The Informationist (Vanessa Michael Munroe Series #1)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!!

Taylor Stevens' "The Informationist" is an absolute must read. If I had to compare the writing style to other remarkable authors I'd have to say, "Wilbur Smith meets Stieg Larsson." Taylor brings the story to life with the vivid details and precise depiction of a land and people foreign to most. And for those who have firsthand knowledge of the inner politics, land, and peoples of Africa, you won't be disappointed in the true to life descriptions. I was reading through this so fast I was trying to make myself slow down so it would last longer. However, being the page-turner it is that didn't work, so I just read it twice. I have no doubt Taylor Stevens is going to be a household name. I'm looking forward to more Vanessa Michael Munroe attitude and adventure. You will not regret buying a copy for yourself and another to pass on to a friend.
"To my fellow childhood survivors -- you know who you are." Thank you Taylor!

8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Hilarious! -- 1/2 a star!

The heroine, Michael, is a mish mash of Mati Hari & the Terminator! Why are former Special Forces & SEAL members afraid of her? Who knows! Could it be here "special" knife training whereby she was raped repeatedly for years; naturally her confidant and mentor was unaware of the situation. Now there's a great analogy -- getting raped leads to martial arts expertise! Really, The Informationist is a lurid, underdeveloped, and implausible novel. Remember: Having the ability to write a good term paper can lead to a life of international intrique & the ability to stare down mercenaries and criminals of every sort. Warning: this novel is NOTHING like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo! Avoid at all cost!

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Can't Get Enough

Every reader who craves action and adventure will love this book. It is nonstop from cover to cover. The heroine, Vanessa, who goes by as many names as she has personae, is a kick-ass force of nature. She can be as fierce and deadly as a black mamba snake or as elegant and smooth as a high paid call girl on the make. She is multilingual, highly intelligent and lethal. Her preferred job is collecting highly sensitive, often obscure, yet very valuable information, which she sells to high paying clients around the world. She receives an unusual request to attempt to find an industrialist's daughter who has been missing in Africa for four years. All attempts to find her so far have come up short. The girl's father believes Vanessa is his last hope to find his daughter. Vanessa hasn't been back to her homeland of central Africa for years because of the memories of the people, alive and dead, which she left there long ago. Those memories will revive in her the rage and darkness which have been her hell and her salvation through numerous life threatening forays. Although preferring to work alone, her employer saddles her with a companion, who while highly skilled in his own right, is hardly a match for Vanessa's savage world. All the juju that she can call up will be needed to fight her enemies both past and present as she cuts her way deeper and deeper into the mystery that is awaiting in Africa. This book provided for review by the well read folks of Crown Publishers.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Mesmerising and Intense, a MUST read for fans of fiction everywhere!

Taylor Stevens, in her first published work, mesmerises. At once well constructed and defined, as well as thought provoking and entertaining; The Inofrmationist left me longing for more. Her prose breathes intensity and life into her heroine which left this reader feeling a remarkable camaraderie with her champion of the vulnerable.

Taylor Stevens is one to watch...if this book is any indication as to her future in fiction, I am decidedly excited to read what follows. What has this reader even more interested (if that were possible)is her personal biography, which can be found on her facebook page. One can only hope, at some point, that Miss Stevens sets aside her fiction and gives us a bit more of her own journey...but not until the saga of Vanessa Michael Munroe is played out to the end.

While ANY appreciator of good writing, framing unique situations, will be enrapt; readers of the thriller genre, most specifically, fans of the late great Steig Larsson, will find this book a welcome respite from the hole he left behind. Thank God Stevens is here to fill it.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great read

First book in a long time that had my total attention! I loved it! I will start The Innocent right away!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

This book was so good that I stayed up all night finishing it and had to call in sick to work the following day. It's not to be missed.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

OK

Lizbeth Salander has nothing to worry about. This was an OK book, but in my opinion Lizbeth still holds the corner on the market when it comes to heroines. The book would have been a lot better if the author had included a map. I spent a lot of time with my World Atlas just following the geography Anne Smith

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Informationist is a great read

I am ashamed to admit I picked up The Informationist only after finding I had nothing else to read. I had read no reviews - or even the jacket cover. I spent the first few pages confused - as confused as Munroe's "targets" - but soon was unable to put it down.

