Read Death Match by Lincoln Child Online


When a perfect couple commits double suicide, alarms go off in the offices of the high-tech matchmaking company. Investigation into a second couple's double suicide reveals a stunning labyrinth of artificial intelligence, creative genius, and a melding of technology that does indeed deliver on the company's guarantee of a perfect, lifelong mate....

Title : Death Match
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 9780307275561
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 388 Pages
Status : Available For Download
Last checked : 21 Minutes ago!

Death Match Reviews

  • John G
    2019-04-07 20:47

    I generally pass on novels with multiple authors. However, the Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child partnership is a mystery to me. Together, their trashy airport thrillers are actually not bad at all for the genre. Yet on their own, these guys deserve a special section in the Dan Brown wing of the Museum of God-Awful American Writing. I assumed after Douglas Preston's word-poop "The Codex" (listened to this driving up to Yosemite) that Lincoln Child was the decent author in the Preston/Child partnership. "Death Match", about a super-computer that optimizes online dating, disproved this theory in a big way. The book started out OK but devolved, Stephen King-like, into a trite, completely predictable mess toward the end. Much of "Death Match" was suspiciously similar to the earlier, also weak Preston/Child collaboration "Mount Dragon". At least Child is safe from plagiarism charges on this one, though his crimes against people stuck on a Southwest Airlines flight with only one book (ie. me) remain unanswered.

  • Krissy
    2019-04-03 16:07

    It picked up at the end but the first chunk was just so slow I had trouble getting into it. Plus listening to the audiobook made the scenes with all the number data extremely annoying.

  • Jaime
    2019-04-15 12:53

    This is going to be quick because I listened to this book a while ago and can’t remember a lot of the details! I do remember that I enjoyed it. I found the concept more interesting than I expected. Basically, couples who are deemed “perfect matches” by the high-tech matchmaking company, Eden, are committing mutual suicide at an alarming rate. Lash, a psychiatrist, is brought in to find out why people who have no known suicidal tendencies would do it. Eden is panicking, desperate to show that their process is not flawed, and therefore, not responsible.The plot probably could have moved along a little more quickly, but overall I thought it was a good listen. There was one big problem with the audio production – there are parts of the book where Lash is reading various psychological reports and test results, and in the audio they read out every bit, even the multi-digit id numbers and various other numerical data. It grew tedious, and I think they should have altered that a bit for the audiobook.If you are looking for a thriller that isn’t mired in the military, in espionage, or in the financial district, I think this would be a good choice.

  • Patrick Gibson
    2019-04-01 17:43

    The last of Child’s solo efforts for me to read, "Death Match" is first-rate brain candy when it's compared to other plot driven thrillers that seem much more screenplay than novel - James Patterson's and Iris Johansen's recent factory driven voluminous output comes to mind. But by comparison to the rather high standards that have been self-imposed by his own previous work - the Pendergast canon in conjunction with his partner, Douglas Preston, and his first, “Utopia” - "Death Match" falls well short of that mark. There were so many opportunities for those technical addenda, side-bars and essays that I think of as part and parcel of Child's and Preston's writing - forensics, artificial intelligence, the computer dating and match-making industries, the psychology of suicide, computer security and corporate espionage, for example. But, sadly, all of them (not to mention character development in the bargain) were virtually ignored and the only motive for turning the pages was a plot. Creative and well-crafted, to be sure, but rather naked and lonely!

  • Elizabeth
    2019-04-17 16:12

    I listened to the audio version of this. I thought it was pretty good for the genre. I had an inkling early on as to the nature of the killer, but a good number of red herrings made me doubt my conclusion for a while. *** SPOILER****My one big gripe with the plot was the fact that Dr. Lash ignored the disruptions and weird things going on with his accounts; that seemed like a pretty big clue. After one or two of these things happened, it seemed extremely suspicious and he kind of blew it off - even though they kept talking about how the Eden systems could get into all of the nooks and crannies of your digital existence. I kept waiting for him to ask someone at Eden to look into it since they would have had access to all of that information. It was also suspicious since it all started after he took the job with them and had given over all of his info, but I guess that would have ruined the fun.

  • Brian's Book Blog
    2019-04-25 13:09

    Honestly one of my favorite books! About a computerized dating system that matches you to the 99th percentile to your mate. Excellent book!

