The Fool's Run Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
John Sandford, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Prey novels gives suspense an ingenious twist as he takes readers into the mind games of two irresistible con artists plotting the perfect sting…Kidd is a computer whiz, artist, and professional criminal. LuEllen is his lover, and his favorite partner in crime. Their playing field in on the cutting edge of high-tech corporate warfare. This time they’ve been hired by a defense industry corporation to destroy its business rival through computer sabotage. If Kidd and LuEllen can pull it off, they’ll reap millions. It’s the sting of a lifetime. One false move and it’s a lifetime sentence. As the takedown unfolds, everything goes according to plan. But their string of successes turns into a noose when the ultimate con artists find themselves on the wrong end of the ultimate con… --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
Hardcover: 254 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt; 1st edition (August 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805009906
ISBN-13: 978-0805009903
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #912,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #74 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > Science & Technology > Computers #319 in Books > Teens > Hobbies & Games #24648 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction
Don't be confused, but this the 1st book in the series although it appears to have been published after the "Empress File" (at least under the name John Sandford, it was originally published under the author's real name, John Camp). Also, the book jacket I read made it sound like this was the return of the main characters (Kidd and LuEllen) but it is not. This is the book where they first work together. With all that said, this book is good but not as good as some other Sandford novels I have enjoyed. I am a computer nerd of sorts myself, so I found the books plot (computer hacking/industrial warfare) interesting. The scenes centered around LuEllen's skills at B & E are good too. The story includes some clever elements and plot twists that always make for a fun read. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it as a precursor to reading the better novel, "Empress File."
Apparently, The Fool's Run is the first of the LuEllen-Kidd novels. Thankfully, I read The Empress File first, as it is a far better book. Had I read The Fool's Run first, I'm afraid I would have been left with a poor impression of the characters, especially LuEllen who was an interesting, exciting character in The Empress File but was merely a cocaine-snorting burglar in this installment. In addition, The Empress File characterized LuEllen and Kidd as essentially moral in what they did. Sure, they were criminals but they were doing what they did for the right reasons. In The Fool's Run, that's not so clear and causes them to be somewhat less redeemable.All-in-all, this might be the least engaging Sandford novel I've read thus far. It is, however, entertaining enough to keep the pages turning.
While not up to the excellence of his later novels, "Fools Run" is still an great book and entertaining read.Fast-paced, fun, and full of suspense.You have to suspend belief somewhat as it is easy for the reader to guess what is going to happen to the characters in the book early on - but in a way this adds to the suspense of the book as you keep wanting the characters to wake up and catch on to what seems obvious to the reader.This book has a bit of a nostalgic touch to it, as many of the compter terms and equipment talked about in the book are out of date.If you like this, you should see his book "Empress File"
I do not share the disappointment expressed by some of the earlier reviewers, perhaps because I do not read many novels and this was my first exposure to John Sandford. In any event, I found this "airplane book" so interesting that I made time to finish it once I got home.The integration of several sub-plots, the detailed portrait painted of the primary character, the ins and outs of planning the destruction of a corporation, and the final surprise ending, very much an "out of the box" solution for an impossible situation, gave me great satisfaction, to the point that this author joins Robin Cook, Dick Francis, and Michael Creichton as a trusted provider of light entertainment.
Kidd is a computer whiz. He's hired by the wealthy Anshiser defense group to destroy a business rival by disrupting the rival's internal computer processes. Kidd recruits LuEllen, burglar par excellenc, and Dace, former investigative reporter to help. Kidd is also helped by the mysterious Bobby who can hack into almost any mainframe. Kidd does his job well and the rival business is on the ropes. But someone takes out Dace and tries to terminate both Kidd and LuEllen. But who's behind the trigger? Is it the destroyed company, the governrment, or perhaps even the Anshiser group itself?This book was written by John Camp (real name of John Sandford) before he branched out to the Prey series. As such its computer technology is dated but the story itself is still entertaining. Kidd and LuEllen are interesting characters and Mr. Sandford is a good writer. The book does gloss over certain areas of how Kidd actually does cause the computer systems to fail but that's only a minor quibble. All in all I found the book entertaining. If you like Mr. Sandford's Prey series I think you'll like this book too.
John Sandford is most known for his "Prey" series, which mostly deals with serial killers. This is a VERY different kind of novel.Basically, it's a caper. A corporation hires main characters to hack into computers of their rivals. Not to steal information, but as a revenge for using stolen designs. Of course, it's not that simple, but you get the idea.This novel was first published in 1989 and it aged rather well. Many thrillers that utilized technology in 80s-90s are nearly impossible to read today, because they tend to explain such things as 'modem' and 'e-mail' to, presumably, ignorant readers.Sandford doesn't. He gives enough of explanation to satisfy people with minimum computer knowledge, but doesn't tend to explain everything.This is not a book that leaves you breathless, it's just a fun read with sympathetic characters.I think it's perfect for a train ride or a plane flight. I'll definetly read other Kidd novels (The Empress File and The Devil Code), but, how should I put it, they are not very high on my list.If this was a new book - I would have given it 3 stars. But it gets extra star for being still readable after more than 10 years. Most thrillers that deal with technology become annoying in 5.
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