Stevens' writing allows the reader to gradually and almost subconsciously understand the characters, surroundings and plotlines, without the clumsy explanatory dialogue or detailed background information I have found so annoying in other books. The story is fast-paced and action-packed. But what really intrigued me were the characters.

Vanessa Michael Munroe is a cultural chameleon, linguistic savant and unrivaled information gatherer and analyst with a tortured and violent past and a self-acknowledged tentative hold on sanity - a complex and richly developed character I came to care for deeply. The secondary characters are equally dimensional and I found myself quite invested in their fates - any one of them could support an entire book of his own.

I hope Stevens continues to write stories like this one that keep me thinking long after the last page is turned.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of the best authors I've found in forever! I love the way s

One of the best authors I've found in forever! I love the way she writes and can't wait for her next book.

Better than expected

I liked this book. Different plot. I could not put it down.

page turner

Intriguing story line and unpredictable thriller. Taylor Stevens is on my top five writers list.

Amazing

After coming off the struggles i had with lisbeth salander, this book was so much easier for me to get into. Its obvious this author read Steig's books and at one point he deliberately alluded with one if Lisbeths names with the F word thrown in the middle. It was too obvious and was glad it did not happen again. Really loved Michael, Miles and Francisco. Africa continent was amazing. So much easier without all the swedish names to stumble over. Would recommend to anyone who loves riveting drama. Am ready to start #2.

Best Intrigue Thriller

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time, its nice and long too. the characters are real and I couldn't put it down, or turn the pages fast enough! I plan to pre order the next book.

Warning: You will not want to put this book down!

You should really consider having time to finish this once you start because you will be sucked in. All I have to say is that who cares if a map is included?!?! Stevens' ability to bring the places that most of us will never experience to light is astounding. Not only does the plot of this story keep you guessing (which is the point of a thriller isn't it?) but the main character is complex, and stirs controversy in even the least attentive reader. Munroe is a new kind of heroine. Her experiences are believable, yet hard to imagine. You are left in awe of her strength, yet troubled by her loss of control. And although many of us will never come close to living through the situations that Michael Munroe experiences, her struggle with demons of the past is something that everyone knows something about. I really enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to much, much more from Taylor Stevens.

Pick up this "can't put down" thriller!

I highly recommend this fast paced thriller! Ms. Stevens does an excellent job creating an interesting plot with complex characters. I wanted to keep turning the pages to find out what was in store. Be aware that once you start reading this book, you won't want to put it down. It is that good! Planning to read the next books in this series.

Kept me wanting more

Starts out a little slow, but overall very exciting and a great ending! I would definitely recommend it.

Amazing Story, Brilliant, Fast Paced, a New Favorite!!!

Taylor, although you may have heard this a million times already, the Informationist is one of my favorite, if not favorite. I listened to it in my hour car ride to and from work. I could not wait to get back in my car to find out what happened next. I often sat not getting out of my car just so I could finish a specific section. Only a couple of books have intrigued me as much, like Tom Clancy's "Without Remorse", Stieg Larsson's Trilogy, David Baldacci's Oliver Stone Books, Douglas Preston's Aloysius Pendergast Books, and Nelson DeMille's John Corey Books. Please keep writing the Michael books, soo soo great!!!

Good storyline

I am not all the way done with yet, but so far so good. Its is good enough that I don't want to rush throught it. I don't get the reviews that say the main character is a copy of Salander from Steig Larsen books. I think more books should be written about strong, smart females who can fend for themselves.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome action adventure!

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