  • Mike
    2019-04-24 21:06

    How do you make a uneventful novel even more boring? Find a monotone audiobook narrator . I'm convinced my GPS has more personality.Couldn't finish

  • Karthik Parthasarathy
    2019-04-07 17:47

    I have always been intrigued by the amount of data that the dating sites crunch and the algorithms behind these sites in coming up with a perfect match. When I read the blurb of this book and realized the theme of this book was based on a similar Concept, I had no hesitation in picking this book up. Plot: Eden Inc is a company which is primed towards matching and making their customers happy. Those candidates who get through the initial screening at Eden, more often than not, find a match and once they find a match, it is rest assured that they will live happily ever after. All is fine and dandy at Eden Inc till one of their Super couples (couples who matched 100%), end up committing double suicide.. Enter forensic psychologist Christopher Lash contracted by Eden Inc to do a detailed inquiry on the case and come up with a report.. He sets out on the inquiry but doesn't get much of a lead as they were a happy couple with no signs of suicidal tendencies when a second supercouple end up dead in a double suicide.. Why does two Super happy couples end up with suicide? is it really a suicide or a homicide or a combination of the two? what's the background? forms the rest of the story.. My view.. The best thing I liked about this novel is that despite being published a decade back, the author has explored the potential of machine learning and the prospects of artificial intelligence and the way it can be used. Reading this book a decade later gives us a perspective on how AI was perceived then, and how much it has evolved from then to now. Also, the crunching of huge volume of variety of data is being discussed in the book which is basically the core of the big data concept that is pretty prevalent today. Big data as a concept is not discussed in the book though that is the first thing that comes based on the amount of data listed in the book.. I also loved the way psychology and the psychometric tests were incorporated into the story and the explanation provided for the same without getting too technical about it. The way the protagonist character has been built is good and believable and there are enough crumbs thrown across the way to keep us guessing.. The protagonist's back story could have been elaborated a little more but it really doesn't affect the flow of the story in a big way, so that is something that can be given a pass.. With a story involving the use of AI, there is definitely a need to discuss about the ethics involved and the factor of how much is too much with respect to the use of AI, the core point of contention being the amount of feeling and emotions that you can build into a machine and allow it to learn by itself. How does one make a self learning machine understand ethics? This is a question that got triggered in me and I would have to do a little bit of searching and reading to learn and understand the concept.. All in all, a good read that involved a murder mystery with technology and made it fun reading for someone like me who is interested in technology..

  • Achira
    2019-04-24 16:04

    This is the first Lincoln Child book I picked up on mom's recommendation (Yeah, really). And I think I was enjoying it pretty much up until 80% when the big reveal happened and I had to somehow drag myself through the rest of the book, skipping words and lines, sometimes paragraphs, to get it over with soon.Okay, so it starts with Dr. Christopher Lash, who's a forensic psychologist, being invited to Eden Incorporation to investigate the mysterious double suicide of a "Supercouple". The plot intrigued me since it seemed different from the usual crime thrillers I've read in the past, but now that I've finished it, the ending has left me pretty disappointed and I wouldn't have given it three stars if it hadn't kept me engaged till about 80%.The book is written in third person and mostly in the present but gave glimpses of the protagonist, Dr. Lash's, past at times, which I especially liked. I thought the past was interesting and was expecting some connection of the past to the events occurring in the present but nothing of that sort happened and I felt the flashbacks were completely unnecessary- neither did they help the story ultimately or character development, for that matter.The entire concept of Liza seemed a little hard to belive like the conclusion itself and that's the part that disappointed me.The story had great potential and I really liked the style of writing. Hence I expected more but otherwise I think it's a fairly good read.. different, as expected but could've been better.Looking forward to a better read by Child.

  • Jaiman Fisher
    2019-04-01 19:55

    *****Spoiler Alert***** A book that started out well written and engaging but seriously unraveled at the end. I felt like the plot had been lifted from a mediocre 80s movie that was trying to be a cautionary tale about technology. Between "the computer did it" and the conflicted genius/maker who chooses to die with his creation rather than face the consequences, Death Match winds up being a bad cliche. Throw in the fact that the heroes can only be saved because a young woman of today, who understands the geeky minutae of how binary code works (not a far fetched idea), is able to flawlessly use the archaic programming methods of a forty year old computer (think punch cards here people - now we've reached the realm of far fetched), and I just wanted to groan. The worst part, though, had to be the Epilogue. The fact that the computer's "soul" escapes out into the world wide web (however that's supposed to happen) definitely fits in with the 80s movie theme. The fact that she (and of course the computer is a she, what else would a lonely man create) doesn't realize her creator is dead is ludicrous. As omniscient as she's been throughout the entire book, readers are suddenly supposed to believe that she can't read any of the articles that undoubtedly exist on the web about her masters death. The only reason I'm giving Death Match two stars instead of one is because the first half of the book is fairly good. I just wish the end had lived up to the promise of the beginning.

