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The Manolo Matrix

The Codebreaker Trilogy by Julie Kenner

The Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner

Review: The individual books of the best trilogies should be able to stand on their own, but The Manolo Matrix fails in this regard. The basis of the scavenger hunt (clues from Broadway plays) seems overly contrived, and the relationship between Jennifer and Devlin is never believable. The book is billed as an action-packed mystery and romantic comedy, but it is neither of these. It seems the author was simply trying to fill in the gap between the first and third books as quickly as possible with little regard to plot or character development.

Kenner is clearly taking advantage of the incredible publicity surrounding The Da Vinci Code (the title of the first book, The Givenchy Code, being an obvious clue) in penning this trilogy. But while The Da Vinci Code would never be classified as fine literature, it was at least fun to read. The Manolo Matrix is neither.

Acknowledgment: Book Trends provided an ARC of The Manolo Matrix for this review.

Review Copyright © 2006 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Location(s) referenced in The Manolo Matrix: New York City

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The Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner

The Manolo Matrix by The Codebreaker Trilogy

Publisher: Downtown Press
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-9614-8
Publication Date:
List Price: $13.00

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