in "Happy Birthday" wrapping paper, lay casually on the backseat.

Three Americans have used an IBM supercomputer to plan the perfect heist. Now all they have to do is blend in at the finest resort in Fascist Spain in order to carry it out. It doesn't take them long to discover that the computer planned for every contingency except one: the Hotel Reina is crawling with femmes fatales.

This is Michael Crichton's very first novel, and although it's not bad, it's certainly not good. The very best part of Odds On is the heist. I've always enjoyed a good heist story. Perhaps I was a cat burglar in a former life. But then the incidentals start clouding the issue. The author included an overlong scene in which the explanation is given for how the computer planned out the robbery. I have to be honest: my eyes crossed midway through and I skimmed the rest. Of course, this was written in 1966, so all that computer stuff was new and fascinating and not really trusted.

The other "incidental" that spoiled Odds On was the inclusion of all the gorgeous women with long long legs and huge firm breasts who strutted from scene to scene-- not to mention bed to bed. Ah well, I think we can say that Michael Crichton as a young writer loved James Bond films and all those Bond Girls.

Fortunately, this was a quick read, and although I didn't really enjoy it, I do value it as a window into the world of an author who wrote some of my favorite thrillers. These early books are his learning curve.
 

Odds On by Michael Crichton writing as John Lange 

eISBN: 9781453299234

Open Road Integrated Media © 2013

Originally published in 1966.

eBook, 288 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: C-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Two Reviews for the Price of One: Crichton and Camilleri

First Line: Starting in the early dawn light, he had driven up into the mountains, leaving the flat sprawl of Kingston behind him.

James McGregor is hired to dive down to the wreck of the Grave Descend, a yacht sunk off the coast of Jamaica in an area infested by sharks. McGregor knows from the beginning that something isn't right about the entire setup, so he dives in with his eyes wide open.

Grave Descend by John Lange writing as Michael Crichton

eISBN: 9781480400610

Open Road Integrated Media © 2013

Originally published in 1970.

eBook, 203 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

A collection of nine short stories from the inimitable Andrea Camilleri which covers some of the early cases of beloved Inspector Salvo Montalbano. 

Death at Sea: Montalbano's Early Cases
 by Andrea Camilleri

Translated from the Italian by Stephen Sartarelli.

eISBN: 9781101992111

Penguin Books © 2018

eBook, 288 pages

Short Story Collection, Inspector Montalbano

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Why did I combine these two book reviews? (1) Because I'm trying to get ready to go on holiday, and I'm running out of time, and (2) because I had the same reaction to each. Simple, eh?

Both books are by marvelous writers who really know how to tell a tale. Grave Descend was written under a pseudonym while Crichton was in medical school. (He must not have needed any sleep.) Both books are fast-paced and pull the reader in, but... (You knew there was a but) ...there really wasn't much substance to either. However, that did not bother me. Both books are very pleasant ways to spend an afternoon in settings and with characters you enjoy. I consider both to be time well spent.

 

Easy Go by John Lange (Michael Crichton)

First Line: The Great Pyramid of Cheops filled the horizon.

There's nothing better that brilliant Egyptologist Harold Barnaby loves to do than go back over translations of ancient hieroglyphics and correct all the errors he finds. That's how he finds a message that just might lead him to a tomb holding fabulous treasure. 

He could put his name on the greatest archaeological find of the century, but there's one slight problem: he doesn't just want to dig it up. He wants to steal it. Unfortunately he's going to need help accomplishing this. With the aid of a smuggler, a thief, and an English lord, Barnaby plans his heist. What none of them realize is that tomb raiding is much trickier than they thought.

I've been slogging through a raft of unlikable characters in my reading lately, and I needed a complete change of pace. I was in the perfect mood for an adventure about finding-- and trying to steal-- the lost tomb of a pharaoh. Written under the pen name John Lange while he was still a resident, Michael Crichton's Easy Go was exactly what I needed when I needed it. (The man wrote books while in medical school and as a resident? Did he need no sleep?)

Yes, the book has its problems. The romance was rather feeble. Not only did it not seem to have much purpose in the book, it didn't do a thing for me. The characters were also stereotyped, but that almost goes hand-in-hand with most thrillers where the emphasis is on plot over character. 

I was more than willing to overlook the weaknesses for the luscious story. Speaking of weaknesses, I have one for a heist story well told, and this one delivers. I've always been fascinated with ancient Egypt and wondered what it would be like to actually find a pharaoh's tomb. From finding one, it's not that big of a jump to wonder what you would actually do with all that treasure-- especially if you thought you had a good chance of stealing it.

If you love ancient Egypt and are in the mood for a bit of fast-paced tomb raiding, give Easy Go a try. You might just enjoy it as much as I did.

Easy Go by John Lange (AKA Michael Crichton)

eISBN: 9781480400580

Open Road Integrated Media © 2013

Originally published in 1968.

eBook, 288 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.