  • Chili_666
    2019-04-26 17:46

    Well... read it the seccond time around - and still think it is an OK read. Not the best book out there, not the worst. It might even be a really decent book for a nice sunny, lazy day on the beach, if you are into that kind of fiction. Granted, there is heaps of psychological mumbojumbo, one dimensional characters that react purely to their environs without any motivation/instincts for themselves and loads of weird computer-science-we-have-to-explain-something-or-make-an-escape-possible reality bending in there, but it is fiction. So I reckon it is supposed to be this way - allthough in this case it is sometimes very badly masked and quite obvious why the author needs it.The only thing that really got on my nerves is the whole flashback, insane mass-murderer sideline. It is just pointless and hasn´t got any influence on the main plot or the characters themselves. Quite the opposite in fact - I found it hugely distracting and a chore to read. Even more so, when I got to the end of the book and the whole side plot is resolved in the most unsatisfying way possible.

  • Diana Barbosa
    2019-04-01 18:53

    Para mim enquanto licenciada em Psicologia e interessada na vertente criminal/legal/forense ler um livro em que um ex-psicólogo forense é uma das personagens e tem de investigar caso de duplo suicídio de um casal aparentemente perfeito só podia despertar a minha atenção.Gostei muito da história. Na minha opinião está bem escrita e com personagens bem desenvolvidas. E tal como The Washington Post afirmou é "uma história hábil e sofisticada. Que também é um grito de alarme sobre os perigos da inteligência artificial."À medida que a investigação do Dr. Lash vai acontecendo deparamo-nos com horas cada vez mais perigosas e desesperadas.É um livro com inúmeras surpresas e reviravoltas que nos prendem até à última página. Além disso é um livro cujo início assenta numa premissa bastante interessante: o suicídio de um casal perfeito. Se é um casal perfeito porque haveria de se suicidar?

  • Dan
    2019-03-29 17:47

    I liked this book very much; but Lincoln Child is one of my favorite authors. Anything written by Child I would like, even if he was to explain the science of tiddlywinks, I would still be interested.OK, about this story I just read. "Death Match" is a good read, one that I could not put down. It was a book that talked to me, as if the story was written just for me to enjoy.A brief synopsis of this book: Match-making is big business and Eden Inc. is a good example; for a sum of $25,000, you will be matched with the person of your dreams. Not just on 5 or 10 areas, but a 100% compatibility across the board. Sounds too good to be true? Read this book to find out more! Oh, there was a movie made that reminded me of certain parts of this book, and it's called "War game" starring Matthew Broderick; why am I using this movie for the comparison? I can't explain any further, else I reveal spoilers. Do yourself a favor and read this book! 5 stars

  • Chuck Noren
    2019-04-12 20:55

    Predictable. Agonizing slow plot. When done, I felt like I wasted my time. Unsatisfying. I figured out who did the murders very early in the book, way before learning the motive. This is a techno-thriller. The author uses 1980s computer technology, garbed in 1990s language, and it's clear he has read about some AI stuff, but has a shallow understanding of AI and neural networks. He throws the buzz words around in a semi reasonable fashion, but the gaps are humorous. Lots of standard techno adventure formula of crawling through duct work to different floors to escape detection (amazing how fictional duct work is always big enough to just accommodate the hero).

  • Katie
    2019-04-06 16:53

    I read this book solely because it was in my bookshelf. English language books find their way there, whether or not I choose them. This one was left behind by a visiting professor. The writing style was poor, the deep glimpse into Lash´s past unconvincing, and the plot thin and predictable. I now feel like I need to read something literary just to redevelop the intellect lost in reading this book.

  • Shannon
    2019-03-27 13:12

    A really great read. I liked it more than I thought I would. The pacing was just right and several times I thought I knew who the "bad guy" was, but then a new piece of evidence would come up and my opinion would go in a different direction. It really kept be guessing, though looking back I feel like I should have known sooner. I'm quite impressed with this book. Highly recommended.

  • itchy
    2019-04-24 16:04

    i was hoping for some action with edmund wyre, but i guess he did his bitp98: "you didn't bring along any mechanical devices, did you?" mauchly asked. "voice recorder, pda, anything like that?"

  • Emma
    2019-04-14 13:12

    Took a while to get going with this and nearly put it down. I stuck with it but I've read better from this author.

  • Jennifer Boyce
    2019-04-21 17:12

    This was a quick and enjoyable thriller. A standard Lincoln Child read.

  • Ângela Costa
    2019-04-25 19:05

    "Até que a Morte não vos Separe" é um livro muito bom, gostei e recomendo. Porquê só 3*? Falta-lhe o "Factor surpresa", já são muitos anos a ver filmes!!! :)

  • Joyce
    2019-04-10 19:53

    Well written and very well plotted. The cast of characters was well rounded and the basic premise complex and well developed. It was not a quick read, but was worth the time put into reading it.

  • Ralph McEwen
    2019-04-13 16:44

    No real suprises. Glad this wasn't my first book by Linclon Child, because I would not have read much else by him and missed some of his wonderful work.

  • Beth
    2019-04-15 16:10

    Love this author!

  • Monica Willyard
    2019-04-18 16:48

    This book was not at all what I expected. It is not a typical mystery. I’m still working out what to say about it because my responses are mostly emotional. It is a blending of two areas I always saw as distinctly separate, technology and love. This story melts them in a way that felt both creepy and hopeful. It is a very odd way to feel about a book, or a concept. When you add a shellshocked former FBI profiler, a psychopathic serial killer, A brilliant computer scientist, and an artificial intelligence system seems to know you better than you know yourself, things can get very interesting very quickly.I might write a very different review of this book in four months. For right now, there are so many lines of thought, so many different things I need to examine, but there is no way to write a summary of the book. It would be like someone asking you to describe the sun. You could say that it’s hot and orange, but that doesn’t work or do it justice. You could describe it is a dwarf star and try to explain its gravity, with that would miss the other side, it’s beauty and it’s centrality to our world. I could describe the plot of this book to you, but that would not explain its impact on me. If you need a plot summary, you could look that up easily on Amazon. That summary will fall short though because this book has an experience inside it, something that is both logical and emotional, and something that should be experienced, not dryly summarized. I guess that’s how I’ll describe this book.

  • Peggy
    2019-04-23 15:55

    I listened to this audiobook. Christopher Lash is a psychologist who used to be profiler for the FBI. He is hired by an enigmatic company that is a highly sophisticated match-making business. When two couples who were deemed 100% perfectly matched end their lives unexpectedly the company is desperate to find out why. Lash is granted unprecedented access to the highly secret computer generated match making process to try to figure out why these "super couples" apparently committed suicide. This is a thriller with Lash convinced that is is not suicide, but murder. But if it is murder, who inside the company could have facilitated the killings? Lash is also fighting his own demons from his old work with the FBI. All in all this is a good read.

  • William Crosby
    2019-04-05 13:45

    High tech Artificial Intelligence being used for dating/matching. Because of double suicides linked to the dating service, a forensic psych is called in (who has his own psych problems) to determine why.Shows the power and danger of total information awareness and manipulation of data (e.g. credit cards, identity info).Discussion of AI and philosophical issues of consciousness and being self-aware. Can a computer be envious of humans?Sometimes goes on and on with the tech stuff at the expense of a moving plot. Also, I did not feel the characters as well as I do those in the Pendergast books.

  • John
    2019-04-08 12:48

    A bit predictable as to the killer in this tale. Almost wish the story had been drawn out more and the killer would go to court, now that would have been interesting.Still, liked the premise of the computer dating scene as a source for stalking and serial killing.Managed to say a lot there without giving too much away.The fun part of this story was the evolution of the main character, Dr Lash, and how he managed to reclaim his life. There were a lot of gaps in the story and overt technical information that could have catapulted this story further away from Dr Lash.

  • Miriam
    2019-04-15 19:54

    Child writes an intense mystery / thriller revolving around computerized match making and the deaths, double suicides, of some of the 'perfect' couples. Christopher Lash, psychologist and profiler, formerly with the FBI, is hired to find out why these couples committed joint suicide, or did they? While I figured out who did it, and how the story would end, it's worth the time if you like thriller and want to delve into a book on a quiet day.

  • Katie
    2019-04-23 20:05

    Pretty much every single time there's a story with an A.I in it, they become my favourite character, no matter what they do in the story. Those are just the rules it seems. Same for this book.I did also like the other characters though. It was a good story, I really wanted to know what happened next and I read it in one sitting. (view spoiler)[Also the A.I got away in the end. Even if she's now looking for a dead guy which is really sad. But the A.I lived! (hide spoiler)]

  • Bernadette Demone
    2019-04-13 16:57

    A decent read with an interesting concept. You needed to take some leaps with the characters and I have to admit the computer workings weren't too interesting to me but the idea of a super computer responding in a logical manner to a perceived threat is intriguing. That the threat has sprung from trying to incorporate human emotions into the computer is a bit frightening. We don't always know how people will react and act to threats let alone computers.